The Maasai Mara is the most incredible place in which to wander. A camera opens up your vision helping you to look more closely. This is a place of wild open spaces and big skies where your eyes dance in the haze and you can breathe deeply, a feeling which soothes your soul.

“This place will immerse you in its beauty and wonder. A place which remains relatively untouched by humanity. It is the northern most part of a stage where one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world is enacted every year, the wildebeest migration. Every day life and death dramas are being played out between predator and prey. Where cuteness and savagery live side by side.” ~ Mike Haworth

You will be intrigued by the sights, behaviours and scenes. This blog is a gallery of scenes which hopefully gives you a feeling of what you might sense when you wander through this wild place.

The beginning of the day will flood your senses with colour and space.

Ordinary things will sparkle and take on a whole new sense in the backlight.

“Because things grow. Wherever there is air and light and open space, things grow.” ~Helen Oyeyemi

Early morning is a time when the lion prides come down to drink- a family affair!

Zebras become habituated to crossing crocodile infected rivers on their migratory route but all the terror that it brings is somehow washed away in the open plains where they let their guard down and easily wander into the middle of these pools of water to drink.

Some pools are vacated for very good reasons. Two young blonde male lions struggling in the heat on the open plains have come down to rest next to a pool of water in a drainage line. Not 100 metres away were three old “dagga boys” resting in the short grass but keeping careful eye on their nemesis.

One morning we decided to travel through the Maasia Mara reserve and wandered down to the Serengeti border. This is a place of Inselbergs and vast open grasslands where the plains are dotted with Balanites. This is one of the scenes looking toward the Oloololo escarpment. A small group of bull elephants were ambling slowly through the vast grassland plains feeding at will.

In the Mara North, there were a few large herds of buffalo. This was one such herd. It was spread out feeding on the lush grasslands with plenty of water in pools along the drainage lines.

Down in the Marsh pride’s territory close to the Mara river next to the marsh we found this family herd of elephants casually feeding on the lush vegetation.

A small family group of elephants emerged from the “greenheart” forest next to the Mara river in the area of the Marsh pride.

“Everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are. We are often like rivers: careless and forceful, timid and dangerous, lucid and muddied, eddying, gleaming, still.”
~ Gretel Ehrlich

In the middle of the day we stopped in the “greenheart” forest next to the Mara river. This was the scene from the vehicle where we ate lunch and edited some of our images.

Early one morning in the Mara North we looked high and low for this pride of lions. It is quite incredible how they can disappear in the open grasslands when they lie down. As you can see there were large banks of cloud passing overhead creating strata of light and shadow across the plains.

“To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment.”~Jane Austen

Eventually it got too hot for this pride of lions and they made their way to the only shade in the area, what looked like a very old Shepherd tree. The Topis in the background kept a close eye on the resting family.

Another scene where family pride were resting, mid-morning, in the shade of a Balanite.

One afternoon, the wind had picked up and it became overcast. I liked this image of the tails of the group of zebras being blown to one side by the wind. Something had caught their attention, probably a predator.

This scene was around 8h00 in the morning in the Mara North. There was a lot of game on the plains feeding peacefully but the weather had other plans.

In the Mara North just the other side of “double crossing” we found this lone male cheetah. He was resting in the shade even though it was early in the morning. We took one look at his belly and decided that he would be resting for the day .

“Heaven is under our feet, as well as over our heads.”~ Henry David Thoreau

A panorama of the Maasia Mara from just below the Oloololo escarpment showing the dotted plains cast in wide open space.

Dawn and dusk are picturesque times of the day when ordinary scenes become extraordinary, cast in an entirely different light. Two female Thompson’s gazelle have the attention of a male.

This is a glimpse of the light, colour, space and textures you can be immersed in when wandering through the Mara.

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.” ~John Keats

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

The Mara provides eclectic wildlife photographic opportunities. We did not focus on birds during our last trip in February but they were all around so it was not difficult  to see and photograph a variety of raptor wader and insectivores.

