New Blog!

I have now consolidated the blogs of all my trips into a single travel blog - which I have started again for my next trip to Cambodia in February! you can find it at - http://joannehedger.blogspot.co.uk/

Day 9 - Final day and the Leopard goes on a Stork rampage!

The day started fantastically as we passed a tree and saw the remains of a stork at the bottom, then rounded a bush and saw the Leopard dash across the scrub with the stork in its mouth! How lucky were we!!??

It appears the Leopard had killed at least 3 maybe 4 stork since there were also a number of Steppe Eagles feasting on another one slightly further afield and there was one still lying in the top of the tree, presumably for later.

We watched the Steppe Eagles for some time, mainly because they were playign tug of war with a white-headed vulture, the remains of the stork being the rope! very amusing. It was also interesting that the juvenile Eagle was not allowed to join in and simply sat patiently a few feet away whilst the father and mother ate. Our group were split again today, as David, Marion and Sheila were flying straight to Rwanda to see the Gorilllas and so had a plane to catch just before lunch, whilst Sandy and I had another game drive after lunch before heading off home. We had taken a game drive to the airport to see the others off, and as we were waiting, news came in that a couple of Leopard cubs had been spotted not far away in a tree near the airport. Sandy and I could not get away fast enough! we were waving from the truck driving in parallel to the plane as it took off!

We could only find one of the cubs, but he was at least awake and not too far from the truck as we backed it into the bust to get some shots.

He was so young, he still had his baby blue eyes. We stayed for a while, but when we realised the other cub or the mum was nowhere around, we decided to make the most of our time left and headed back out onto the plains, making the most of the space in the truck and the wind on our faces for the last time.

I was incredibly sad to be going home, and I remember thinking that I would never feel the same way about the place again. They say your first experience stays with you and can never be matched - and my first experience of the Masai Mara certainly feels that way now. The place blows your mind.

Day 8 - The Uncomfortable Leopard Chase

Spent a very difficult morning trying to shoot backlit lions.

Not only was it bloody freezing, but with such high ISO settings and moving targets, the image noise becomes way too apparent and the whole thing became a real challenge.

Afterwards we stopped for breakfast out on the plains. A beautiful breezy view and perfect for the penultimate morning.

Returning to the camp for lunch I unfortunately discovered my firat tick of the trip... in my groin!!! not good. Eventually got him removed and was raring to go find a leopard that we had been told was in the area. Unfortunately it turned out to be not such an enjoyable or exciting trip. We found her and we followed her and we all managed to get a shot or two, but then more and more trucks turned up and she began to move through the grass. Each driver then sped off after her trying to get their clients the best view - it felt like a chase. I felt like we were hunting her and I wasn't alone. But our view divided our passengers and some wanted to continue to get better shots and others wanted to stop and leave the cat alone with her kill.

Eventually after one member of the group had been reduced to tears, the truck fell silent. Eventually the Leopard moved off and as Daniel turned the ignition, David finally ended the awkward situation by telling him not to follow the cat. Thankfully, by the time we got to Sundowners everyone was friends again and the episode forgotten. I do not regret speaking my mind, nor do I regret not getting great images of the Leopard. Watching wildlife is one thing, but chasing it to increase your portfolio is another thing altogether.

The day ended with a fantastic traditional Masai dinner with arrowroot and sweet potato, and a dance display from the staff around the campfire.

A truly magical evening. (Although I will be glad when I finish the Malarone tablets and can get rid of these vivid dreams too.)

Day 7 - Masai Toothbrushes

Throughout our time driving over the Mara I had been wanting to get a picture of one of the many bleached buffalo skulls that litter the plains, but there was always something more interesting to go after, so this morning I was glad when David spotted this perfect specimen. When we got up close, we noticed that it had some sort of moth larvae growing / living on the horns which apparently is quite common.

