Entries about the great migration

We set off after lunch to see what nature has to offer us here in Ndutu, and hopefully find a wildebeest herd where we can witness a birth.

African Hoopoe

Juvenile Red Billed Buffalo Weaver

Lion

Under a tree we see a magnificent male lion. Initially just resting, he soon sits up surveying the tourists arriving.

Big yawn. And other funny facial expressions.

He licks his chops and walks straight towards us.

Too close for comfort, or at least for photography!

It's only when we drive away that we realise that Dickson (our driver during our first three safaris in Tanzania) and his clients are right behind us.

Two Banded Courser

Eurasian Avocet

"What are you looking at?"

Blacksmith Plover

Wildebeest Migration

Continuing on our way, we drive alongside thousands of wildebeest, running in an (almost) single file.

The line seems to go on forever, then group into a HUGE herd, surrounding us on every side, and they just keep on coming.

More and more and more arrive, a never ending stream of wildebeest join the mêlée, until there is just a sea of horns.

We see very few babies in amongst this crowd though. A few of the females look like they are ready – they are fat, their nipples have developed and they are struggling to walk – but none are just about to drop. Oh well, we'll keep searching.

Zebra

A few zebras have joined the wildebeest, and we see a few babies too. Our hearts stop as we spot what appears to be a dead baby zebra in the grass.

We hold our breath when the mother appears and starts nudging her little foal. Is he alive?

Yes, he is, and he soon runs off with his mother. Phew.

Dung Beetles

So many wildebeest in one place means two things: 1. we are eaten alive by pesky flies, and 2. it is a dung beetle's paradise.

Within a few minutes, large piles of dung are turned into neat little balls and rolled away.

With my love of dung beetles, I am totally in my element here, and before I know it I have taken over a thousand photos of... basically a pile of shit - plus these fascinating insects, of course.

It is now several hours since we last saw any other cars or human activity. This may be the height of the season in Ndutu, but it is still possible to have large areas all to yourself. Most people go back to the lodge for lunch, preferring to stay out of the sun in the midday heat. I can see why, as we are being cooked to perfection even in the shade of the car. I wouldn't want to miss an animal experience though!

Greater Spotted Thick Knee

Light Tawny Eagle

European White Stork

A number of storks return to roost for the night, gliding effortlessly across the savannah.

Not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands! They just keep on coming.

And I just keep on photographing them.

And the wildebeest just keep on walking.

The storks are followed by a large flock of Cattle Egrets.

Even a small chattering of Wattled Starlings join in. (chattering is the collective noun for starlings)

Cheetah

A mum and her two cubs are very active in the late afternoon sun, running around and playing and for the next 30 minutes or so we delight in their antics. The dozen or so photos you will see here, are whittled down from a massive 1200 images – that amounts to around one picture a second!

I have nothing more to say about this encounter, I think the note I made in my journal at the time sums it up!

Much as we'd love to stay and watch these adorable little animals for longer, we really have to go. We are still quite some distance away from the lodge, and have to be back by 19:00.

Sunset

As we approach Lake Ndutu, I gasp. I don't think I have ever seen such a spectacular sunset here in Tanzania before.

I make poor Malisa stop time after time as a new vista comes into view.

Thankfully sunsets are over rather rapidly this close to the Equator, and we can continue on our way back to the lodge as originally planned.

Until we get to the Marsh.

The light is really poor now, too dark for photography, so I don't feel bad that we don't stop long.

We do, however, stop to help out this vehicle which is well and truly bogged down.

Not sure I'd like to be out of the vehicle this close to two lions.

And they're out!

Having to rush along the basic tracks that make up Ndutu's 'road system', we dislodge an enormous amount of dust. It seems almost incongruous that a few days ago there was heavy rain and every track was a mud bath.

Ndutu Lodge

We finally make it back to the lodge by 19:30, and after a quick shower and change we are the last to dinner. Again.

Apple, feta and walnut stack with home made dressing

Somehow I forget to take a photo of the main course, which was lamb tagine with couscous, green beans and courgettes. I do, however, snap a picture of a large moth enjoying what's left on David's plate.

A very tasty Malva Pudding for dessert

The excellent arrangements for this safari was made by Calabash Adventures, the best safari company by far.

There are dik diks in the grounds of Ndutu Lodge as we make our way from he room this morning, but it is still silly o'clock and pitch black so no point in trying to take a photo.

Lions

It is still dark when we reach the lake and encounter the lions we saw mating last night. The lack of light really pushes my camera to the limit, but I figure grainy photos is better than no photos.

They get up and start walking, but soon disappear into the thick undergrowth, probably to mate.

We are hoping they'll come out from the bushes, as the female needs space to be able to roll around after copulation, in order to distribute the sperm. We hang around for a while.

Moon

The moon seems to be particularly bright this morning.

Sunrise

For a few minutes the colours are glorious, with a heavy dew hanging over the water.

That moment does not last long, although the mist lingers for a while longer.

More Marabou Storks

They make great foregrounds for sunrise photos.

We even get a couple of hot air balloons thrown in for good measure.

Bearded Woodpecker

It doesn't look like the lions are coming back out again, so we move off to try and find the 'maternity ward' and see if the midwife is on duty (ie a place where the wildebeest are ready to drop their babies).

Red Bishop

Augur Buzzard

From his lofty position atop a tree, he is busy doing his ablutions and morning exercises.