“I marvel at its diversity; I am spellbound by its beauty.  I see its adversity and  admire its uniqueness. I am intrigued by its adaptation and humbled by its intelligence.” ~ Mike Haworth

A male Kori Bustard walking through the grasslands displaying. There were no females anywhere near but the white feathers under his elevated tail were a beacon.

A white-fronted bee-eater. We saw very few bee-eaters, the only other species I saw were little bee-eaters.

Short-toed snake-eagle. This was a first for me. I struggled to identify this raptor but the shape of the head and the piercing yellow eye were definite clues that it was a snake-eagle.

African marsh harrier guiding over the grasslands looking for insects and small reptiles and birds. We saw many of these harriers as you can imagine with such vast grasslands to hunt on.

“We are a landscape of all we have seen.” ~   Isamu Noguchi

Ruppell’s Griffon vulture flying into a carcass ahead of a spotted hyaena. The Ruppell’s has distinctive streaked brown and white body feathers. This was a juvenile as the adult has a distinctive orange-yellow tip to the beak with a black cere.

Cape vulture flying in to join the carcass dining party. The Cape Vulture is larger than the Ruppell’s vulture. Their whitish overall look is the distinctive feature. This is also a juvenile as the adults have a yellow eye.

Another Ruppell’s Griffon vulture following the Cape vulture to the Topi calf carcass.

As you can see once you find a carcass you and all the raptors will converge. This is an adult Blonde morph Tawny eagle flying in to investigate the Topi carcass.

“Birds have wings; they’re free; they can fly where they want when they want. They have the kind of mobility many people envy.” ~Roger Tory Peterson

The blonde morph Tawny eagle took off after deciding there was too much competition around the carcass from hyaenas and vultures.

Another male Kori bustard displaying with beautiful clear morning light on him. he did not catch any of the female’s attention that we could see but her certainly caught our attention.

The one morning it was sunny but windy. We had been watch a coalition of young male lions next to a pool of water where there was no shade just open grassland. Further along the drainage line was another pool of water with a solitary grumpy hippo in it but there was a lot of swallow activity. this was one of the Barn swallows which flew in for a rest. They seem to absolutely love the wind it seems to energise them and they become playful.

This Grey crowned crane was very busy plucking seeds off the grass stems.

Glamorous beyond design.

White-browed coucal foraging through a few low bushes hunting for insects.

Rufous-naped lark declaring his territory from the top of a low bush.

A male Kori bustard showing off his finery while striding through the grasslands of the Mara. The males were strutting their stuff but we did not see any females nearby.

Wood sandpiper resting next to the water’s edge.

“The soul that can speak with its eyes can also kiss with a gaze.” ~   Author Unknown 

Common Greenshank looks much like the Marsh sandpiper but is much larger and has a slightly upturned bill.

A spur-winged lapwing watching out for aerial predators.

Grey crowned crane having just had a drink on a hot afternoon in the Mara north.

“If you desire to see, learn to act.” ~  Heinz von Foerster

A Tawny eagle chasing a Black stork – unsuccessfully!

A blonde morph Tawny eagle taking off after not getting a  opportunity to pick up scraps with all the hyaenas and vultures around the carcass.

A Tawny eagle scanning the grasslands.

Wood sandpiper searching for food on the surface of the water. A palearctic visitor in East Africa between September and May each year.

This Marsh sandpiper was trawling the same pool of water as the Common Greenshank and Wood sandpiper, all the while watched by a pride of lions.

“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” ~   William Shakespeare 

Wood sandpiper mating dance with much head wagging and beak rubbing.

When on the Mara plains the mammals are the first ones to catch your attention because of their size and numbers, but the Mara offers a treasure trove for birdwatchers.

There are many raptors which fly by while watching the lions or elephants. There are numerous drainage gullies with streams and pools of water which attract waders and are a place for other birds to drink. The carcasses attract numerous species of raptors. There are wanders like kites and harriers which cast a passing glance. There are those that stride through the grasslands like ostriches, bustards, ground hornbills and secretary birds. There are also those which catch insects on the wing. Distractions there are many!!

