On the first afternoon of this Mara trip with Wild Eye, we found four lionesses near the lugga that led down to where we saw Nshipai, a leopardess. There were no wildebeest or zebra to be seen. The migration had moved down into the Serengeti three weeks earlier. The lionesses had managed to kill a Reedbuck, but the pickings were slim for four adult hungry lionesses.

The second morning we found the four lionesses on the move traveling north. One lioness was younger than the other three and was limping.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” ~ African Proverb

As the lionesses were walking up the lugga, they would stop and rest every now and then. The lionesses following would catch up with the lead lioness and there were always rubbed heads.

As the sun progressively rose there was beautiful golden morning light which illuminated the lead lioness.

“Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us.” ~ Barack Obama

We had driven about a kilometre ahead of the lionesses who were following the course of a lugga. At a small pond of water under two large trees we found two old buffalo bulls. These solitary older male buffalos are sometimes referred to as “dagga boys”. The word dagga comes from one of the African languages which means mud. The reason these bulls are either solitary or in small groups is because they have been forced out of the herd by the younger bulls. “Dagga Boys ” are known to be bad tempered and are best left alone. These two old buffalo bulls were not covered in “dagga” or mud because the rains had begun in the Mara and the downpours were heavy enough to wash all the dagga away. The old bulls love wallowing in the mud as it has a cooling effect, and the mud makes it more difficult for biting insects to get into the soft skin areas.

“You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg

The two buffalo bulls had sated their thirst at the pond and were walking away when the lionesses approached. All three of us (photographers) in the game vehicle said there was no chance that the four lionesses would take on two large buffalo bulls, especially when one lioness was limping.

The buffalo bulls stopped to assess what the lionesses were going to do. They just stood there as the lionesses draw adjacent to them. Initially, the lionesses made no attempt to chase the buffalos. Then unexpectedly, and for no apparent reason, one of the buffalo bulls bolted back down towards the pond where they had been drinking minutes before. The second buffalo bull followed. The buffalos running triggered the chase response from two of the larger lionesses.

The second buffalo bull initially followed his partner. One lioness gave chase seeking to separate the bulls.

“There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.” ~ Lao Tzu

The chasing lionesses managed to trap one bull in a hollow in the lugga. This badly restricted the bull’s ability spin around and protect itself.

Both lionesses managed to get a grip of the bull’s hindquarters, one on its rump and the second biting the tendons on one of its back legs. The other two lionesses quickly piled into help. The second buffalo bull saw what was happening and ran left and crossed the lugga to stand about thirty metres on the other side of the pond.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” ~ Michael Jordan

The caught buffalo bull was bellowing but his partner stood some distance away and did not try to help his trapped partner. We wondered why but it was probably because of the restricted position the first bull was caught in. It was not in the open and there was very little space to be able to attack the lionesses.

It must have taken the four lionesses about twenty minutes to get the bull onto the ground.

Without help, once the bull was lying on the ground it was just a matter of time before the lioness had choked the life out of it with a strong jaw clamp to the neck to restrict the windpipe and suffocate the bull.

“Think ahead to not get cornered.” ~ Mike Haworth

It must have taken another ten to fifteen minutes before the buffalo bull was dead. The other buffalo bull walked away knowing that there was nothing he could do, and he was reasonably sure the lionesses were not going to follow him as they were now very tired.

“Determined and sustained effort are crucial ingredients for success.” ~ Mike Haworth

Once the lionesses had killed the buffalo bull, they just lay around getting their breath back after the enormous effort required to kill this large bull.

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.” ~Helen Keller

Killing the buffalo is one thing, getting through its hide is another. A buffalo bull’s hide is thick, around its neck the skin can be as thick as two inches (50mm) in places, which protects it during battles with other bulls for dominance. The softest places and where the skin is thinnest is the belly and between the bull’s back legs.

The lionesses were clearly hungry so the buffalo kill was opportune and would provide plenty of meat for the next few days. That assumed the lionesses had the buffalo carcass to themselves and would not have visitors such as a large pack of hyaenas or coalition of male lions.

