After the very wet December (194mm), the wettest for sixteen years, the stage was set for a very exciting January. With all the green vegetation the huge herds of wildebeest and zebra poured into the area, passing right through the Lodge grounds on many occasions. At one point just after Christmas there were 3 pairs of mating lions on the road at the causeway, which was a great welcome for arriving guests. The elephants are back in numbers and have been visiting the lodge water hole most days, with up to fifty elephants at a time and as I write this, I can actually see some from my window. DT the cantankerous bull elephant has arrived to drink daily since the 2nd of January.
DT leaving the waterhole, January 2003
One day he took exception to Augustine, the barman, putting out the camp chairs in preparation for the evening campfire, and he was quite persuasive, with his repeated trumpets and mock charges, he did not want too see the camp chairs that day. Augustine just takes these things in his stride and left a heap of chairs on the ground and muttering under his breath, just let the elephant get on with it. The elephant soon forgot and carried peacefully on his way, providing us with some great photographic opportunities.
Guests are getting the chance to take some great pictures this month. There has been no rain for the past two weeks and the seasonal water holes on the plains are temporarily drying up. The herds are coming to drink at the Big Marsh and Long Gulley, where hundreds on thousands of animals can be seen throughout the day.
It’s not just the sheer numbers of animals that is special but the noise of thundering hoofs, barking zebra and of course the sound of the wildebeest.
Add to this all the dust kicked up by their hoofs and it’s an unforgettable experience. The rain clouds are building up again and once we get a shower of rain they’ll move out to the plains again and this situation will be over. Guests who went out on early morning game drives this morning are already reporting long lines of wildebeest heading out in the direction of the Makao plains and it hasn’t actually rained yet, so it should be action packed these next few days.
One of the most dramatic events of the year started this month, the annual wildebeest calving. With thousands of tiny tan coloured calves being born daily, it must be one of the most spectacular sights in nature. Sadly in all the confusion of moving from the plains into the woodlands, many calves have become separated from their mothers. It’s a truly heart retching sight to see these little calves desperately trying to follow anything which they hope could be their mother, including vehicles. They will happily follow any wildebeest but only their mothers will allow them to suckle, they even follow the males or zebra and sadly sometimes even lions. Although the experts tell me that many calves do actually meet up with their mothers, so you can never interfere as there must sometimes be happy endings.
Other interesting sightings this month include the crocodile at Lake Masek. The lake completely dried out in October and only filled up again at the end of December. So naturally we were a little concerned about the croc, but no worries, because after the first rain he/she was seen basking on the little sandbar in the middle of the lake. People have also seen lions up trees, including some big males. Leopards were seen mating this week by some eagle eyed guests and somebody witnessed a secretary bird chasing a honey badger, which is very odd behavior.
Last night, while we were enjoying the campfire and a fabulous star filled night dominated by the planet Jupiter, which is unmistakable at the moment.
We heard lions calling from the causeway, which is about a kilometer from here, It was then followed by another group on the Lakeshore, which were a little closer. Suddenly, there was a roar from about 100 metres away from a male and a female lion. We watched them move even closer in our torch light as they plonked themselves down under an acacia tree, not more than 60 metres away from where we sat, by the fire. We were then treated to a great display as the lions roared every 20 minutes or so throughout the night. The lions at the causeway started to call first, followed by the ones on the lakeshore, and after a while we learned to brace ourselves for the thunderous roar from the pair under the tree. It was so loud you could feel it vibrate on your chest as we watched them in our torch light. I think for guests lucky enough to have been here last night it must have been a highlight of their safari and something they will never forget.
Fair numbers of European and Abdims storks can be seen on the plains this month. The storks are roosting on the Lake at Ndutu, and it’s the most wonderful sight as they fly over each evening. One of the most interesting things to happen last month was something that we saw ourselves. It was two impala males, which had locked horns together in a test of strength, only they couldn’t part themselves, as their horns truly had locked together. When we first saw them they were already joined and we watched them struggle, pushing and shoving trying to release themselves as the horns dug into their faces. It was only when one collapsed from exhaustion after about fifty minutes, that the other in desperation summoned all his strength threw the other right over his back, which released the pressure and they parted. I’m not sure whose heart was beating faster theirs or ours. They both stood around, while getting their strength back before moving off; us, we went home for a beer.
Ndutu Safari Lodge.
Feb 2003.
Those people living in the UK had the chance to see the amazing new film by Owen Newman and Amanda Barrett called “Cats Under Serengeti Stars” which was filmed entirely in the Ndutu area. It was shown in the evening of the 1st January on BBC2. Owen and Amanda based themselves at the lodge for 16 months while making this film of the smaller Serengeti cats along with more familiar animals and some not so familiar ones. It was filmed entirely at night and done with the use of infra red lighting, so as not to disturb any of the animals. The film will also be shown in America, sometime in the New year.
