A beautiful and quiet Mara

I would like to apologize to my followers on this blog for having taken long without updating you with the happenings in the Mara. I have been busy with guides training at Koiyaki guiding school in the Mara and doing the gold level assesment for other guides in Naivasha

After a very busy season in the Mara from June to last month, it is now relatively quiet. The park is bereft of the many visitors we had earlier. We have had intermitent rains over the past month and the plains now truning green. This is a very good time to be here!

The main migration from the south left last month for Serengeti, where they are expected to saty untill next June. We still have some remnants in teh Mara, and we think these are just the loita population, just waiting to return to teh Liota plains. These herds can be seen in a concentraion around Musiara Marsh and the northern edge of the reserve, while another sizeable herd is still on the Mara triangle, concentrated on a batch of recently burnt plain towards the escaprment. There is also a big herd of wildebeests moving into the Mara from North Serengeti. They are now at the salt lick and have moved uptowards 4kms junction

The big cats are still active. I have been seeing Olive’s family along the Talek and Olare Orok rivers. WE are yet to see Olive’s young cubs. One was only seen whne it was about two days old and has not been seen again. I believe she is still hiding them in a batch of forest around the junction of the Talek and Olare-Orok rivers. however we have been seeing the older cubs, Pacha, Binti and Nkaiyoni. The cheetah with 6 cubs is still around thought she has moved towarsd sekenani into the closed area.

Lorian, the female leopard which for a long time had disappeared from her teritory on Olkeju-Rongai river, is now back an dhas got 2 liitle cubs thought to be about 1 month. I saw them yesterday for the first time. She had never been seen with the cubs. My firned and colleague Jackson Looseiya, had seen her 2 days ago but not with the cubs. I had to break to him the news of the cubs sighting and we were all excited. After seeing them yesterday, we had a big storm and i have been unable to get there this morning. However, it was nice to see them and i hope they will grow into adulthood safely.

A map of the Mara showing recent big cats sightings

Vultures feeding on a dead Hyaena:

Now if you thought vultures are of no use, you rather changes you perception!

Cheetahs and Elephants at Musiara marsh

A Topi at sunset on Rhino Ridge

This was not an accident scene, but a first aid training we did for Koiyaki Guiding school students:

now you know next time they take you around in teh park that you are in good hands

Romeo and the marsh pride watching a warthog that came to close and tempted them to hunt;

One of Lorians cubs which i saw yesterday for the first time

Lorian watching over her cubs at Olkeju-Rongai yesterday

A big storm started yesterday afternoon; it rained almost the whole night till this morning