This was just a sample of the birds we saw while photographing other things. I hope your enjoyed the sample.

“Life just seems so full of connections. Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life. We only see flat surfaces.” ~ Colin Neenan

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

It was 7h00 and we had stopped on a rise in Mara North to watch the “double-crossing” lion pride. The pride comprised cubs and lionesses which were lying in the grass out in the open.  The sun was rising, and the light was soft and bright.  The lionesses moved closer to a thicket of bushes adjacent to a pool of water near the top of the rise. 

“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”~ John Muir

About thirty metres to the north of the lion pride was an adult Martial eagle sitting on the rock watching the lion pride.

We could not understand why this Martial eagle sat and intently watched the pride for what must have been half an hour. Just as unusual was that the lionesses ensured the cubs stayed close and did not wander too far from the cover of the bushes.

We sat silently watching this strange stand-off. Eventually we asked Akatch, our Mara guide, what was going on and he said the Martial was waiting and watching for an opportunity to snatch one of the smallest lion cubs.

I had never heard of this behaviour before – a Martial eagle snatching a lion cub. Akatch said he had actually seen this happen some years before. A little research corroborated this behaviour and lion cubs do get taken by Martial eagles in the Mara. While not common it has happened a number of times before.

“The strangeness is interpreted from our limited experience. This veil of inexperience falls away as nature reveals relationships which never thought possible. As strangeness turns to knowledge so we learn about the infinite intelligence which binds our natural world together.” ~Mike Haworth

Anyone who has waited for a large bird of prey to do something, knows only too well that they can sit and watch their surroundings intently for hours. Eventually the Martial figured that the lionesses had this situation too closely guarded and it took off. Interestingly, it flew off and circled some distance away probably watching to see if the lion cubs came out from the bushes and started to play.

This is Africa’s largest bird of prey, even bigger than a Crowned eagle. The Martial will hunt mainly on the wing, soaring above the bushveld. They have excellent eye sight and are known to be able to spot prey from up to six kilometres away. This eagle weighs around 6.5 Kg and has a wingspan of about 2.6 metres. 

Martial eagles’ diet consists of  birds such as  guineafowl, geese, francolins, storks and bustards, and have been known to take on a Kori bustard. Martials will also prey on hares, hyraxes, small antelope such as duiker and steenbok,  impala calves, some monkeys, mongooses and, on occasions, the young of serval,  civet and wild cats, jackals and lions. They will also go for snakes and monitor lizards.

Eagles usually kill their prey with an elongated, sharp hind toe-claw, which is referred to as the hallux-claw. It is usually the largest talon in the eagle’s foot with three front  toes and one back one.  This hallux-claw can grow to 51mm, similar to the three largest eagles in the world, Philippines, Stellar’s Sea Eagle, and Harpy Eagle. The inner toe and claw on the front of the foot of the Martial eagle is longer than the other two and is almost the same size as the hallux-claw. This can be seen clearly in the next image as this Martial eagle takes off. The long large middle toes and claw is thought to be an adaptation for hunting in long grass.

Martial eagles are sexually dimorphic with the female being around 10 percent larger in body size and around 35 percent heavier than the male. The upper parts are dark brown as is its head, neck and chest. The belly is white and legs are white with black or dark brown spots. This eagle has menacing bright yellow eyes.

The Martial eagle can spend extended periods soaring looking for prey. This eagle is estimated to be able to see prey five kilometres away, with acuity 3 to 3.5 times that of a human being. The Martial is also known to sit for hours camouflaged in a bush or tree ready to ambush at any point.

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar” ~ Helen Keller

Once the Martial had flown off, the pride came out of the cover of the bushes to drink at the adjacent pool of water. The adults remained cautious and kept looking up to ensure their cubs were not about to be attacked by an avian predator.

The Martial eagle is diurnal and prefers open savannah, alongside woodlands and thorn bush habitats. I have only ever seen a solitary Martial in the bush but they obviously get together to breed.

