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Published: July 17th 2023
Secretary Bird
Always determined20221103 Maasai Mara Part 2 Thursday
About mid-day, we pulled up in a scruffy barren area. I was wondering why when someone exclaimed that a small concrete monument marked the border between Kenya and Tanzania. Shaken out of our somnolence, we leapt out of the vehicles. A solemn plaque forbade entry into Tanzania, although Lucas assured us that a twenty-metre grace was allowed; beyond that anyone, particularly poachers and smugglers, could be prosecuted if found by rangers. We took silly photos across the imaginary line.
Large birds stalked across the landscape, presumably finding insects and grasses to their taste. Sometimes the ostriches pecked almost continuously, and sometimes they just strolled aimlessly. Seen in the wild, their incongruous shape seems quite natural. From a distance, the full feathered body could be mistaken for a termite mound. The long legs and neck disappear into the vast fields of grasses. The tiny head is inconsequential.
Decorated with spiky feathers on top of its head and in its long tail, a Secretary Bird strutted peevishly back and forth on long legs. It was actually looking for insects and small rodents, but it looked quite impatient. The Lappet-faced vulture was somewhat familiar, because
Cheetah cubs
About 7 months old I had seen them in a sanctuary in South Africa. In both places, they stood stock still most of the time, just twisting their head, checking things out. Near a swampy pool, an elegant Grey Heron seemed like an extension of a grey, tumbled tree branch. Why am I surprised that in the wild every animal is camouflaged by elements in its own part of the environment?
Driving up what seemed an almost barren hill, our drivers headed towards a bunch of bushes. As we approached, I noticed other trucks close to the bushes, and some farther away. One of the vehicles belonged to park rangers. We were about to see a cheetah and her three cubs, but tourism had to be kept in check. By radio, the rangers permitted only three vehicles at a time to move close to the family. Drivers who lingered too long were directed by radio to quietly leave.
When our moment came, the cheetahs hardly looked at us. Resting in the shade, they only occasionally raised their heads, sometimes looking at us and more often just checking. The lithe thin body of the mother was the languid centre of the group. The
Lions in the shade
No predators - complete relaxation cubs didn’t move away from her, only stretched and shifted – two together near her head and one comfortable by her rump.
Back on the grassy plain, we yet again enjoyed seeing elephants, this time a small family, walking away from us. The youngest elephant was past baby-hood but was still adorably cute. Close to their mother, they moved in harmony on their slow passage.
Our biggest thrill was seeing a breeding pair of lions mate three times in about half an hour!
Earlier in the day, we had seen two pregnant lionesses lolling in the shade under a tree, probably digesting a sizeable kill. Near the end of the day, our guides took us to where they expected to see male lions, and after a bit of searching, found them, lazing in the grass. Two young males were to one side. A third young lion was stretched out beside a lioness. After we had watched them for a while, the lioness stood, which was a signal to her mate – only the lioness initiates. Accompanied by a little bit of toothy foreplay, the lion got on top and mated. The end was signaled by a growling
roar and his nipping her ears. Then, they both suddenly flopped on the ground. We had to laugh.
The other two males often looked speculatively at the lioness, but the breeding lion kept his eyes on their surreptitious moves closer and warned them off. Our driver Albert thought the couple had started mating less than two days ago: in the first few days, mating happens about every ten minutes, then fifteen, and so on, gradually reducing to about every forty-five minutes, finally stopping after a few days. What’s obvious to me is that lions are not particularly fertile. We watched them perform twice more, always astonished at their quick but gentle foreplay and their sudden flopping afterwards. In between bouts, the mating lion pointedly castigated what probably were his brothers for trying to join in the expression of their genes.
One great thing about our safaris is that, even when we are driving back to camp, animals are nearby and we stop. My heart catches at the sight of the vast herds of zebras and wildebeest slowly moving across the landscape to the horizon. Our last moment of the day was to watch a lot of giraffes glide
along, nibbling at bushes and trees, passing in an out of view. The golden glow of the evening sun painted the animals and grasses in soft amber light. A calm end to such an exciting day.
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Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Wow. What a day. I'm trying to think of any place in North America that would give you so many sightings of large numbers of large animals. Maybe the closest would be the caribou migrations up north? And that wouldn't offer so many types of animals. Anyway, these are fantastic shots and videos. I really like the one of the two giraffes.