On day three, we returned to the buffalo kill to find three large male lions dominating the carcass and the lionesses lying some distance away. One female tried repeatedly to feed on the carcass, but the males were having none of it.

The oldest and largest of the males had a black mane and a cut below his left eye. It looked as if a claw had narrowly missed his eye. He would not let the lionesses feed on the carcass when he was next to it.

Once the oldest male had his fill he walked over and drank from the stream flowing out of the pool next to the kill.

Once the oldest male had finished the other two males tucked into the carcass. They too would not share with the females.

“The lion’s courage is forged in the crucible of adversity, and its roar is the anthem of triumph over challenges.” ~ Rashida Rowe

There was lots of growling and snarling when the two males were feeding on the same part of the buffalo carcass, but the snarls never erupted into any form of fighting.

Once the males had finished feeding they moved about 20 to 30 metres from the carcass and lay down and slept.

It was notable that the only competition the lions had was from a pair of Black-backed jackals and a few vultures. We never saw a hyaena. This was probably because of the male lions.

Once the males had finished there was almost nothing left of the buffalo carcass. It took about four days for the lions to completely finish the buffalo carcass. Once finished the lionesses and male lions went their separate ways.

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” ~ Gary Snyder

It was fascinating to see all the actions and interactions from the start of the hunt to when the carcass had been finished. The three photographers in our game vehicle all smiled at the end of the saga and said we certainly did not judge those lionesses correctly. The crux of the kill seemed to be that the lionesses trapped the bull in a hollow in the lugga which made it very difficult for him to whirl around and protect himself and also gave his partner no room to properly defend him.

“At the start of a game drive you are full of anticipation. On the drive the visual beauty and scents of the bush make your senses swim. Nature is unpredictable but reveals a little more of itself each time creating fascination and building more mystery.” ~ Mike Haworth

One of the most intriguing aspects is that all of us in the game vehicle had been in the bush and seen many lion hunts and we still got our assessment of their probable success wrong. Part of what makes wildlife photography so interesting is that you come away marveling at the tenacity and strategy of lion hunts. No one wants to get in the way of a hungry lioness.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike.

We were based at Wild Eye’s Enkishui camp in the southern end of the Mara Triangle. The camp is located on the western bank of the Mara river about two kilometres up river from the Purungat gate.

I really enjoy late September-October in the Mara because the crowds have disappeared and the skies are full of cumulus and cumulonimbus cloud formations in the afternoons creating wonderful backgrounds for our wildlife photography.

“Nature, especially wilderness, has a calming effect on the mind” ~ Percy Fernandez

What was unusual about this trip was the migration had left three weeks before we arrived. I had never seen the plains of the Mara Triangle with so few herbivores. But nature is endlessly fascinating. With so few herbivores, the predators had to work much harder to find food.

I had more leopard sightings this trip to the Mara Triangle than all my previous trips combined. On the first afternoon we were out in the Triangle and found this leopardess, called Nshipai, walking down to the bank of the Mara river. There was plenty of water around so she must have been hunting.

While walking through the grass and among croton bushes this leopardess was on high alert. There could have been anything sleeping in the grass from predator to prey.

Although there are plenty of large trees to escape up into, leopards need to be aware of lions and hyaenas in this area. This leopardess was alert and often looked back when she heard something.

“I look closely for moments like a fleeting tender touch or expression that is character-revealing” ~ Alison Langevad

The next day we were privileged to see four lionesses take down a large buffalo bull in the morning. This experience will be the subject of my next post. That afternoon we returned to the buffalo kill and spent most of the afternoon watching the interactions between the lionesses. Once the sun started to set we began to drive back to camp. It was late, the skies were darkening and it looked as though it was about to rain. Our guide, Jimmy, saw movement in the grass on the other side of a lugga (drainage line). It was the leopardess, Nshipai, feeding on a Yellow-billed stork she caught in the lugga. Leopards are superb hunters and will adapt when their normal prey is not available.

This leopardess was well hidden in the grass alongside the lugga and she was dead quiet while feeding on the stork.

Once she had eaten all she could of the stork’s carcass, she got up, had a careful look around her before walking away from the area.