“Named after Mars, the Roman god of war, this powerful hunter dominates with little need to fight. It uses spiraling thermals in the African skies to rule its domain from high above the plains, soaring effortlessly for hours on broad wings .”~ Mike Haworth

The Martial flew off and circled the area a few times before finding some bushes to perch in about 100 metres further away. The extra distance brought the lions out from their cover and they went down to the adjacent pool to drink. 

At birth lion cubs weigh only around three pounds and are completely helpless. They are usually born away from the pride for their safety and are united with the rest of the pride around three to four months later. In the Mara and Serengeti only one in five, or even less, make it to adulthood. Martial eagles being only one possible cause of the death rate.

After sating their thirst, the cubs followed the adults to lie in an outcrop of  rocks in the open. The Martial did not attempt an attack but the possibility certainly held our excitement for an extended period. We were reluctant to leave the scene but with nothing happening this meant investing time when the morning light was at its best. While no attack occurred the story caught our imagination and was worth the investment.

The Martial made one last swooping circle before catching a thermal to get high up to soar above the open grasslands of the Mara.

There is never a day in the bush when I do not learn something new. Superficially you would have thought that lions would have it all their own way on the open plains – not so!  Size and numbers play a critical role in “plain survival”.  It is very seldom you will see all lions lying down fast asleep unless there are no cubs in the pride. All the normal behavioural rules are continually being broken in the grass plains .

“If you don’t make the effort to get out you will never get to see nature’s magic which will surely surprise you, and fill you with wonder and humility.” ~ Mike Haworth

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This post is about a hunt we watched in the Mara. For those who are particularly sensitive, please do not read further. Some of the images of the hunt and take-down are graphic.

We were lodged at &Beyond’s superb tented camp, Kichwa Tembo which is located on its own conservancy immediately north of the Mara triangle in the Maasai Mara. In was mid-February so sunrise was at 6h55 as this area is almost on the equator. Most of the game was in the Mara North which was the directly north  and the other side of the Mara river to Kichwa Tembo. The only bridge in that area across the Mara river is on the access road north of the National Reserve against the Oloololo escarpment. The road is in a terrible state which meant that every time we travelled on it, which was daily, we got what was politely called an “African massage”.  Each morning we were up at 4h45 to leave camp at 5h30 and travel the 50 minutes on the access road outside the National Reserve to get to the Mara North via the Musiara gate by 6h45.

“If you want people to to think, give them intent, not instruction.” ~ L. David Marquet

At 6h45 it was still dark but the skyline was undergoing a magical transformation from twilight blues to spectacular pinks, oranges and yellows. Dawn in the Mara has a beautiful yellowish hue to it which is unique to the Mara and Serengeti area. We do not see this yellowish hue to our sunrises in southern Africa.

“The universe doesn’t give you what you ask for with your thoughts – it gives you what you demand with your actions.” ~ Steve Maraboli

Once through the gate now it was a race against time to find our lion prides. The lions seemed to be active for about an hour or so after sunrise, thereafter they either became “flat cats” or retreated into the shade of a few glades of trees which followed various drainage lines. Lou Coetzer, our guide and mentor from CNP Safaris, had been photographing this area for the previous two weeks so had a good idea of where the prides were operating. The “double-crossing” pride worked in a localised section in Mara North so we knew the general area in which we might find them. The pride inevitably moved around and did most of its hunting at night so the chances of finding them where we left them the day before are low, especially if they were hungry when we left them the evening before.

“Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing, and listen as Heaven whispers, do you like it? I did it just for you.“ ~  Max Lucado

The sun was now rising fast bathing the vast open grass plains of the Mara in a warm, soft clear early morning light, perfect for wildlife photography. Now all we had to do was find the lions. Next minute between Lou and our &beyond guide/driver Akatch things started to unfold quickly. Lou pointed out that the Topis had stopped and were staring at something. This usually meant they were staring at a predator. Akatch, who had incredible eyesight said that hyaenas, not lions, were in the process of catching what we thought at first was a wildebeest because of its dark colour. We quickly moved into position with the sun behind us and began to watch the drama unfold. As the entourage got closer we realised the victim was a buffalo calf, not a wildebeest. In my fifty years of going regularly into the bush, I had never seen this kind of drama.

