HOME Blog This Week at Angama #206

This Week at Angama #206

The hard-working lionesses of the Mara dominated Robert’s sightings this week – from the inimitable Mama Kali, to a proud new mother in the Inselberg Pride
Above: Golden hour with a golden-maned Bila Shaka

After a very long drive one day this week, on our way back to the lodge, the remaining daylight created a stunning golden glow. What photographers refer to as the ‘Golden Hour’ is always too short, but perfect for capturing everything from landscapes to portraits. Backlit photographs from this time of day are truly dramatic as the outer glow separates the subject from the background, creating a dreamy and mysterious effect.

f5.0, 1/500, ISO 640
f5.0, 1/500, ISO 640

With plenty of zebras to the south of the Triangle, the Border Pride is well fed, making kill after kill. We found them devouring the remains of their latest feast, with the dominant female keeping the older cubs at bay while she fed with the little ones. Luckily, there was no male lion around to hog the kill all to himself.

f8.0, 1/250, ISO 200
f8.0, 1/600, ISO 200

Some good news from the Inselberg Pride: they have a new addition. It’s such an exciting feeling to discover these tiny little creatures for the first time. With the sun just hot enough to force most animals to seek shelter, we saw a lioness climbing an inselberg to seek refuge in the forest at the top. On closer inspection with a pair of binoculars, we were thrilled to discover a single little cub.  

f5.6, 1/300, ISO 400
f5.6, 1/1100, ISO 320

Hyenas have a reputation for eating their own and we have pictures to prove it. Whether the victim was already dead due to natural causes or killed by a lion, we found this hyena eating its brethren.

F5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400 | Robert Sayialel
f6.4, 1/400, ISO 400

Guides have reported that this impressive leopard known as Shujaa had been feeding on a hippo calf for the last few days in the company of a female leopard. After a brief mating encounter (which I missed, twice), and with a full stomach, he spent the whole day sleeping in the shade avoiding the heat of the day. I spent the next few hours waiting for the female to reappear, but it wasn’t to be. It’s a game of chance sometimes. I was lucky the following day though and found the pair mating — a first for me.

f6.4, 1/320, ISO 400
f6.4, 1/1000, ISO 640
f6.4, 1/320, ISO 400

Our guests continue to astonish us with the fantastic photographs they capture with our rental cameras. I thought these rhino images were particularly outstanding as we rarely get close enough to take a decent picture. These solitary animals, except for females and their offspring like in this case, are very skittish and almost always retreat into deep bushes when discovered. Suffice to say Jackie Muthoni Muriithi, you did well!

f5.6, 1/25, ISO 200 | Photo: Jackie Muriithi
f5.6, 1/30, ISO 200 | Photo: Jackie Muriithi

Impressive is an understatement when it comes to describing the tough lioness named Mama Kali of the Angama Pride. Mama Kali translates to ‘tough mother’ and she single-handedly took down an adult male eland right below Angama Mara. Keep in mind that elands are the world’s largest antelopes, weighing in at around 500-600kg and standing at 1.7m tall at the shoulder. One tough mother, indeed.

f5.6, 1/320, ISO 640
f5.6, 1/320, ISO 640

This Week a Year Ago

Elephants mating; an unusual and exciting sighting

This must be a romantic time of year in the Mara, as this time last year Adam had an unusual sighting of elephants mating.

Filed under: This Week at Angama

Tagged with:

Lions of the Mara , Maasai Mara , Photographic Safari , Wildlife Photography

About: Robert Sayialel

A passionate photographer and videographer, Robert started his career working with Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Amboseli National Park, close to where he was born and raised. He honed his skills photographing the famous big Tuskers and travelling with guests through Kenya’s National Parks, documenting their safaris. A kid at heart, some say he never stops smiling.

Browse all articles by Robert Sayialel Meet the angama team

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