Nshipai began to walk up towards the ridge when it started to rain. She promptly turned around and began casually walking back down toward the lugga. For a short while as she walking down to the lugga in light rain, there was sun on the area she was walking in and the backdrop was a dark blue sky, pregnant with rain and a beautiful rainbow. It is not often you get this photographic combination.

“It all ultimately comes down to showing respect to nature and understanding the species you want to photograph” ~ Riddhi Mukherjee

Every now and then she would stop while it was raining to see if the rain had flushed anything out of its hiding place. Leopards make use of their very long tails for a variety of different functions. Its position and shape expresses their mood, it acts as a form of communication and for enhanced movement. Their prehensile-like tails act like an additional limb, allowing leopards to increase their balance when climbing and giving more ability to turn sharply when chasing prey, like a rudder.

This leopardess nonchalantly walked back down the hill towards the lugga as it started to rain. The light was changing constantly as the storm built up.

The leopardess eventually walked down into the lugga to sit under an overhanging shelf to wait out the storm. She walked straight to the overhang so must have known this area intimately. She groomed herself while waiting for the storm to abate.

“I appreciate these moments where I can get away from life and focus on living”~ TJ Thorne

The next afternoon, it was dusk and we were driving back to camp after watching the male lions feeding on the buffalo carcass. Lying in the grass about 20 metres off the road this leopardess lay flat in the grass hoping that we would not see her. Our guide Jimmy saw her first.

After she realised that we had seen her, she relaxed and sat up. She quietly looked around listening attentively to every sound.

Our guide thought this female had two cubs which she had hidden in the lugga close to the road. She stayed in the vicinity for the entire time we were in the Triangle and there was not a lot of prey around so she probably had a cub hidden around there.

“To approach animals in their most natural, native settings. I have to understand the mysteries of their behaviour. With careful preparation, I can show the animal in its best light, demonstrating its beauty, strength, and intelligence “
~ Paul Nicklen

After about fifteen minutes she yawned, got up and stretched. It looked like she was about to start her nocturnal hunting and territory marking.

By now it was almost dark and she walked out of the grass onto the road. She sat on the road and looked around for a while before deciding which direction to go off hunting.

On our second last day we met Shujaa, the Swahili word that means brave or courageous. It also refers to someone who is a warrior and he looked the part. This was the largest male leopard I have ever seen and looked to be the size of a decent sized lioness.

Shujaa’s muzzle showed some recent wounds from deep raking claws. This was probably a territorial battle which judging from the way he was walking around, he must have won. This male was huge, muscular and had a dewlap to match.

“I think a photograph, of whatever it might be – a landscape, a person – requires personal involvement. That means knowing your subject, not just snapping at what’s in front of you” ~ Frans Lanting

Shujaa had a somewhat demonic look which was due to the healed wounds around his eyes, on the bridge of his nose and upper lip.

We first found Shujaa early in the morning walking through dew soaked grass. He was alert but exuded confidence which appeared to come from his size and experience.

For me it was very unusual to see any leopard, and particularly a male leopard, way out in the open with no trees within a couple of hundred metres. Shujaa walked through the Mara grass with absolute confidence.

“Nature is my muse, and it’s been my passion” ~ Frans Lanting

Although Shujaa appeared quite comfortable walking across a large open plain, he positioned himself to see down into luggas from a vantage point. We presumed there were two reasons for this. Firstly, any leopard would likely stick to the cover provided by the luggas and secondly this is where he could catch birds and where Reedbuck preferred to forage.

It was not only the size but the look of this male leopard which caught my imagination. He was probably the father of Nshipai’s cubs.

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed “ ~ Ansel Adams

This trip was different and memorable. The main reason being that the wildebeest and zebra migration had moved on south into the Serengeti about three weeks earlier. This was probably the reason we were privileged to have more leopard sightings.

Leopards are survivors because they are adaptable and will eat almost anything. A leopard will hunt anything from antelope, baboons and monkeys to hares and hyraxes to warthogs, porcupines and reptiles, rodents and birds. It will even feed on carrion and fish. When and where possible leopards will lift their kill into a high tree to prevent it from being stolen by lions, hyenas or wild dogs. They are strong enough to be able to carry up to three times their body weight. You have to marvel at their adaptability.