“Intent reveals desire; action reveals commitment.” ~ Steve Maraboli,

We missed the first part of the hunt as this buffalo calf was on its own and the herd was nowhere to be seen, which in itself was unusual. Buffalo are known to protect their own. A pack of spotted hyaenas were chasing this calf biting at its tail, flanks and back legs.

At any point there were five to six hyaenas around the calf taking turns to bite it.

The calf just powered on.

“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in tenacity.” ~ Louis Pasteur

The hyaenas at no point tried to take on this calf from the front.

A human perspective does not add any value at this point.

A buffalo’s hide is thick and tough so even these hyaenas, with one of the strongest bite forces in the natural world, were struggling to stop and bring down this calf. All the cackling from the hyaenas attracted a few Black-backed jackals who skirted around the periphery of the action, never daring to get into the fray, being such lightweights.

The drama intensified as more hyaenas joined the biting and tugging frenzy. All of us in the photographic vehicle could hardly breathe and were dead quiet intently looking through our viewfinders.

The strength and tenacity of this buffalo calf are of what legends are made. Despite being mobbed by hyaenas and having chunks bitten out of its backside, hide legs and flanks, it carried on trying to get away from its attackers, dragging five or six hyaenas along at a time.

In my book, this buffalo calf was brave and strong beyond anything I would have expected. It just would not go down.

The calf pulled these hyaenas in wide circle three times, despite being progressively wounded and losing much blood, judging from the scarlet-pink faces, necks and forelegs of the hyaenas.

Slowly and progressively the hyaenas started to eat into the left side flank of this calf but undeterred the calf would not stop and carried on dragging these blood-frenzied hyaenas along.

From a human perspective, it was chilling scene and difficult to watch these hyaenas relentlessly overwhelm this tenacious calf. From nature’s perspective, this is a drama which unfolds time and again on these plains and has done so for centuries.

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” ~Charles Darwin

Despite their strength in numbers the hyaenas never dared to try to tackle this calf from the front.

This method of hunting by hyaenas is effectively the only way they can bring down their prey. While they have claws, they cannot grip their prey with their paws so have to bite and grip it with their enormously strong jaws. A lion’s retractable claws are like grappling hooks which enable it to attack  and hold on so bring down their prey quite differently. At the first opportunity lions will go for their prey’s throat to suffocate it before feeding on it. Hyaenas cannot do this so effectively eat their prey alive.

Hyaenas are highly cooperative hunters and they execute a coordinated  relay of attacks to bring down their prey.

“The most critical time in any battle is not when I’m fatigued, it’s when I no longer care.”
~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

Eventually, the hyaenas managed to overwhelm the calf and it stopped. This was the first time a hyaena moved in front of the calf during the hunt and started to bite its front legs. By this time the calf’s eyes were wide and glaring, probably in deep shock.

The calf finally went down and within seconds the hyaenas were ripping furiously at its side stripping off large chucks of flesh. The hunt went on for about seemed to  be 15 to 20 minutes.

Within three or four minutes of the calf going down, the hyaenas had eaten all of its insides and about twenty percent of its muscle, such is the speed at which they eat.

The hyaenas knew only to well that the prolonged hunt accompanied by all the their cackling and whooping reinforced by the high-pitched barking by the jackals was bound to attract  attention, and it did.

The hyaenas were well aware of the eternal game played on the plains and never kept their heads down for long.

The hyaenas would dig in to their hard-won kill for a few mouthfulls before looking up to make sure  lions were not approaching.

All the while, the “double-crossing” pride had been watching the hyaenas taking down the buffalo calf from their vantage point on a rise. It seemed that the lions waited until the hyaenas had done all the work before moving in. Initially, the lionesses came down the hill toward the buffalo calf carcass. The lionesses did not rush in as they were outnumbered by hyaenas. This was very exciting because we were about to see an enactment of another epic tangle between eternal enemies.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large blond maned male lion racing into the pack of hyaenas to steal the kill, with complete disregard for the lionesses or the number of hyaenas, such is the power and aura of a large male lion.

