In mid-January, Helen and I visited our daughter and her partner in Dubai. January was mid-winter in Dubai so the day temperatures were not too hot and the evenings were very pleasant. Dubai has first world infrastructure and there is an amazing variety of things to see and do in this desert locale. It offers snow skiing slopes to rainforests and everything in between. Obviously all of these attractions are in buildings. One of the many places we visited in Dubai was the Green Planet. This is an indoor multi-story biodome that recreates a tropical forest microcosm exhibiting considerable diversity of over 3 200 plants and animals. The light, humidity and temperature are controlled to mimic conditions in the rainforest. This biodome has four levels which enable visitors to see different fauna and flora at different levels of the rainforest. Its focus is on conservation and education. This post shows some of the birds and animals we saw in the Green Planet.

“New ideas that fly in the face of conventional wisdom of the day are always greeted with doubt and scorn, even fear.” ~ John C. Bogle

Ross’ turaco is a medium-sized bird, with a long tail and broad, round wings. It has spectacular purple-blue plumage with a yellow bill and wide yellow eyering and a fluffy red crest. It shows large crimson wing patches on its primary and secondary wing feathers in flight. Turacos have three toes on each foot that point forward, while the fourth toe can be rotated forward or backwards as required. This species prefers forests and wooded valley habitats.

Turacos are the only birds to possess true red and green colours. The turaco’s red pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper. The beautiful red crest is raised when this species is excited. This species has an extremely large range across Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. These birds feed primarily on plants and fruit, but will occasionally eat insects.

A Hyacinth macaw is native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about one metre and is longer than any other species of parrot. It is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species. The tail is long and pointed and its feathers are entirely blue. The ring around the parrot’s eyes and the area just underneath the beak are a vibrant yellow. The Hyacinth macaw mostly nests in Manduvi trees, which rely on the toco toucan for 83.3% of the tree’s distribution of seeds. The toco toucan also feeds on around 53% of the Hyacinth macaw’s offspring and eggs

The Blue and Yellow macaw inhabits forest (especially varzea – a seasonal floodplain forest, and in open sections of terra firma or unflooded forest), woodland and savannah of tropical Central and South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. The plumage of this species is vivid with bright aqua blue feathers on its upper parts except for the head, which is lime coloured. The under parts are a rich deep yellow/light orange. Its beak is black, as are the feathers under its chin. Its feet are of a grey colour, and talons are black. This species has white skin on its face, with only small black feathers which form a striped pattern around the eyes. The irises are pale light yellow.

“Feathers fall; soft as a song, light as morning dreams.” ~ Eirene Evripidou

Green or Guinea turaco has an extremely large range and can be found in Western Africa from Senegal to Central African Republic, and as far south as Angola. The plumage on its chest, throat, neck and head and part way down its back is a brilliant green. The lower part of its back and its belly are blue. Its wings are a dark purplish colour. Its crimson red primary and secondary wings feathers are only fully evident in flight. It has a red eyering with a white patch in front of its eye reaching to its maxilla. It beak is small and pink in colour.

There are three other African turaco which look similar by virtue of their green plumage and red eyering such as Buffon’s, Livingstons, and Schalow’s turaco, but these species all have different arrangements of white lines in front and around their eyes.

“Turaco are beautiful to behold but show off their true colours when they take to flight.” ~ Mike Haworth

A Laughing kookaburra, one of four species of kookaburra which are terrestrial tree kingfishers. This species has a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. Its upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts. The underparts are cream-white and its tail is barred with rufous and black. The Laughing kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. This species is a perch hunter feeding on lizards, insects, worms, snakes, and mice.

There is a large genus of glossy starlings all of which occur in Africa south of the Sahara. They are so named because of their glossy blue and green upperparts. The Cape and Blue-eared glossy starlings have a yellow eye while the Burchell’s and Long tailed starlings have dark eyes.

A juvenile Green iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area. It is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay to as far north as Mexico. The green (or common) iguana is an arboreal and diurnal lizard found in tropical and subtropical regions. Living in warm and humid environments, iguanas spend a lot of their time climbing and then warming themselves on tree branches. Although iguanas cannot change their colours like a chameleon, they become darker when they are cold to absorb heat from the sun. Young iguanas are pale green with black rings on their tail and tend to spend more time on the ground. As they mature they climb more, and they change to an earthier colour. This species can growth to 1.7 metres or 5.6 foot in length.