During our breakfast stop, Daniel made us some traditional Masai toothbrushes from the wood of the elephant-pepper tree (Warburgia Ugandensis). As you chew the end of the cut stick so that it forms a soft fibrous ‘brush’, anti-bacterial properties are released into your mouth and at first it is incredibly strong and peppery, but after a short while it’s actually quite pleasant. Daniel explained that generally a toothbrush like this would last about a week before he would have to find another tree and cut another piece. The ultimate, eco-friendly disposable toothbrush!

We spent a lovely afternoon drive with a family of elephants bathing in mud pools and were quite surprised to witness a mother shielding the babies from our view – every time we moved the truck either forward or back to get a clearer shot of her calf she would move to block our view. Elephants are considered in the Mara to be the best mothers of all the mammals – we could see why.

Since we were late returning again (and after the embarrassment of last nights’ shower preparation), we asked Daniel to radio ahead to get the buckets filled in time for a quick shower before dinner. So when we got back I set the camera cards downloading, and stripped off, confident that no-one would be roaming around outside until I flashed my torch.  Oh how wrong I was – I had just sat down on the loo when Joseph’s voice came through the canvas – “your shower is ready for you Joanne, you had a good day with the simba yes?”

Day 6 - Transfer from Acacia camp to Bush Camp

Pretty tough day really and not helped by my having stomach cramps and feeling like crap all day.

Morning game drive from Acacia camp was ok, (got soggy trousers taking images of Waste paper flowers which covered the grass) and arrival at Bush camp was fine. The tent is amazing – way better than Acacia, but the wildlife in the local area seems harder to come by. We did manage to see Serval cat during our stop for sundowners and I got some ok shots of Dik Diks, but no sign of leopard, and the Bee-eaters were simply out of reach for my lens.

We arrived at the same time as two birding women from Essex one of whom we now know has a stomach upset as she was not at lunch and neither of them turned up for dinner. Also met a couple of male teachers from an independent school in Berkshire who are here ahead of a teaching conference in Mombasa on Friday.

Today was hard. Both from a photography point of view and from a personal point of view. Medical and psychological issues have dominated the day for everyone; Sheila voiced everyone’s frustration at not having time to review our images and therefore correct any mistakes we are making. I got frustrated at having to configure my camera every time I turn it on, which meant the subject was usually long gone and poor Marian could only see out of one eye and had to wear her dark glasses all day in severe pain. So it was especially nice to get almost 2 hours to myself after lunch to sit, just me and my camera and the visiting birds at my tent. Ironically, I got two of the best shots of the trip so far for me!  One of a ‘Suberb Starling’ and the other a Silverbird with a caterpillar in its beak.

The afternoon drive was another long and hot affair, so I was looking forward to my shower when we got back to camp. We were late as usual and so I had assumed that the shower was ready with hot water. For this reason I was already naked and waiting for the water to run hot when I heard Joseph (my room attendant) arrive to fill my bucket! – this would have been fine except that only the bottom two-thirds of the tent are solid canvas and the top third is see-thru mosquito netting and Joseph has to climb a ladder to fill the bucket! At that point I could not have wished harder for the tent’s solar lighting to run out of power. I crouched down next to the floor frantically looking about for a towel at the same time as answering Joseph’s polite questions about how my day went and what I had seen!

Day 5 – Masai Village

Daniel really is fantastic, his driving skills are awesome. The Mara is basically a large swamp which has had quite a lot of rains lately, making a lot of the tracks impassable and elephant damage means many more tracks are blocked. Yet he still knows exactly where he is and how to get us back to camp. Even in the dark. His birding knowledge is also outstanding considering there are around 1300 different species of birds in Kenya.

Our sunrise and planned backlit shots were a disaster this morning. With no moisture in the atmosphere to diffuse the light, the sun was simply too harsh as soon as it peaked over the horizon. Poor Marian has damaged her eyes looking into the sun. Last year she had shingles which infected her eye and the sheer act of looking at the sun through her lens has re-ignited the pain. So close to the equator the sun is fierce and when you are concentrating on shooting, it’s easy to forget how dangerous it can be. My lips are burnt and chapped and the hot wind when driving across the plains takes with it any moisture left in your face and hands until everything feels taught and raw. For luggage weight reasons I didn’t bring any moisturiser with me, only a tube of Aloe vera and a tube of factor 50 sun block. If only I had tested the new lens I could have swapped it for a kilo of moisturiser!

On the way back from our morning drive, we visited a Masai Village. But since Marian and Sheila had already been and Sandy wasn’t fussed, I was the only one who wanted to go in. David decided he had better not let me go alone, so we both got out of the vehicle and went to meet the village chief elder. All the females in the village were lined up in the centre singing and dancing and the chief explained that since we had paid him, we were now free to take as many photos as we liked and ask as many questions as we liked. Unfortunately I found the whole experience a bit over-whelming and so didn’t take many pictures, but joined in with the dancing instead. After a fascinating (but chokingly smelly) tour of the inside of one of their houses, we were taken to their ‘market’ to choose which souvenirs we wanted to purchase. I only had enough money on me for one item and so chose a fly swat made from wildebeest tail and decorated with Masai beading.

The afternoon drive saw us back with Mrembo and Manky-Eye and I managed to catch a distance shot of Manky-Eye chasing a Jackal.

We also discovered today the reason why the person whose place I had taken had decided to cancel and lose their deposit (and more) - apparently they had read a news report that the Masai Mara is home to AK47-weilding desperados who often come and raid the camps!!! So far we have not seen or heard of any such activity. Although we did today see something which is a little difficult to explain....

We were out on the plains and watched as a white Toyota truck pulled over and a couple of men got out and lifted the bonnet. Then they tried to flag a passing tourist safari jeep down which sensibly drove straight past them. Then to our surprise the men simply shut the bonnet and drove off. It could have been a trap which didn't work, or there could simply have been a very innocent explanation. We didn't hang around to find out.

Day 4 – Musiara Marsh and Leopard Gorge

David’s mobile camera trap caught a hyena passing by his tent last night and the Askari informed us that we had Lion about 200m from our tents, lazing up on the hill! So we all agreed for that to be our first stop on the way to Musiara marsh (and the home of TV’s ‘Big Cat’ Marsh Pride).

This first drive of the day was a long one - 6am – 330pm, but was well worth it. We found the Marsh pride (14 of them at least, including Romeo, the lead Male) and managed to time our breakfast perfectly by moving off and eating when the group were resting and returning just as they were raising to get on the move again.

As you would expect of a marsh, it is home to a great number of waders, cranes and storks. We settled to watch a Saddle-billed stork do a bit of fishing, and were surprised when seconds later he caught a catfish and dropped it in the reeds where he proceeded to stab it with his beak to kill it before eating it, I always thought they just threw them back still alive!

We went from the marsh to the famous ‘Leopard Gorge’ which unfortunately had no Leopards in it, but a huge number of Rock Hyrax who posed beautifully for us like Mr and Mrs.

Our route back through the Masai North conservancy was agony. My chest couldn’t take anymore. So Sandy called a ladies meeting when we returned to camp mid-afternoon and we all aired our concerns and gripes. It seems I’m not the only one silently suffering! It was therefore unanimously decided to all move seats in the truck and allow everyone a turn at good views and a smooth ride. We all agreed to push David to the back seat and to no longer let him hog the best shooting spot at every stop!

The afternoon game drive was a dream. 5pm – 730pm and we all swapped seats; Marian and I went to the front two seats behind Daniel. Perfect. What a view.

Sundowners were great too – us girls seem to have bonded well over our earlier meeting and the entire sunset was spent like schoolgirls in fits of giggles.

I managed to rip the side pocket off my combats at the dinner table by assuming it was held shut with Velcro. It even sounded like Velcro when it ripped! Definitely need more sleep. Marian suggested I asked the Masai if they had a sewing kit, to which Maurice (‘Mr. Drinks’) replied, “Give me the trousers and I will arrange it all for you, Hakuna Matata.” What service.