“I don’t follow dreams, I hunt goals!” ~Unknown

I was so focused on this male rushing in that I did not see the reaction from the lionesses, who I gather from animated discussion afterward were very annoyed by the insolence of these two young males rushing in to steal the kill. These young males were probably part of the pride at one point and were kicked out by the coalition of dominant males. Although effectively nomads they must have stayed in the area close to the pride. They saw the hyaenas taking down the calf and had not seen the dominant males about and  decided this was a perfect opportunity to barge in and steal a meal.

Emboldened by his size and strength this young male thundered in directly to the calf’s carcass, sending hyaenas scattering.

He was so intent on the carcass he did not go for any of the hyaenas and we know that large male lions make it their business to kill hyaenas.

“There is an eternal dance of life around death on the Mara stage, where cooperation and domination are choreographed to the natural rhythms of the dotted plains.” ~ Mike Haworth

One male lion versus nine hyaenas on the kill,  and they all scattered.

Not one of the twelve or thirteen hyaenas directly around the carcass tried to defend it.  That would have been a death sentence.

The hyaenas scattered to a safe distance but did not move too far away

The hyaenas together with the jackals  wandered around the periphery of the kill zone looking for scraps of meat which might have been dropped during the frenzy.

You can see from the openness of this area that any action on the plains could be seen from a distance. There was not another buffalo to be seen as far as the eye could see.

Initially, I did not see the second male but it looked like he worked in concert with the first male securing the carcass and the second male securing the periphery. 

The two nomads settled down to a hearty breakfast of buffalo calf at around 8h00 in the morning. They finished off the calf leaving nothing for the lionesses and their cubs.

For a wild life photographer watching this kind of predator interaction in early morning light is as good as it gets. Lion prides and hyaena clans have overlapping territories. Both are good hunters and both do most of their hunting at night. What makes the Mara predator behaviour different, is that there are few places to hide during the day and the grass in February was relative low, so both sets of predators could see each other. A hyaena clan  posts sentries all over the plains. A single hyaena will lie in a drainage line, a pool of water or large tuft of grass. Each hyaena waits and watches all the goings of the herbivores and other predators in their area. Both lions and hyaenas watch the vultures to see where prey has fallen. They will hunt at any time if the opportunity arises. If a good feeding opportunity arises, such as lions killing a buffalo, then the lone hyaena will whoop for reinforcements. Once enough sentries converge, and if there is no male lion around, then the hyaenas will mob the lionesses trying to force them off the kill.

“Your soul awakens your mind. Your mind makes your choices. Your choices manifest your life. Your life is your lesson. Your lessons create wisdom. Your wisdom enriches your soul.” ~ Karen A. Baquiran

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

In the middle of February, I was fortunate enough to spend eight days in the Masai Mara on a photographic safari guided by Lou Coetzer, the owner of CNP Safaris.  The eight days yielded some fantastic wildlife photographic opportunities in the North Mara. February is outside the wildebeest migration season in this part of the Serengeti-Masai Mara circuit. The migration only gets to this part of the circuit around July and lasts through to around late September early October, depending on the rains. The reason for going to the Mara at this time of the year was to photograph the carnivores which tend to be more territorial and stay behind when the wildebeest leave. There is still plenty of wildlife left on the plains but carnivores such as lions have to work harder for it.

“Once you have travelled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” ~ Pat Conroy

These trips are always great fun because you meet new people and share special wildlife moments with old friends, in this case, Duncan Blackburn, Les Penfold and Lou Coetzer. We travelled around in CNP Safari’s specialised photographic vehicle which is designed for five photographers and has customised photographic chairs with swivelling camera supports for the big camera/lens combinations to provide stable shooting platform.

The previous times I have visited the Masai Mara we worked the Mara triangle and the &Beyond conservancies. This time there was very little game in the Mara Triangle and the grass was getting quite long. As a result, Lou Coetzer found that the North Mara was a far more productive area to work from a photographic point of view.

