:: MIGRATION UPDATES

              MBANGO SAFARIS BROCHURES | SERENGETI GREAT MIGRATION UPDATES |  MBANGO SAFARIS CATALOGUES

Mbango Safaris boasts the very best ornithologist and naturalist safari guides in East Africa. The guides maintain an intimate knowledge and understanding of natural history, birdlife and the wildlife. Our guides provide reports on sightings so you can keep track of the species even when you’re not on safari. During the summer months the reports focus on the Wildebeest migration.

Masai Mara, Nov 02 nd, 2008.

The past week has seen the wildebeests slowly exiting from the Mara and heading back to northern Serengeti. Most of the plains are now empty with only a handful of herds in isolated pockets in the reserve.

The nourished herds have left plains are bare of grass in their wake. A change in the rain patterns in the region has been a factor that contributed to the endless mass movement across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Overstaying in a place results in exhausting of the grass and hence a migration into new areas becomes necessary.

Many animals crossed the river at Paradise crossing point over to the Mara conservancy. From here the herds head towards the border around Engoikwateet salt lick. The herds on the eastern side of the river have split up, taking two directions. The Serengeti ones are heading south, while the Loita ones have taken the usual east bound route - both going to their calving grounds.

There were other crossings at the lower Mara bridge over the past week. However, these were not as spectacular as it was earlier, since they only involved a handful of animals each time. This is expected to continue in the next couple of weeks before the herds finally leave the Mara. This exodus has come a little earlier than expected, but mother nature works in her own unique way, and we just take a comfortable front-row seat to appreciate her marvels!

The big cats have started preparing for the imminent departure of the herbivores, as they face another difficult period of food scarcity. The past week was full of predatory activities as these super predators took the last chance of the season of plenty to feed. They will now have to survive on whatever is available and adapt to the tough hunting strategies if they have to live till the next season of plenty.

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Masai Mara, October 20th, 2008.

Just as our guides had advised last week, the herds have now started streaming back to Serengeti. The concentration of animals in Maasai Mara plains is decreasing. There was a river crossing yesterday at Look-out and the herds are now leaving the Mara though there have been showers for the last two days with a heavy down pour yesterday afternoon.

The second exodus of the migration could mark the end of their stay in the Mara, albeit a little earlier than usual. Most years the final exit is in November. It is not known if these animals will return for a third time, but there are still big herds of wildebeests and zebras at Rhino Ridge area and Paradise plains and scanty concentration in various areas.

There have been sporadic showers across the plains in last few days. If this continues, then all the overgrazed areas will soon be teeming with new and lush shoots of grass. This in return will also bring forth flowers mainly, cycnium tubulosum (Tissue Paper Flowers), scadoxus mulitflora (Fire Ball Lilies) and crinum macowani (Pyjama Lilies). This ushers in the season of regeneration, when the plains are carpeted with flowers as far as the eye can see. It is also the best time for birders since the migratory birds from the northern hemisphere are usually resident in the Mara at this time for a period of about four weeks.

Predation activities by the big cats hunts were reported throughout the past week. Most of the prides have to hunt to feed their young. All the lion prides in our game viewing areas have now settled in their usual territories. With food in plenty, they are expected to maintain their territorial space until the migration ends.

The deaths of many cheetah cubs from being trampled by buffalo have not affected the survivors. Our clients in Maasai Mara witnessed a lot of hunting activities over the past week, with varying degrees of success. With young cubs, which are now learning hunting skills, the mothers have to be busy. A female cheetah normally catches gazelle fawns and brings it to the cubs to play with as they hone their hunting skills. Many gazelles, especially Thomson’s, are giving birth this month, and this will provide a good training opportunity to the cheetah cubs.

Leopards were also seen throughout the week along Talek river.

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Masai Mara, October 07th, 2008.

The Mara is still teeming with wildebeest but in smaller concentrations. The wildebeests and zebras which had moved to the dispersal areas (Olare Olok conservancy) are back in the north of the reserve from Double crossing and Rhino ridge to Musiara Gate, and southwards around Look-out Hill into the northern Serengeti. However, the herds on the central plains and south to Sand River are still high compared to other areas of the reserve.

We had thought that there might be an imminent exit of the  herds from the Mara for Serengeti but due to the rains at the moment in Maasai Mara our guides think that the herds will be staying for long most probably to mid, end October as it is the case. Just a few days after coming back, some of the animals have been streaming south from the Talek River towards the central plains where they have congregated heavily.

There were very little activities at the river, with only a handful animals crossing in either direction at the main points near Look-out Hill and Paradise crossing points. The predation on the crossing herds by the crocodiles has gone down because most crocodiles are full from the feeding frenzy the past couple of months.

There were more lion and cheetahs kills in the past week than we have witnessed this season! Binti, one of Olive’s sub-adult cub was seen killing a young Topi, in what could be her ‘maiden’ kill. Her mother Olive and the other two cubs, Ayah and Kali, were together for the whole of last week when she made a couple of kills at the confluence of the Talek and Olare-Orok Rivers.

Our guests at Maasai Mara saw five other different leopards over the past week, confirming our game viewing location as a special leopard zone in the Mara.

The two female cheetahs with cubs were seen regularly with their surviving litters. The one that had six cubs now has three, while the one that had four now has one and the one near Governors Camp had five and two died yesterday night and it is not clear what happened as the our guides saw all the five yesterday evening but today morning only three were spotted and the mother was still calling. It is unfortunate that mortality among cheetah cubs is quite high in the their first 1-5 months.

With the wildebeest now back in their territory, these cats never waste an opportunity, as the herbivores that returned to the Mara have found out! All the cubs in our lion prides are doing well, and with plenty to eat, they are just growing really fast!

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Masai Mara, September 22nd, 2008.

Nature has once again confounded us, and the wildebeest migration has proven why it is thrill to millions all over the world! Just a few days after we reported in our last update of the departure of the wildebeests from Masai Mara, the migration has a new twist – the herds have returned! In the last couple of days, the concentration in the south of the reserve swelled to an enormous number. Most of the herds as per our previous update have made a complete cycle in the past two weeks. Most herds moved from the eastern part of the river, crossed west onto the Mara Triangle, then south into northern Serengeti and east from there before re-entering the Mara around the Sand River Gate - exactly as they did in July when they first came. In fact everything now is just like at the beginning – a double migration!

There is a higher concentration on Burrungat, Central and Meta plains. The westward bound herds have spread out on the Central plains, while others have started heading towards Look out Hill. There has been crossings today at the Mara River of Wildebeests coming from Mara Triangle to Look out Hill and some more crossed the Talek River northwards to Rhino Ridge.

The plains above are now teeming with very large herds of Zebra and Wildebeests. This area was not burnt earlier and there is still plenty of grass, which might slow the movement somehow. The unseasoned rains have played a crucial role in the sprouting of the grass in the recently burnt areas, carpeting these areas with lush green savannah vegetation.

The Big cats in the Mara experienced a brief food shortage when the herds departed, but supply lines are back to normal! True to their predatory instincts, lions were already starting to adjust to lean-period hunting tactics. Over the last couple of days, our guides have seen the Olkiombo pride position themselves on the south side of the Talek River, where they are now hunting the animals coming across to the north side. The high number of cubs in this pride, eleven in all, means the females have to hunt a lot just to feed them.

The cheetahs in our game viewing area have been unlucky in the last few days. There was an unfortunate incident at dawn on 14th September when a herd of buffalo went through one female cheetah’s hideout. She had four cubs, two of which were killed instantly, while a third one died later due to injuries. She is now with only one cub. The cheetah with six cubs is now left with three and is not known how or when the other three disappeared.

There was a rare leopard sighing 3 days ago when four leopards were seen together. These were Big boy, Olive, her 18 month old daughter, Ayah and 6 month old son Kali were at the junction of the Talek and Olare-Orok rivers on the south side. It is very rare to see this number of leopards together, but we have been treated to such unusual sightings lately, we are barely coming to terms with the wild.

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Masai Mara, September 15 th, 2008.

The migration is taking a dramatic change in the past few days, confounding even seasoned observers! The Mara plains are now almost empty of wildebeests after almost all the herds from the eastern side of the Mara River crossed west. This was a quick exit, since they were expected to stay in the Mara till November, as is always the case. Once on the Mara triangle (which lies in the western side of the park), most herds headed south into northern Serengeti. The herds on the central, Burrungat and Meta plains headed south as well, and crossed the Sand River to northern Serengeti.

The northern Serengeti ecosystem experienced short rains in August. The grass on these plains was burnt in June and when the short rains came, they were replenished with lush nutritious shoots, thereby attracting many herbivores including the migrating Zebra and Wildebeests herds.

There are however plenty of general game in Mara ecosystem. There remains groups of wildebeests inside the park south of the Talek River towards Roan Hill, and others around Engoikwateet salt lick on the Mara triangle.

The situation in the Mara now is exactly similar to how it was in 2005, when we experienced a trend coined “double-migration”. Looking at our past updates, everything this year is the same as in that year. Because of this, we expect the wildebeest to come back again in another 2-3 weeks. We have just got rains across the Mara now as we compile this update and it is expected to reverse the current trend. This can only heighten the experience, since the wildebeest and zebra cross the river twice to-and-from the Serengeti, instead of once as is norm!

The lion pride along Talek River, teaming with eleven cubs of different ages, was our main attraction over the past week. They made several attempts and successful kills along the Talek River when the wildebeests crossed south onto Burrungat plains. The scene of the previous week’s crossing still smelled from the carcasses of wildebeest that died from stampede.

Cheetahs were seen throughout the week. One mother with the small cubs was spotted today with her cubs by our guides and guests and she is leading them out of their hiding place. It was very unfortunate when one of the female cheetahs lost some of her cubs to a python on the central plains. Most cheetahs now have cubs. There are about five female cheetahs with very small cubs in our game viewing area.

Leopards were also seen regularly. Olive with her three cubs were seen many times at the confluence of the Talek and Olare-Orok rivers.

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Masai Mara, September 14th, 2008

The last week has seen the migration taking a new twist reminiscent of the migration situation in 2005, only with more herds this year! The wildebeests that had congregated on Paradise plain have all crossed the river onto the Mara conservancy. There was a massive concentration on the central Mara triangle earlier in the week, but the herbivores have now drifted southwards towards Engoikwateet salt lick on the border of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystems.

While this was happening, the herds on the eastern side of the Mara have moved northwards. Almost all the wildebeests and zebra that were all over Musiara and Olorukoti plains have headed south and settled on the central and Meta plains. There is only a handful left on Topi plain and along the Talek River.

While the herds were heading south, guests in the Mara witnessed the largest ever crossing on the Talek River, when thousands of wildebeests crossed the river at a meander on the river - where they ended up crossing the river three times without knowing! At the end of the crossing, there were about 300 dead wildebeest that succumbed to injuries from the stampede. The river here is almost dry but the rush-through was so intensive, our experienced guide, Paul Kirui, last witnessed such a crossing twelve years ago at the Sand River.

The availability of carcasses on the open river beds have led to some of the highest congregation of vultures ever witnessed in the recent past. Big Cats’ sightings over the past week could not have been better. There were good sightings of lions actively hunting during the day, which resulted in a few kills. There is a pride which has settled along the Talek River from where the launched the hunting. The alpha female in the pride has two cubs about two months old. She took advantage of the animals crossing the river near where she is staying with her cubs, and has killed more than any other lioness in the pride.

The other prides in our game viewing areas are still easily seen.

The two cheetahs with cubs continue to be seen hunting during the morning on the recently burnt area, where there are some gazelles and Topi. It is expected that they will move the cubs out of the thicket any time soon, and there is heightened anticipation of the new cubs. The gazelles are giving birth from next month and this is when the mother cheetahs catch the gazelle fawns to let their the cubs play-act with them to gain and hone their hunting insticts.

Leopards are also seen daily near our camps. Bella, Olive and her two cubs, Big-boy, Pump-house female and two other unidentified leopards were all seen in the past week.

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Masai Mara, September 6th, 2008

The last week has been very enthralling for crossing enthusiasts, with our guests getting their holiday’s worth! Very many wildebeests crossed the Mara River at Paradise point for 3 consecutive days, with the crossings lasting up to ten hours each day! Another crossing point commonly called cul de sac, (or Kichinjio) by the guides in the Mara, was also very active with many wildebeests and zebra succumbing to crocs and many more others dying from being trampled.

These same herds had crossed about three weeks ago from the Mara Triangle just below the same point for ten hours one day, east onto Paradise and Olorukoti plains and Rhino ridge. Some of them had pushed further north outside the park into Koiyaki and Olare-Orok conservancies.

Some light rains in some areas across the park have triggered random movement by the wildebeest, but our guides expect them to be around for a while.

If ever there was a good time to catch predators in action in the Mara, then the past week was! Our guests saw very many hunts – attempted and successful - in broad daylight as the lions, cheetahs and leopards can’t resist the temptation of going for one more wildebeest – even though they have just fed or have caught another recently.

Just yesterday, a pride made a record by killing eight wildebeests in one afternoon - and four more overnight! The wildebeests were crossing the Talek River, which is almost dry but in such a rush that many died in the stampede and others suffered broken limps.

Olive the leopard killed three wildebeest over the past week, which she feed-on with her three different litter cubs - a sub-adult female born late 2005, two 18 months-old cubs that are still with her, and a 5 months-old. The family has showed an extraordinary interaction that is now drawing considerable attention from wildlife enthusiasts and experts, as it is a rare occurrence.

The number of Cheetahs with cubs have now grown to 4 at the moment in our main game viewing area. Two of these have their cubs still hidden in thicket. One has four cubs and the other has six. Our informed guides expect them to move the cubs out any time in the coming two weeks. The third female is in Musiara area, while the fourth is near Look-Out Hill. The latter has already moved her cubs from the thickets and can now be seen moving across the plains with them.

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Maasai Mara, August 27th, 2008.

There is only one word to describe the situation in the Mara at the moment, ‘It is all wildebeest’. The past week characterized the highlight of the migration in the Mara. There were intensive crossings at the Mara River at the Serena pump house and Paradise crossing points in large herds that were last witnessed in 1996 and 2001. To the utter amazement of seasoned guides, there were so many animals converging before crossing, the crossings - especially at the Paradise point - went on for almost 10 hours!

There’s an air of excitement for the guests who have been planning their trips in advance to witness this event, and for them, it’s been worth it! The wildebeest have been moving en masse from Serengeti to Mara. Many have died from predation by crocodiles, others from being trampled during the stampedes at the river crossings, and predation from the big cats and hyaenas.

The concentration of the migrating herds is now almost spread out across the whole game reserve, with more trooping in thousands from the Serengeti. The highest concentration currently is towards the central and north plains. Some rains earlier in the week have in a way hastened the movement, with temperatures were somehow low in the mornings but the mid day was fine. The last was also quite active for the predators. There were more lion kills witnessed in one week, than in the past couple of months! Wildebeest carcasses littered the plains around Lion pride territories, with even the hyaenas having their full - as carcasses remained untouched for long periods!

Lions have been sighted throughout the day. During today early morning drive we saw a lion pride of five females and four young cubs and they had killed a wildebeest. It was really amazing to see the young ones play with their mothers and chase away hyenas and vultures. The Wildebeest crossing today happened at around 0800 hours at what is know as guides 'mortuary crossing' as most of the wildebeest are either stamp on each other as they come out of water or are killed by Crocodiles and at Paradise crossing at around 1230 hours lasting for half an hour.

Cheetahs were seen through out the week, with kills and attempted hunts witnessed a number of times. Today at around 0900 hours and 1300 hours we were lucky to see the two females with cubs chase and kill a Thomson Gazelle and a Grants Gazelle respectively.

There are 2 cheetahs, one with 4 cubs and the other 6 cubs, along the Talek River. The area had to be sealed off to reduce incidents of the cubs being ran over by vehicles. One of the cheetah had a similar litter two years ago, with four of these cubs surviving to adulthood.

Bella the Leopard was seen today morning in the company of her two cubs (Ntito - one of her daughters and her 7 month old cub) and a male Leopard which was not far. It was nice to see this very rare occurrence, three generation of leopards interacting! In the afternoon game drive we have managed to spot her again with a Wildebeest kill and all of them feeding and praying despite the rains.

Kindly contact: guides@mbangosafaris.com for comments or inquiry on the migration and other animal sightings in the Mara.

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Masai Mara, August 12th 2008

The wildebeest migration continues to thrill our guests to the Mara. For the past week the herds of wildebeest and zebra continued in their traditional migratory routes into the Mara. The herds which have been crossing the Mara river near the lower Mara bridge are now massed up on the recently burnt section on the south Mara triangle. More herds have kept crossing over from Serengeti into the Mara and these are still near Look Out Hill and some have spread out on the central and Burrungat plains.

The animals continued crossing near the lower Mara bridge onto the Mara triangle in the past week, though in reduced numbers. In contrast, there were many wildebeest and zebra crossing at the Paradise Point, where there has been a lot of action with crossings in both directions.

The crocodiles at the Mara River have increased slightly, but the crocodiles have never ceased taking the opportunity. There are many animals snapped by the ever-hungry reptiles during the crossings, with our guide once counting upwards of 30 crocodiles in a feeding frenzy on one wildebeest carcass! With more animals on the Mara triangle now moving east, there are now more than one crossing points at the river - which increases chances of one seeing a crossing while reducing over-crowding.

The lion prides in areas where the migrating animals have reached are now hunting daily. So much so, that when there are easy pickings, even full-bellied lions will hunt just for the fun of it! This has heightened the excitement during the game drives.

There were good leopard sightings over the past week. Even in areas where leopards are known to be shy, there was evidence from carcasses in trees. A young female - christened Penda by guides - can still be found at Olkeju-Rongai area. In the past two days, she has been seen actively hunting in the middle of the day.

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Maasai Mara, August 4th 2008

There was a rare sighing in the Mara yesterday of an unusual visitor - a rare lesser Kudu! Though commonly seen in other areas like Tsavo East and West, and other parks in eastern Kenya, the lesser Kudu is scarce in the Mara. It is believed a few of these animals occurred in these parts before the1940s, and nobody remembers ever seeing one in the past few decades.

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Maasai Mara, 24th July 2008

The Mara River has been active in the past week, with many wildebeests and zebra crossing the river near Look Out Hill onto the Mara triangle. As reported last week, the herds then head west and northwards, settling on Burrungat plains. The main crossing at Paradise point was not very active, but our guides expect it to be the highlight of activities in the coming weeks when the herds will cross at this traditional point over to Paradise plains.

The water in the river is still low, making the crossing for the wildebeest just an easy walk across, with the crocs snapping at every opportunity for a meal. The herds have now seemingly settled down, especially along the lower side of the Mara River. The Loita herds have now joined with the Serengeti ones south of Mara triangle, where the grass is sufficient to sustain them through the migration season. Looking down into Serengeti, herds of wildebeests and zebra on the recently burnt areas along the border can be seen nibbling on new shoots of grass growing in these area after some light rains swept through there the previous week.

For the predators, the season of plenty has finally arrived! Lion prides south of the Talek are now very active, responding to the herbivores moving into their territories. The same is to cheetah and leopards in the area.

Our clients witnessed a few kills by lions at Olkeju-Rongai and Look Out Hill area. There have been a lot of attempted and successful hunts by the lion prides.

Other notable predators have also been on the prowl. The hyaens – traditional scavengers - took to an active hunting when the herds got to their territory. The vultures that accompany the migrating animals are now a common sight in the lower Mara section. They are the clean-up gangs that clear the mess left by the predators or carcasses of animals succumbing to diseases/injuries.
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