“While it is relatively easy to recognize the perennial grasses and seed-eating sparrows as characteristic of meadows, the ecosystems exist in their fullest sense underground. What we see aboveground is only the outer margin of an ecosystem that explodes in intricacy and life below.” ~ Amy Seidl

The Blue-and-yellow macaw uses its powerful beak for breaking nutshells, and for climbing up and hanging from trees. As well as nuts, it will also feed on seeds, fruits, vegetable matter, bark and leaves, as well as insects, snails and small animals. This species can live for 35 years in the wild.

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.” ~ Aesop

A Palm cockatoo, also called the Great Black cockatoo. There are four sub species of black cockatoo in Australia. This species hide away high in the gum trees, feeding on delicious gumnuts, cawing loudly and distinctly. It is a distinctive bird with a large crest and has one of the largest beaks of any parrot (only the Hyacinth macaw’s is larger). This powerful beak enables Palm cockatoos to eat very hard nuts and seeds, and also enables males to break off thick (about 1 inch) sticks from live trees to use for a drumming display. The beak is unusual, as the lower and upper mandibles do not meet for much of its length, allowing the tongue to hold a nut against the top mandible while the lower mandible works to open it. The Palm cockatoo also has a distinctive red cheek patch that changes colour when the bird is alarmed or excited. The Palm cockatoo is found in rainforests and woodlands of New Guinea and Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.

“Nature is the purest portal to inner-peace.” ~ Angie Weiland Crosby

Sloths—the sluggish tree-dwellers of Central and South America—spend their lives in the tropical rain forests. They move through the canopy at a rate of about 40 metres per day, feeding on leaves, twigs and buds. Sloths have an exceptionally low metabolic rate and spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. There are two different types of sloths, two-toed and three-toed, and six species. This was a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth. A sloth’s most common predators are jaguars and Harpy eagles.

“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer.” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

A Ring-tailed lemur. Ring-tailed lemurs are named for the 13 alternating black and white bands that colour their tails. Ring-tailed lemurs live in south western Madagascar, in arid, open areas and forests. Unlike most other lemurs, ringtails spend 40 percent of their time on the ground, moving quadrupedally along the forest floor. The ring-tailed lemur habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate. Satellite images suggest that Ring-tailed lemur habitat is vanishing at an even greater rate than forest habitat in other parts of Madagascar.

A Toco toucan. It is the largest species of toucan and has a distinctive appearance, with a black body, a white throat, chest and upper tail-coverts, and red under tail-coverts. Its most conspicuous feature is its massive beak, which is yellow-orange with a black base and large black tip on its maxilla. Toco toucans mainly feed on fleshy fruits, but also supplement their diets with insects, eggs, and nestlings of other birds. It is endemic to South America, where it has a wide distribution from the Guyana to northern Argentina and Uruguay.

A Nicobar pigeon. This spectacular ground-dwelling pigeon has long, extravagant plumes trailing down from the neck. It inhabits small, densely forested offshore islands from the Indian Andamans to the Solomons and New Guinea. Its head is grey, like the upper neck plumage, which turns into green and copper hackles. The tail is very short and pure white. The rest of its plumage is metallic green. The cere on its dark bill forms a small blackish knob; the strong legs and feet are dull red.

The Silver pheasant is a species of pheasant found in forests, mainly in mountains, of mainland Southeast Asia and eastern and southern China. There are 15 sub species of the Silver pheasant. This species is omnivorous foraging on everything from seeds and plants to insects and worms. Pheasants spend almost their entire life on the ground, and are rarely seen in trees.

Victoria crowned pigeon. This is a large blue-grey pigeon with a decorative and elegant lace-like crest. Its breast is maroon and its eyes are red. This species is as large as an adult female turkey. This bird is the largest living pigeon and the closest remaining relative to the extinct Dodo bird. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria for its flashy blue crown of intricate lace-like patterns and its regal poise. This ground-dwelling species of pigeon is wild in New Guinea and forages on the forest floor for fallen fruit. It is one of four species of ground-dwelling pigeons in New Guinea.

This was just a few of the birds and animals I could take images of when there was enough light and no people in the background.

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” ~ Earl Nightingale

The concept of a biodome is intriguing. It is a self-contained, self-sustaining, human-made environment. One way to think of it is as an ecosystem built by people. Inside, you might find any number of life forms, including plants, animals, fungi, and more. The biodome enables biologists and ecologist to simulate select ecosystems, such as the rainforest in the Green Planet. Three other major biodomes are in Montreal in Canada, the Burger’s Zoo in the Netherlands and the Eden Project in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. On the one side, a biodome enables the public to be immersed in a particular ecosystem getting to see its flora and fauna up close. It also has scientific value enabling scientists the ability to study species up close over an extended period.

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

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

Have fun, Mike

My enthusiastic birding wife, Helen, and I visited Marievale Bird Sanctuary at the end of January this year. For us this is a place of practice, fun and wonder at the constant changes. The Highveld in South Africa had very little rain this summer season because of the El Niño effect. Although milder than the 2015 El Niño, this time it was classified as strong and remained so until March. The effect brought drier, hotter weather.

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo

The birdlife you are likely to see in this wetland is highly dependent on the level of water in the pools in the wetland in Marievale Bird Sanctuary. With so little rain this season the water level in the wetland was much lower than usual at that time of the year. Some residents are not majorly dependent on the water levels in the wetland pools. One such species is the Pin-tailed whydah. The male is usually very active courting every passing female. During the breeding season, the male whydahs grow very long tail feathers. Whydahs are brood parasites and differently coloured to widowbirds. The latter species have all black plumage with patches of colour on their shoulders and collars. Whydahs generally have a black cap and black upper parts but their belly, breast and throats are coloured as are their cheeks.

There are plenty of reeds for Southern red bishops to build nests but we did not see as many this visit as in the past because the rain had not generated a bounty of grass seed. This species of bishop is a small, dumpy sparrow-like weaver. The breeding male has a black face mask and black breast and belly. The back of its crown, its nape, upper parts and undertail coverts are a vivid scarlet red.

The low water level was ideal for the African snipe. This species is a small stocky wader with short legs and it uses its long beak to probe the muddy pool bed and water’s edge. They mainly eat insects, earthworms, small crustaceans, snails, spiders, and some plant material.

We normally see African snipe foraging on the edge of pools of water but with the water levels so low we saw this snipe wading through the water from one island to the next to forage.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ~ Winston Churchill

An adult White-throated swallow perched on a dead log in front of the Hadeda hide. This swallow has a small rufous patch on the forehead and a diagnostic steel-blue breast band which creates a white throat patch.

The pair in front of the Hadeda hide were mating and preening themselves. There was no large pool of water in front of the Hadeda hide but this did not stop them frequently hawking insects from their perch.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” ~ Chief Seattle

The Greater-striped swallow perched on a dead log in front of the Duiker hide which looks onto a large pool of water. This species is a relatively large, beautiful swallow with a long, forked tail. Identification comes from its rufous cap, and rump, and pale buffy underparts with fine streaking. It is usually found in grasslands and wetlands.

The Yellow-billed duck is brown with a vivid yellow bill. Its belly and flanks have white scalloping on the feathers, giving it a scaly appearance, especially on the underparts. This dabbling duck is common but nomadic through Africa’s freshwater and brackish wetlands, where it forages for plants and invertebrates.

Dabbling ducks float high in the water, and paddle along skimming the water’s surface for food such as seeds and insects. They dabble when they stick their tails straight up in the air and put their head underwater to feed plants and worms on the pond bed.

A Red-billed teal. This small duck has a chocolate-brown ‘skull cap’, brown eyes, white cheeks, and a distinctive pink-red bill with a dark saddle. This is also a dabbling duck and although not migratory, it is nomadic looking for suitable water sources.

“Put simply, birds can choose with their wings. When things go wrong in an ecosystem, they will simply not return.” ~ Dr Steve Boyes

This species prefers foraging on open fresh water, with seeds and plant matter constituting most of its diet. The Red-billed teal prefers freshwater habitats in fairly open country. On this particular morning, the sun was shining on the reeds and the light reflected on the water surface created a beautiful background for this teal.

A petite Marsh sandpiper wading through the shallow water. This is a paleartic migrant which migrates to southern Africa during the southern hemisphere summer. This species prefers inland fresh wetlands and tends to avoid open sandbanks.

This species has a white eyebrow, as are the feathers at the base of the beak. The needle-like beak is black with grey base. The eyes are dark brown. The long legs are dull yellow to greenish-grey. Both sexes have similar plumage, but the female is slightly larger than the male.

A pair of Hottentot teals. This teal is another species of dabbling duck. It has a diagnostic blue bill and a chocolate brown crown. Its cheeks are beige and its neck, breast and belly are beige with dark brown spots.

As with all teal, this species has an iridescent green speculum on its secondaries, edged by narrow black and terminal white bars.

The level of the water in the open pools in the wetland has a strong influence on both the Greater and Lesser flamingoes. The water levels appeared to be ideal for flamingoes, not too deep but deep enough for them to feed easily. Surprisingly we found this lone Greater flamingo. Both flamingo species have black-tipped bills with a distinctive downward bend. The Greater flamingo has a light pink beak and small light pink eyering while the Lesser flamingo has a dark pink beak and a dark red eye ring.

The Greater flamingo is the larger of the two flamingo species seen in southern Africa. It has a very long neck and its body plumage is mostly white with flecks of pink. Its upper wing coverts are pink and the underwing colour of its primary and secondary feathers is black and can only be seen in flight or when they open their wings.

“Something is complete when you can let is be as it is.” ~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry

I was surprised to see this Purple swamphen avoid any conflict with the Red knobbed coot as they approached each other. The swamphen was much larger but just flew over the coot. The water levels were shallow enough for the swamp hen to wade through the water while the coot swam.

A male Yellow-crowned bishop perched on a seed stem looking for females to chase. This small bishop has a diagnostic yellow crown and yellow back feathers and yellow shoulders. It looks like a large yellow bumble bee when it flies. When the male is trying to attract females he raises his yellow back feathers making him look like a bumble bee. The male in breeding plumage resembles the yellow bishop, but the latter species is larger and lacks the yellow crown.

A Black heron walking along the edge of the open pool of water looking for a suitable place to hunt for small fish. It prefers shallow open waters, such as the edges of freshwater lakes and ponds. The Black heron uses a unique method of hunting. It opens its wings and shapes them like an umbrella in a method called canopy feeding. The umbrella creates shade which attracts fish.

“The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.” ~ Annie Leibovitz

A lone male Red shouldered widow also called the Fan-tailed widow. The male has black plumes with red shoulder and a short tail. It is resident but not often seen.

A male Long tailed widowbird in display flight. The male has between six and 12 tail feathers which grow as long as half a metre. The tail is a key part of the flight display as it is expanded into a deep long keel below the body with slow deliberate wingbeats. The red-orange shoulder epaulets with a white border are highly visible during the display.

“We cannot become what we what to be by remaining where we are.” ~ Max DuPree

The dry conditions and reduced grass seed dictated that there were fewer females in the area which required the males to spend more time and effort chasing each other away from the relatively few females. The open grassland areas alongside the reed bed at the edge of the large open pools of water were punctuated by these territorially protective males.

Only after having visited Marievale many times do you get a sense of just how different the conditions and light can be, all of which dictate the type and number of birds you are likely to see. Many of the non-migratory birds such as flamingoes, herons, sandpipers and snipe are nomadic and will move to more productive feeding wetlands as moisture conditions change.

“For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.” ~ Sandra Postel

Marievale Bird Sanctuary is situated in the Blesbok wetland which is a Ramsar site. The Blesbokspruit is the major river coursing through the wetland. The area is relatively flat which creates an extensive floodplain and wetland. Many species of birds and mammals rely on this wetland for food, water and shelter. These areas are carbon sinks storing carbon within their plant communities and soil instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. They also act as a sponge retaining and filtering the water. Wetlands connected to underground sources of water are important because they retain water and provide time for it to filter down into aquifers. Since the closure of the Grootvlei gold mine adjacent to the wetland there have been concerns that its flooding would spill acid mine water into the wetland. The Eastern Basin Acid Mine Drainage chemical treatment plant nows plays a critical role in ensuring the quality of water feeding into the wetland remains unpolluted. This is especially so when the summer season has been so dry.

“Nature is so powerful, so strong. Capturing its essence is not easy – your work becomes a dance with light and the weather. It takes you to a place within yourself.” ~ Annie Leibovitz

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

Have fun, Mike

The Masai Mara is well known for its relatively high density of predators. The Mara offers cheetahs plenty of space and unimpeded views across the plains. This helps them find prey and avoid competing predators such as lions, hyaenas and leopards. Cheetahs are diurnal hunters so tend not to come into contact with nocturnal hunters such as lions, hyaenas and leopards during the day. Night is a dangerous time for cheetahs and they need to hide and keep out of the way of nocturnal predators.

“The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans.” ~ Jim Fowler

We were up and out of camp at 6h00 the first morning. After we had turned north onto the main gravel road we saw a female cheetah walking down the road towards us. It was unusual that she was soaking wet. It had not rained the night before so we assumed that she must have swam across the Mara river by herself at first light.

I cannot imagine how terrifying it must have been for her to cross the river knowing how many, and how big, the Nile crocodiles were in the river. Before she crossed the river she would not have known whether there were lions lying in the bushes on the other bank.

As this female cheetah strode towards us she was constantly looking around. It was still early enough for lions and leopards to be on the move and she needed to be very careful.

After she had walked past our game vehicle she turned right, off the road, and headed towards the lugga. We all held our breath because we knew that the leopardess, Nshipai, kept her cubs in that section of the lugga. In addition, the four lionesses we had seen finishing off the remains of a reedbuck the previous afternoon, were walking down the track to where we were parked.

As this female cheetah walked towards the lugga she looked very agitated. She must have been able to smell the leopards in that area and may have been down wind of the lions and picked up their scent too. We quickly drove to the other side of the lugga hoping she would not get tangled up with Nishpai.

“We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.” ~ William Hazlitt

With a huge sign of relief from all of us in the game vehicle, the female cheetah emerged from the lugga without incident.

She started to walk up towards the ridge away from the road to get a better view of the area and see if there was any potential prey. Every 50 to 100 metres she would stop and look and listen.

After about quarter of an hour of walking she reached a small anthill which she stood on to have a look around. She sat on the anthill for some time just looking, listening and assessing area, we presume, for potential threats and/or prey. The next image shows the extent of the plains in this part of the Mara Triangle.

“Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature.” ~ Suzy Kassem

Female cheetahs are solitary except when rearing a litter. Mothers with cubs will usually stay with in close proximity of one another. Cubs usually leave their mother any time between 15 and 24 months old. Usually, females only come in contact with other cheetahs to mate. By contrast, male cheetahs often form coalitions of 2-3 in order to defend more land and take on bigger prey. These coalitions are mostly formed between brothers, but sometimes include outsiders. It is estimated that about 30% of coalitions are made up of unrelated males.

A solitary female cheetah cannot take on large prey so would normally hunt Thompson’s gazelle, reedbuck or young Topis or wildebeest. They may also try to capture young warthogs and scrub hares when they can find them.

After watching this female cheetah for about 45 minutes we left her in peace when she lay down to rest.

On a separate occasion after breakfast near the picnic site that overlooks the inselbergs looking south to the Serengeti, we found a coalition of two male Cheetahs who were hunting.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” ~ Anonymous

These two males were wandering across the plain looking for prey. They appeared to be relatively young adult males judging from the sharpness of their teeth and state of their ears.

After a brief rest and lookout on top of some prominent rocks, the coalition set their sights on a family of warthogs about three hundred metres away. They immediately started running. The grass was relatively long so they had to run by bouncing up every now and then to keep sight of their quarry.

Once the two males got close, the female warthog and her piglets dashed down a burrow leaving the male to ward off the intruders which he did without too much trouble. A cheetah will not risk getting gored by the tusk of a large male warthog.

The survey released in May 2023 by the Mara Predator Conservation Programme showed estimates for new cheetah density in the Masai Mara National Reserve and the surrounding wildlife conservancies measuring over 2000 square kilometres had reduced from 1.2 per cent (32 cheetahs) in 2021 to 0.88 per cent (22 cheetahs) in 2022. The survey showed that lion density and abundance in the Masai Mara ecosystem increased slightly while the cheetah population dropped by 31 per cent in the two years from 2021 to 2022.

The cheetah, which has suffered a dramatic 90 per cent decline over the past century, is becoming extinct in 18 countries where it once ranged. In 1900 there were over 100,000 Cheetahs. In 1970 their numbers plummeted to 20,000-25,000 cheetahs, and to this day there are only 10,000 cheetahs, with less than 10,000 adults surviving in Africa and a meagre 50 in Asia, mainly around Iran’s Kavir desert. One tenth of total cheetah population live in captivity.(Source: Big Cat Rescue).

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals… In a world older and more complete than ours, they are more finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.” ~ Henry Beston

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

Have fun, Mike

The Mara Triangle is part of the Masai Mara National Reserve which is located in the south west section of Kenya. The Triangle comprises 510 square kilometers, which is approximately one third of the entire Masai Mara National Reserve. The Serengeti is the Triangle’s southern border. The Mara river is its eastern boundary and the Oloololo Escarpment is its western boundary.

“The value of a work lies in its newness: the invention of new forms, or a novel combination of old forms, the discovery of unknown worlds or the exploration of unfamiliar areas in worlds already discovered – revelations, surprises.” ~ Octavio Paz

The Triangle mostly comprises vast open red oat grassy plains dotted with Balanite trees. There are forests along the river courses and inselbergs down in the southern section. I was in the Mara in early October which is low tourist season meaning that there are fewer people. Importantly, this is the start of the short rain season (November and December). At this time there are vast build ups of cumulus and cumulonimbus cloud formations in the afternoons creating colourful, moody and dramatic backgrounds for our wildlife photography.

A view looking west across the edge of the inselbergs towards the Oloololo escarpment. At times in the mornings there is a slight blue haze which disappears as the sun rises and the day warms up. At this point we were not far from the southern border with the Serengeti.

It is not uncommon to find predators, such as lions and Spotted hyaenas, on the road first thing in the morning. This is especially the case if it had been raining the night before. The road is probably the driest place to rest early in the morning. This female spotted hyaena was sucking her cub when our approach by vehicle disturbed her motherly duties.

This family herd of elephants were making their way from the foot of the Oloololo escarpment towards the riverine forest along one of the main drainage lines leading down to the Saparingo swamp near the Mara river.

“We live in an age of universal investigation, and of exploration of the sources of all movements.” ~ Alfred de Vigny

This is one of the few places you could see Masai giraffe browsing on bushes close to the ground. It seems incongruent to see the tallest mammal in the world feeding off the ground. The reason is the vast grassy plains have very few trees on them. The browsers probably feed on the young trees preventing them from growing into full sized trees.

The scene from our breakfast table one morning which our Wild Eye camp had set up for us half way up the Oloololo escarpment. This was close to the scene in the iconic film “Out of Africa” where Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen were picnicking and gazing east over the Masai Mara’s vast plains.

“The vastness of the African wilderness humbles you, reminding you of your place in the grand canvas of life. Here, amidst the towering trees and endless plains, one feels an acute awareness of our connection to the natural world.” ~ Peter Matthiessen

One morning we ventured up north in the Triangle towards the Oloololo gate. There are many side roads which take you down to various crossing points along the Mara river. This is also an area with a higher density of riverine forests. We stopped to watch the antics of the Olive baboon troop which was making its way along the side of the road towards the Mara river. Many of the youngsters were playing while others caught a quiet moment with their respective mothers.

The Maui Maui crossing point on the Mara river. It has a gentle entry and exit gradient on the banks but the crossing is treacherous for the wildebeest and zebras because the river flows fast over a rocky river bed and below the rapids the massive Nile crocodiles watch and wait for victims who have lost their footing and are swept across the rapids. There were no crossings when we were there as the main migration had moved south into the Serengeti three weeks before we arrived.