“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

This post is about the prides of lion we saw in the Mara. On the first full day we found a pride of lion down on Topi flats towards “Double Crossing”. It was early, around 6h30, about half an hour after sunrise. The male was out in the open with a few lionesses and a few cubs.  The rest of the pride had already retreated in the adjacent glade of trees and bushes along a drainage line, seeking shade. The pride male’s flehmen grimace was a response to him drawing an interesting scent over his Jacobson’s organ in the roof of his mouth.

Once the pride moved into the glade, that was that. Most of the lion action we saw took place in the first hour or two after sunrise and thereafter they were “flat cats”. One of the important advantages of photographing in the North Mara section is that it is very open and the grass is low, which improves the quality of the photography once you find an interesting subject.

“The prides and packs are in a continual territorial dance in the Mara. There are few places to hide in these wide open grasslands.  Pick your fights carefully, injury can be a death sentence. One side might win a fight but the predator war persists. Keep your young safe as no quarter is given and every opportunity is taken.” ~ Mike Haworth

On the second day Lou was excited about finding four large male lions under a Ballanite. These were four male of a five male coalition which had moved into the area and looked to be assessing the area for a take-over. As you can see from the next image the open areas in the North Mara are vast which gives the visitors a good visual on food potential and other lion prides in the area.

It was only around 8h00 when we found these males but they were already “flat cats” and were not likely to move for the rest of the day. Their presence created exciting potential for the next week in this area.

Down the hill was one of this area’s dominant pride males lying under another lone ballanite. This male was vulnerable as he was limping. We were not sure whether he had hurt his paw or shoulder. This small herd of zebra must have known or sensed he was not a threat as they wandered quite close to him and he never even acknowledged their passing.

“There is an intimate understanding of strengths and weakness on these plains.” ~ Mike Haworth

On another occasion we found these two young nomad males. They were out in the open and were breathing very heavily but not out of exhaustion but rather the heat. This was strange as it did not seem to be that hot around mid-morning. According to LionAlert.org, all lions are extremely sensitive to heat, and many lion behaviours seek to minimize heat stress. Sleeping in the day and limiting most activity to the night is one example; others include lying on their backs to expose their thin-skinned bellies, resting on high rocks to catch the breeze, and panting after exertion or large meals. Unlike dogs, lions do not have cool, wet noses, and unlike people, they don’t sweat. Their only means of thermo-regulation are breathing (panting) and radiating heat from the skin.

After about half an hour of watching them they warily wandered over to a pool of water in a drainage line where they had a long drink and then lay down next to the pool. It looked as though they would be there for the day, so not long after, we left them in peace. As you can see this part of the Mara has huge wide open spaces with few trees for shade so the lions here have to adapt to lying out in the open during the day.

On day three we were treated to an amazing sighting. Hyaenas caught and killed a buffalo calf and two young male lions rushed in and pushed them off their kill. This is a story  for my  post next week. The next image is of the first of the young males having just appropriated the buffalo calf.

The females in the pride were very upset that these two youngsters had barged into what was going to be lionesses meal. I was so focused on one of the males racing into the scene that I missed the interaction as the young males raced past the growling lionesses. After some discussion about the scene later over coffee, we presumed that these two young males must have been kicked out of the pride, but remained on the periphery and when the opportunity presented itself they returned to steal the kill while the dominant males were away. The rest of the pride was left with nothing as the two young males finished the buffalo calf.

The next generation of young males in the pride did not dare to resist and had to make do without a meal and be content with each others’ company. In general, male cubs remain in the pride for about three years. The dominant male then kicks them out of the pride and they become wandering nomads for about two to three years until taking over a new pride or forming a new one. Some males remain nomads until they can form a coalition or find a pride they can take over.

The pride had lost out on a meal and after some time reluctantly moved from the hill toward a few pools of water in a drainage line. On their way down to the water the pride passed one of the two resident pride males. He seemed pleased to see the lionesses.

But greeted the youngster with less enthusiasm.

“Being brave does not mean looking for trouble.”~ Mufasa

The other resident pride male in the coalition was some distance off and followed the pride down towards the water.

The entire pride passed the older male and greeted him, though he was selective when  returning his greetings.

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The cubs, even the older ones, were playful despite missing out on a meal, but this lioness looked to still be irritated by the loss of the buffalo calf meal to the young males.

This was the older of the dominant two pride males and he was limping badly probably from a tangle with a buffalo or even a territorial fight with another male.

“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand the balance and respect all the creatures.” ~ Mufasa

The pride eventually got down to the pools of water where they stayed. Two lioness adopted a lookout position so they could see the goings on in that area and catch any passing breezes to keep cool.

Our modus operandi was to leave the camp at 5h30 and go into the park area, where we left the lions the day before, by around 6h45, around 10 to 15 minutes before sunrise. We found that the lions were active for only about an hour after sunrise so not much time in good light. This particular morning we were scouting around looking for the lions and found them in an open area among some rocks looking down the hill on the plain below watching the topi, zebra and buffalo. The whole pride was together excluding the males who  must have been surveying their territory. This was the youngest member of the pride and has a very swollen front paw which caused it to hobble badly.

Again it was ear;y morning around 7h30 and the light was not particularly good because of a lot of cloud. Good for the lions, but not so good for enthusiastic photographers.

Most of the pride came down to drink from this pool of water and it was unusual to be able to see all these lions lined up along the water’s edge and reflections added to the gorgeous scene.

There were always two or three lions looking out while the rest were head down to drink. The sentries were making  sure there were no threats coming their way.

This lioness, probably the cub’s mother, stood on its back leg to pin down while she smelt and inspected the youngster. This was the cub with the swollen right front paw. Amazingly this cub kept up with the pride which moved every day.

“Play is the exultation of the possible.” -Martin Buber

All the safari vehicles cast shadows over the lions around the pool. Seeing these youngsters play with light on them would have produced some wonderful images. Most of the visitors on the safari vehicles were sightseers rather than enthusiastic photographers so were not as sensitive to the light as we were.

The cub with the sore paw was not excluded from the pride in any way, so got its fair share of the “rough and tumble” from the older cubs, including the biting of his tail.

On the second last day, we hunted high and low for the lions. We knew in which broad area they were because of their territorial boundaries, but we could not find them. You would have thought that it would have been easy to find a large pride of lions in this vast open areas with low grass, not so. There are many undulations in the ground and drainage lines. When the lions lie down they are not called “flat cats” for nothing. You will struggle to see an adult lioness lying flat on his side in the short grass. It is only when she lifts her head that will you see her. We watched this pride lying out in the open grassland for about an hour before they decided to get up and wander toward the shade of a Ballanite some 300 metres away.

“Seek respect, not attention. It lasts longer.”~ Ziad Abdelnour

The cubs are very affectionate to the lionesses who in turn are very tolerant with the cubs.

The older members of the pride walking towards the shade. Interestingly, it was the cubs who started the move and the older members followed.

The sky was partly cloudy and it was quite windy which is why the lions only moved to the shade around mid-morning. The coming and going of the clouds made some interesting layering of colours in the background.

The Mara has many lions signalling plenty of food and a relatively stable ecosystem. Predators have to work harder for their food outside the wildebeest migration which makes February a good time to be photographing these cats. The wildlife is constantly moving and the light is always changing so the photographic combinations and variations are endless. There are many lion prides in the North Mara and because they are in relatively small territories there are many predator interactions which adds to the excitement and opportunities of seeing unusual predator behaviour. These lion prides in the open grasslands of the Mara behave differently, in many respects, to our southern African lions which adds to the attraction and fascination.

To Lou Coetzer and CNP Safaris, thank you for a memorable trip filled with photographic opportunities.

“A wildlife photograph freezes a scene and its dynamics. Each image is unique. It allows us to look more closely at the complexity, beauty and subtlety which we cannot fully comprehend at the instant the shutter opens.” ~ Mike Haworth

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike