This Week At Angama #139

We’re more homesick than ever for the Mara, and have had to live vicariously through the incredible Migration scenes coming from the team at the lodge. And so Adam didn’t have to ask twice for us to don our virtual safari hats and narrate his lovely images this week in his absence. He and Mwikali are currently fully immersed in the Jackson Wild Film Festival Virtual Summit, underway at Angama Mara.

This year’s Migration has been unique. With fewer human spectators and seemingly more gnu participants, the abundance of rain in the region has sent the wildebeest scattering between the Serengeti and the Mara, and it’s been interesting to regularly check-in on the erratic movement of the mega herds. Enjoy This Week At Angama.

As a regular reader of these pages, by now you are probably aware of Adam’s deep appreciation for felines, in particular the Panthera Leo. Most weeks, we’re brought up to speed on the lion shenanigans in and around the Mara Triangle and this week is no different. This is the Eland Plains coalition which is in great condition, having taken advantage of the Migration’s endless bounty.

The recent rains have brought fresh water to the dams and awoken puddles of activity, frequented by our resident waterbirds and big cats alike.

I was stunned by how casually Adam popped these images into a folder without so much as a sentence of explanation. What a tease! What happened? Did they survive? Who came off second best? Coming up for air from his filming wormhole, he confirms that the wildebeest had a very lucky escape this time around.

Last week, in collaboration with The Mara Predator Conservation Programme (MPCP), we undertook an initiative to collar two lions across the Greater Mara with the intention to better understand their movements and potential circumstances for human-wildlife conflict. The Angama Foundation funded the deployment of two of these collars in the Mara Triangle, with the first fitted on an adult female. The second collar will likely be fitted to a subadult male in the coming month – and Tyler will be sure to relay these stories to you soon in our weekly blog.

Seemingly like lemmings, the wildebeest march toward greener pastures, and certain death for some. Determined, and undeterred by obstacles like the great Mara River. The Mara will certainly feel emptier in the coming weeks as these seasonal herds move on. They bring with them an energy of activity and excitement that ripples through the region and reverberates even with us all the way over here in South Africa.

All in name of experimenting; you may find yourself a little dizzy from these dazzles. Tweaking the shutter speed results in incredible effects which add creatively to the storytelling of zebra, who are otherwise impossible to capture as they seldom keep still for longer than a brief moment.

Last week, on 22 September, we observed World Rhino Day. It’s an important day for conservation as it promotes global awareness on the plight of this endangered species. As rare as they are beautiful, it’s forever a privilege to know that black rhino call the Mara home.

At this time of year, the action of the Migration and the drama that unfolds often distracts us from the smaller pockets of beauty playing out daily in the Mara. As the predators flop down to snooze and the whoops of the hyena whittle away, we cast our eyes to the smaller details of the wilderness. It’s the sounds, textures and patterns of these creatures that contribute to the Mara’s vibrant tapestry, and makes visiting the reserve an unforgettable experience for us all.

The Jackson Wild Film Festival Virtual Kenya Summit was hugely intense and we look forward to bringing you stories, as well as the the short documentary films that have been produced as a result of it.

Over and out from sunny South Africa.

A year ago Adam was up in a balloon, floating over the plains of the Mara. The lighting was phenomenal. The rich colours of the balloon contrast so beautifully with the green of the grass and the blue of the dramatic sky.