Ndutu II: lion in a tree, lots of birds, migration

We go down to the lounge area early this morning to grab a coffee and check out the internet before we set off for the day; only to find the man with the key to the reception isn't there yet, so no internet.

Moonlight over Ndutu Lodge

Lions

Our 'breakfast' this morning (Malisa's expression for the first sighting of the day), is a male lion purposefully striding through the undergrowth quite near to the lodge.

He is taking a great interest in a couple of men working down by the lake.

Each lodge in the area have their own borehole at the edge of the lake, and fill their water tankers from there to take back to the lodges.

We are joined by another couple of vehicles.

Even more safari vehicles arrive

The lion disappears out of sight into the bushes.

But there's another one!

From behind us a third lion appears, walking right by the side of the car.

He disappears too, but we hang around for a bit watching the flamingos on Lake Ndutu.

Suddenly someone notices that one of the lions has climbed a tree, so we set off, literally driving through the dense thicket to get nearer.

After a while of being settled on the branch, he starts to fidget. Is he going to jump down?

No, he is just rearranging himself.

Meanwhile, I am distracted by a Beautiful Sunbird.

This time our lion is definitely on the move.

He does not look overly confident here.

“Should I go this way?”

“Hmm, maybe not...”

Here we go!

He soon disappears into the bushes, probably looking for a female on heat. We continue on our way, “to see what nature has to offer us” as Malisa would say.

Jacobin Cuckoo

Southern Red Bishop

Lesser Flamingos

Marsh Sandpiper

Kitlitz' Plover

Lots of them flying

Crowned Lapwing

Mud

In a low-lying marshy area, we see a car stuck in the mud. A lot of helpers are milling around, assisting in towing the vehicle out.

Fearful of suffering the same fate, Malisa drives across at great speed. It works, we are fine.

Southern Red Bishop

Usually very timid, this small bird surprises us by staying put on his perch as we pull up alongside him. It's not until another car drives past that he flies off.

Greater Spotted Thick Knee

Wattled Starlings

Marabou Stork

This baby wildebeest didn't make it

Secretary Bird

Steppe Eagle

Eurasian Roller

White Backed Vulture

Spotted Hyena

The Great Migration

We've seen the migration on our previous visits, including being right in the middle of huge herds of animals in Togoro; plus we have been lucky enough to witness the wildebeest and zebra cross the mighty Mara River in the far north of the country; but never before have we seen it like it is here: one single line. This is how I have always imagined the migration to look like. The reason they walk behind each other in this way, is a scent emitted from the hooves of the animals at the front, which leads other to follow in exactly the same pathway.

This tiny little baby struggles to keep up with mum; he's two hours old at the most.

There are a few more youngsters today than there were yesterday. The whole idea of coming this time of year was to see the babies, and hopefully even a birth.

We stop to have our breakfast in the car this morning, as there is a cold wind out. More to follow in the next blog entry.

Thank you Calabash Adventures forarranging this safari.