“Where your passion meets your talent, that is where you want to be.” ~ Roie Galitz

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

In October last year I joined a photographic group at Wild Eye’s Enkishui camp. This camp is sited on the banks of the Mara river about two kilometres up river from the Purungat gate and rangers’ camp. There camp is located in a croton grove which attracts a variety of small wildlife.

The camp was initially sited at this location to prevent the high level of wildebeest deaths when they crossed the Mara at this point. The carcasses floated down river and got snagged on the rocks near the Purungat bridge making the smell from July to September at this point of the migration unbearable. The position of the camp has worked extremely well and the wildebeest rarely try to cross the river close to the camp and there is no smell of rotting carcasses.

“Dawn was breaking. The early morning air was brisk. The game vehicle doors were open inviting us to climb in. The sense of anticipation was building knowing we would see new and unexpected wonders while wandering.” ~ Mike Haworth

We were usually up and drinking at cup of coffee before 6h00 to be ready to leave camp at 6h00. At this time the sun is just starting to crest over the horizon. We were usually out and about in the Triangle until 12h00 at which time we returned to camp to download our images and have lunch.

The game vehicles and guides were ready and waiting for us at 6h00 just as it was starting to brighten up. We were often treated the most beautiful sunrises. Interestingly the sunrises and sunsets have a yellower hue to them compared to the orange rust colours in southern Africa. The latter is drier so the added dust probably alters the colour of the sky.

This is the time when we can walk around the camp quietly to see the smaller mammals and a wonderful variety of birds. Quite close to my tent was a family of dwarf mongooses which had become habituated to all the human movement around the camp.

At the entrance to path leading to fellow photographer, Joe Knapman’s tent, was a Collared sunbird nest. Both the male and female regularly visited the nest.

First thing in the morning, the beautiful song of the White-browed robin-chat could be heard around camp. At midday they were busy foraging in the leaf litter close to my tent.

Very close to the White-browed robin-chat was female Nubian woodpecker busying herself looking for and finding grubs and insects in and under the bark of a fallen tree.

It was interesting to see a pod of hippos sunning themselves on the bank of the Mara river opposite our camp. When it got too hot they simply rolled back into the river. At night you could hear the hippos snorting to each and they would often be foraging around the tents. This noise usually woke me up but the hippos never got tangled in the tents’ guy ropes.

These Dwarf mongooses were very busy and inquisitive around the camp. This species is diurnal so forage during the day in grass and tree undergrowth for flying and crawling insects. The family lives in an old anthill near the tents.

On a few afternoons after lunch as we were preparing to head out game viewing for the afternoon, the storm clouds would build creating a wonderful atmosphere as there was a palpable feeling of an impending storm.

“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” ~ African Proverb

A view of the Mara river at last light when we returned to camp. We usually gathered around the camp fire to have a drink and tell stories of what we had seen. The game vehicles tended to go in different directions to ensure better coverage and if a special sighting was found the guide would radio to the others the location and within half and hour the other vehicles would arrive at the sighting.

Wandering through the croton grove yielded some unexpected visitors. I was delighted to find this Brown-throated Wattle-eye in the camp environs.

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” ~ Mary Ritter Beard

In the same part of the croton grove as the Wattle-eye, I found a male Paradise flycatcher. Trying to photograph these flighty small birds in the crotons requires a high level of patience and attention.

One evening, the Wild Eye camp staff set up dinner on the bank of the Mara river with this view. It was essentially the other side of the bend in the river and another kilometre or so downriver was the Purungat gate and bridge. It always amazed me how well the staff set up this type of bush restaurant with ambience, full bar and piping hot tasty food.

While it is always interesting and productive to go out in the mornings and afternoons in the game vehicle we do not usually get the chance to wander around the camp in the early morning from 6h300 to 8h30 when there is good soft light and the birds are very active. Nevertheless, the wandering at lunchtime can be fun and productive.

“You cannot leave Africa, Africa said. It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline the silhouette of your soul.” ~ Bridget Dore

The next post will be of leopards we saw in the southern section of the Mara Triangle.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike