Anyone who visits Ndutu in the next few months could not fail to be amazed by the sheer number of wildebeest and zebra out on the plains. Since December we have been having the thunderstorms which provide the fresh sweet nutritious grass which attracts the huge migratory herds. Lake Ndutu continues to fill with water and there are thousands of greater and lesser flamingo lining the shores. What is so nice about the rains is that it very rarely rains all day, there will be a shower, or in yesterdays case a heavy deluge and then about an hour later the sun is shining brightly once again. The weather has been perfect for game driving, not too hot and the evening light has been beautiful. Around the campfire at night most people feel in need of a pullover as the temperature cools off.
Guests have certainly not been disappointed with the number and variety of cats, which have been seen this past month. The three good- looking male lions at the marsh are still very much in evidence and enjoying the time of plenty after surviving the long dry season. . The lion’s life looks like one of leisure, just eating and sleeping. But when you realise it is estimated that lions copulate 3000 times for every cub that survives to the yearling stage, you can start to appreciate just how tough trying to survive is. There are now plenty of lion cubs around and there is one particular lioness that has taken to teaching her cub to climb trees at an early age. They have been seen on various occasions way up high up in one of the acacias.
A cheetah with two tiny cubs was seen a few days ago just south of the lodge and yesterday people witnessed another cheetah kill a yearling wildebeest, only to have his kill immediately taken over by two hyenas.
Some extremely lucky guests witnessed an amazing interaction between a caracal and a hyena. Apparently there was a tremendous showdown of snarling and hissing until both realised that neither party was going to back down, they then skulked off in different directions.
With our two waterholes at the lodge now replenished by the rains, elephants have been coming in for a drink and a bath. The first calf of the season was seen a couple of days ago, the ears are still incredibly pink so it is probably less than two weeks old.
Thousands of European white storks have been arriving, in the evenings you can see enormous flocks flying around before they roost high in the trees for the night. The waders are here in great numbers, both lake Ndutu and Lake Masek host a wide variety this time of year. For our resident birds, breeding season is well under way for many species Just by walking around the lodge you will come across an assortment of nests and birds bustling about collecting building material. There is a colony of lesser masked weavers that are busily building their nests, but every now and then mayhem erupts as one of the many didrik cuckoos swoops past on the look out for a suitable host.
The next few weeks will see the start of the calving season for the wildebeest. The majority are born within a three-week period in February. Up to 8000 calves are born each day, so as you can imagine it is a sight well worth seeing. It’s incredible how quickly after being born the young calf is up on its feet and cantering besides its mother. With so many predators out on the plains, it’s their only chance of survival.
We hope you can be here with us to witness this annual spectacle, it’s an experience of a lifetime!