Wildebeest

Such fickle animals, they run along at speed, stop and then walk back the way they came.

While Malisa and David are busy looking our for pregnant mamas who may honour us with the spectacle of their birthing; I spend the time photographing the birds that make wildebeest their home, or at least their dining table.

Wattled Starlings

I love to watch them as they try to stay upright while the wildebeest is walking, often with very comical results. The birds, I mean, not Malisa and David.

Cattle Egret

Secretary Bird

Long Crested Eagle

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Yellow Necked Spurfowl

Singing his little heart out!

African Hoopoe

Pale Tawny Eagle

Dark Tawny Eagle

We hang around for ages waiting for this eagle to fly. Well worth the wait!

African Hoopoe

We see two more hoopoe on the road – it is a bird we rarely see, let alone in any great numbers, but this morning alone they have been around in double figures.

Augur Buzzard

It is time for us to stop for a picnic breakfast and me to finish this blog entry. Stay tuned for more.

This safari was arranged by Calabash Adventures, the best safari company by far!

The day does not start well. I have a dreadful night, wheezing and squeaking, and constantly waking up in a panic thinking I can't breathe. This is too much like our trip here in 2017, when I was suffering from pneumonia, and I feel very concerned this morning.

Trying to get out of bed, I drop my mobile phone on the floor, and it lands on the charging lead, which promptly bends. Thankfully I always carry a spare, but when I get that out of my bag, I discover that I have picked up a wrong cable and it doesn't fit! Doh!

Finally making it to the bathroom, I find the toilet full of excrement and blocked. In his sleepy state, David flushed the toilet during his night time visit, but didn't hang around to ensure the flush worked – which obviously it hadn't.

Bleary eyed, I look in the mirror. Last night as I got back to the room, my lips felt sore, and this morning I wake up to a large blister on my bottom lip. I suffer from photo-sensitive dermatitis, and am quite freaked out by this – last time I sun-burnt my lips, I ended up with a secondary infection and three lots of antibiotics. I do not want a repeat of that, so I cover the blister with a couple of Compeed cold sore plasters. They are great for helping to heal cold sores as well as keeping dust out of the wounds and make the sores almost invisible.

As we open the front door, we see that the safari has come to us this morning, in the form of a herd of impala right outside the room.

We have the last room in a row of 12, so we look out onto the bush. I do love this place.

As we walk to the restaurant, we also see some birds along the path. I particularly requested to stay here at Ndutu Lodge for this safari, partly because the grounds usually attract a number of feathered friends to its lovely bird bath near the restaurant. Unfortunately, as a result of the recent heavy rains, the bird bath is completely overgrown and even if there were birds in it you wouldn't be able to see them!

Superb Starling

Fischer's Lovebird

I'm sure there's a bird bath in there somewhere!

With Malisa getting back so late last night from his adventures stuck in the mud, we suggested he slept in this morning. We are therefore having breakfast in the lodge before heading out today – an absolute rarity for us.

We finally leave around 08:00 to “see what nature has to offer us today” as Malisa likes to say.

Red Necked Spurfowl

Elephant

We notice that this guy only has one short tusk. Not sure what happened but he could have damaged them while trying to bring down a tree.

We thought we were in trouble yesterday getting stuck, but this water tanker really is well and truly bogged down. It will take quite some effort to get that out again!

Hippo

It is unusual – and always exciting – to see hippo out of the water. This guy is going for a little stroll in the shallows.

It looks like he is going for a roll!

Ruff

Red Bishop

The Great Migration

The annual movement of wildebeest and other grazing herbivores across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world.

Today we watch the wildebeest – and a few zebra - running and jumping, then turning back the way they came from, fickle creatures that they are.

A few zebra join them

Maternity Ward

We head for the lakeside where a lot of expectant mothers are gathered, plus a few with newborn babies. Again we are hoping to witness a birth.

Looking at the way this young lady is lying down and the shape of her rear, we feel sure she is going to drop a baby any minute, and we spend the next fifteen minutes or so watching her stand up, sit down, walk a few steps, then sit down again. Is she going to give birth?

No such luck. We do see a number discarded placentas around though, but we seem to be either too early or too late to witness the birth itself. We do see a couple of wildebeest sparring, however.

Crowned Lapwing

A pair of Lilac Breasted Rollers

The wildebeest all start moving en masse towards the water, and soon they are crossing the shallow lake, one by one in a single file.

First it is just adults, then the odd youngster appears too.

There is a gap in proceedings, which the zebras take advantage of. They are much more nervous than the wildebeest.

The second wave of wildebeest cross in a slightly different place, where the water is considerably deeper. There is a lot of jumping and splashing going on.

We worry for the youngsters, as they can barely hold their heads above water.

We move along the shore a little to get a different view of the animals as they cross.

As soon as we see this little baby set off across the lake, we hold our breath – the water is way too deep for him.

Thankfully mum realises the dangers and turns around.

Flamingos

More and more birds arrive at the lake.

It's a miracle that they don't collide when they land!

It looks like we missed a birth over at the Maternity Ward – this baby is just a few minutes old, and mum still has the afterbirth attached.

And a slightly older one – maybe one or two days.

He still doesn't look too steady on his feet.

Another new-born, still wet with and the afterbirth still attached to the mother.

We move on to have out picnic breakfast and to see what else nature has to offer us. Stay tuned.

Thank you Calabash Adventures for arranging this amazing safari for us.