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WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA GRUMETI, TANZANIA for the Month of April, Two Thousand and Nineteen

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WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA GRUMETI, TANZANIA for the Month of April, Two Thousand and Nineteen Photo by George Tolchard WILDLIFE JOURNAL SINGITA GRUMETI, TANZANIA For the month of April, Two Thousand and Nineteen Temperature Rainfall Recorded Sunrise & Sunset Average minimum: 19°C Faru Faru 47 mm Sunrise 06:40 Average maximum: 29°C Sabora 53 mm Sunset 18:40 Minimum recorded: 17°C Sasakwa 162 mm Maximum recorded: 34.3°C April has been another lovely month, packed full of exciting moments and incredible wildlife viewing. April is usually an incredibly wet month for us here in northern Tanzania, however this year we have definitely received less rain than in years gone by. Only at the end of the month have we seen a noticeable change in the weather and experienced our first heavy downpours. Thankfully there seems to have been just enough to keep the grasses looking green and although the heavy rains have arrived late, an encouraging green flush is spreading across the grasslands. Resident herds of topi, zebra, buffalo, Thompson’s gazelle, eland, Grant’s gazelle and impala are flourishing as usual and have remained as a great presence especially out on the Nyati Plain and the Nyasirori high ground. Reports of the migratory wildebeest were received towards the end of the month, and on the 27th we glanced from the top of Sasakwa Hill to see mega-herds of wildebeest, to the south of our border with the National Park, streaming onto the grasslands at the base of the Simiti Hills. We sit in anticipation and wonder where the great herds will move next. Cat sightings have been great this month, again, despite the long seeding grasses. Members of our central and eastern prides of lions have been located most days with dynamics remaining stable within the social structures. Three lionesses seemed to have isolated themselves from the Butamtam Pride for considerable time now, and two of these lionesses have cubs. They have been spending a considerable amount of time on Sasakwa Hill and in the immediate vicinity, and have been sighted hunting close to Sasakwa Lodge and Serengeti House on many occasions. Lions • A total of 71 lion sightings have been recorded this month. This is considerable given the time of year and the occupancies, and testament to how fantastic the lion populations are on the reserve. Leopards • A total of 26 Leopard sightings have been recorded this month. Again, our popular drainage lines and riverine have produced fantastic viewing opportunities. Cheetah • A total of 22 cheetah sightings were recorded for this month. Elephant • Elephant movements at this time of year are often rather sporadic with herds dispersing over the property. There have been fantastic concentrations on the Grumeti River, south of Faru Faru, with aggregation of over 100 individuals. Hyena • Much of the hyena activity observed was in the Nyati plain region and the Nyasirori area. • Two new editions to the Boundary Pan clan were observed towards the end of the month, taking the number of youngsters at this den-site to 14. Buffalo • The resident herds not moving far from their ranges. Interesting bird sightings • This month we have had some wonderful bird sightings. Many migratory storks have been recorded on the wetland areas adjacent to the Raho drainage including white, Abdim’s and black storks. • We have seen the arrival of golden-winged sunbirds on Sasakwa Hill which has been a real treat as this is not a bird that is usually observed in this area. Tending to stick to highland montane forest, these birds may well have dispersed during the rainy season. • We have had some fantastic sightings of the long-crested eagle which are resident on the property, however, sightings seem to have exploded during this time! They are so striking with their yellow eyes, black and white plumage and long crests. Photos by George Tolchard Some exciting Bush Stories follow. Friends – the cheetah and the hyena By Steven Chacha It was early in the morning and the birds were singing their pleasant melodies. Guests and I were watching the stunning rays of the sun as it rose over the hills to the east. Whilst enjoying this powerful moment, out on the Sasakwa Plain, I glanced to the north to see a male cheetah lying down on the grasslands. I turned to the guests and told them what I had seen but they could not believe the distance at which I had identified it. We moved in for a closer look. It appeared that this lovely male cheetah was becoming active as it yawned, stood and began to stretch. We sat quietly in anticipation of what this incredible cat would do next. So elegant with its long, sleek tail and beautiful black tear markings running from eye to mouth. We noticed a young wildebeest walking in the distance - with no sign of its mother. The cheetah immediately became aware of the wildebeest and I advised the guests to have cameras ready as this cat was looking for a meal. Almost instantly the cheetah began his stalk… The cheetah managed to creep to within 20 metres of the wildebeest without being noticed and simply exploded into the chase! It was no more than a few seconds later that the cheetah had brought down the young wildebeest. My guests and I looked at each other mutually thinking how incredible it was to start a morning drive with such explosive action! After suffocating its prey the cheetah moved away for a short while in order to catch its breath and cast its eyes over the grasslands for potential threats. Quietly content the cheetah moved back to the wildebeest and began to feed. Fifteen minutes later a spotted hyena arrived on the scene! The hyena did its very best to intimidate the male cheetah, however, the cheetah was not backing down. The cheetah tried desperately to drive the hyena off but it was clear the hyena too had no intention of giving up. After 10 minutes of watching both predators doing their best to frighten each other away from the kill, something incredible happened… Both animals settled down to feed, the cheetah one side, the hyena on the other. From start to finish, the animals fed without a murmur of discontent. I have never seen anything like this before… The cheetah and hyena had become friends - at least over a meal. An elephant rescue By Japhet Robert It was the beginning of April when I was driving along the banks of the Grumeti River and happened across a breeding herd of elephants. There had been some reasonable rain in the last few days and the river was flowing steadily. I realised that the herd of elephants wanted to cross the river towards me and so I positioned the vehicle nicely to observe this with my guest. Members of the herd began to cross, the elders not having any problems whatsoever but suddenly the herd exploded with wild trumpeting and screaming… something had unsettled them… We spotted a very young elephant that had been separated from its mother in the current and the youngster was battling with the flow of water. The adult elephants were worried for the youngster’s safety. The young elephant lost its footing and was rolled down the river over and over… We were worried at this point that this may have terrible consequences for the youngster. The youngster’s mother ran out of the river, with another two females in support, and they charged off downstream. The mother was able to catch up to her youngster and using her trunk coiled the young elephant up securely and pulled it from the torrents. It was an incredible show of rescue and affection! Something my guests and I will never forget. A martial’s curse By Benson Mboya It was a beautiful morning as I drove the Raho drainage area with my guests when we noticed a large martial eagle that seemed to be showing considerable interest in a small group of white storks. The white storks were feeding on the edge of a pool on the drainage line. We stopped the vehicle and watched the eagle as it circled above. The white storks did not appear to have noticed the threat from the skies when all of a sudden the martial eagle dived. With lightning speed the eagle sped through the sky and descended on a stork with such power and ferocity that it stunned us all! The blow from the martial eagle literally stunned the stork and the eagle carried it a short distance away. However, the stork still had life in it yet! But after a short wrestling match it was clear that the stork was no match for the eagle and with a powerful talon placed in its neck the stork’s life ebbed away. I had never witnessed this method before from a martial eagle, it was incredibly interesting. A truly incredible sighting. April Gallery Two new editions to the Boundary Pan Clan. Photos by George Tolchard Boundary Pan youngsters. Photo by George Tolchard A young martial eagle. Photo by Bernard Hosea A Sabora leopard. Photos by Ed Ayo. Nyasirori Pride in front of Sabora. Photo by Godson Nyiti Picture by Ed Ayo Photos by Bernard Hosea Picture by Anicet Phillip Photos by Calson Luka .
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