The Mara Triangle is one of the few places you can see Black rhinos. The stringent anti-poaching efforts do a wonderful job of protecting these endangered pachyderms.

This was a young bull Black rhino who looked very unsure of himself. He must have only recently moved away from his mother and he appeared very nervous and seemed to wander around without any purpose,

Approximately 850 to 900 lions live within the Masai Mara National Reserve and surrounding conservancies. Many of the lions lie in the open because as there are not many trees in the open grass plains. This male was closely guarding his lioness. As a mating pair, lions will mate for several days.

When a lioness is in estrus, she emits a distinct scent that attracts male lions. In the final days before estrus, a male will often follow the female until she is ready to mate. We did see this pair mating but they had their backs to us. Often the male lion bites the lioness on the back of the neck during mating, which triggers ovulation, increasing the chances of conception. The biting behaviour helps the male maintain control and prevent injury during mating.

The mating pair of lions had many onlookers. A herd of plains zebra just stood about 50 metres away and watched the mating pair for about 30 minutes assessing whether they were an immediate threat or not.

The Triangle is also known for its large herds of African buffalo. Herds of more than 100 individuals are regularly seen. The older bulls which have been kicked out of the herd by the younger stronger bulls form groups for protection from lions. The main buffalo herds are usually found near water sources, especially during the dry season. These two Yellow-billed oxpeckers had a smorgasbord of feeding opportunities in the large herd.

The buffalo calves are kept near the centre of the herd for protection from lions and hyaenas. They are reasonably safe during the day but lions and hyaenas are nocturnal predators so the nights can be a dangerous time for these youngsters.

“Don’t ever underestimate an African buffalo. Lions don’t and nor should you. It is fiercely and cooperatively protective. Its speed, strength, and attitude are not immediately apparent.” ~ Mike Haworth

Although the main zebra herds had migrated with the wildebeest there are always small groups which choose to stay in the Triangle. There is enough grazing for small numbers of herbivores outside the migration period in the Triangle. These herbivores also help sustain the predators who are territorial and do not move with the migration.

This is a good example of the large moody thunderstorm building skies with the sun illuminating the foreground in the late afternoon.

“The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what’s happening up there.” ~ K. D. Lang

A different male lion watching his lioness closely. They were a mating pair but he was lying about 20 metres from his lioness. They were lying in the grass out in the middle of a huge open grassy plain.

A view looking south west across the inselbergs in the southern section of the Triangle towards the Oloololo escarpment. The vastness and quiet are spellbinding.

Topis are medium­-sized antelopes with a striking reddish-brown to purplish-red coat. This species has a similar body shape to a Hartebeest but is smaller. The Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus) of southern Africa and the Topi (Damaliscus jimela) of East Africa are similar enough that they possibly constitute subspecies of a single species. Topi males are often seen chasing each other around and at times in their gallop they are completely airborne. Topis also produce a high stepping fast trot similar to Lipizzaner stallions.

A view looking up a drainage line in one of the large open plains. These drainage lines have many pools of water along their course and provide hiding places for herbivores such as reedbuck. Lions and leopards use them to provide cover when approaching their prey. Individual Spotted hyaenas can often be found lying in one of the pools of water in the heat of the day.

“Don’t forget, beautiful sunsets, need cloudy skies.” ~ Paulo Coelho

In the south of the Mara Triangle, the border between Kenya and Tanzania is demarcated by white border markers. Thankfully there is no fence and the wildlife is able to move back and forth across the border line without impediment. The safari guides treat the border with respect and do not cross it intentionally.

The Mara Triangle is a unique area with vast open grassy plains and big skies. The sense of space enlivens your spirit. Even though the migration had moved south weeks before there is still a diverse range of wildlife to see. The predators have to work much harder once the migration has moved on. Predator sighting and dramatic kills are also more likely at this time.

“If I had to define my philosophy, it would be about exploration, a journey, a story-telling.” ~ Hussein Chalayan

The wildlife and landscape photography is excellent and varied. Every day is different. The animals and birds we see are different, as is the light. Different sections of the Triangle offer varied landscapes. This is one part of our wonderful world I will never tire of.

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

Have fun, Mike