| Rekero, Masai Mara - News - January 2003
What a Christmas and New Year!
 What a Christmas and New Year! Big news is that Gerard and Rainee were married on a dhow in Mombasa Harbour on 5 January. An emotional and happy day for all who were there. John Kaelo melted ladies' hearts with his song of a Masai blessing; the sun set on cue and the seafood overwhelmed all but the biggest stomachs! The Beatons (junior) are now on honeymoon at an unknown destination, returning in February.
In camp the New Year period brought as much fluid from the sky as from the bottle! The landcruisers worked hard but its fair to say there was some healthy exercising of spades too! The river rose fast and high, to the edge of the grass in some areas, but never to the tents. The weather has now cleared up and we are experiencing clear days and cold starlit nights. Looking out over the Talek River the grasses have grown and begun to dance and play as much as the young gazelles that graze upon them. The Mara scenery is in spectacular form. When reflecting on it Cameron Chantellier talked of "drinking as much as she could before she left". What a great expression.
On the wildlife front the cheetah many of you saw in December has crossed the Talek with her three cubs and now hunts in the area west of camp, towards the Mara River. The numbers of Thomson's and Grant's Gazelle is such that it is unlikely she will move far in the near future. The large male meanwhile continues to stalk the plains to the south.
The Thompson's Gazelles themselves are migrating. Ron and a group of clients had an extraordinary morning watching a small group of Tommies crossing the Mara River. Not one of the group made it to the other side, the crocodiles and a lioness proving too strong a force to reckon with.
Behind the camp, in the two riverbeds that feed the Talek, there have been a number of good leopard sightings. Steve and Sue Wilson spent 40 minutes with a female as did Nadja and Jeff the "New York Newlyweds". In December we watched the same animal stalking Bohor's Reedbuck in a nearby riverbed.
The buffalo on both sides of the river are thriving on the lush grass. A heard of 200 remains north of the camp, towards Rhino Ridge. To the south a new herd of 20-30 is currently showing off their calves. The condition of these and other large herbivores is making the lion population work hard though. Almost every night we hear them roaring. After the departure of the Wildebeeste, the females are slim and hungry close to camp, and even in the heat of the day can be seen searching for the next opportunity to hunt. A number of the males meanwhile are distracted, as one lioness has come into oestrus!
In sight of the camp we have had 2 kills, a baboon by a lone lioness we think has developed a taste for killing this variety of primate and a small warthog chased down by a pride of 6. On the opposite side of the river, the Greenes watched from their tent a cheetah narrowly miss a young impala.
Life is not all sweet for the predators however. The lioness with the scar on her shoulder began with 3 cubs and now has none. The last killed by a newly arrived young male. The same male will soon mate with her and commence his own period as father.
The bird life continues to provide morning alarm calls for the clients! Amongst the ornithological highlights has been a pair of
crowned cranes and their breeding dances, our woodland kingfisher's daily forays into the river as well as the spectacular African Blue Flycatchers.
As for the team, Jackson, John, James, William and Fred are all well and happy and send their regards. Jackson is being helped by Nick and Ash Sinfield until March this year. Rakita, Olologero and Jimmy continue to giggle as only they can!
We all hope the New Year is being as good to you as it is to us. Tutoanana!
Rekero
Rekero
Bush Homes of East Africa Ltd
P O Box 56923, 00200 City Square, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-2-571661, 571647, 571649
Fax: 254-2-571665, 570922 |
