The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 3

We started off with a female leopard first thing in the morning – which is never a bad way to start the day, but the real highlight was our first crossings of the safari.  After a day and half of build up and anticipation, the wildebeest and zebras took the plunge and crossed the mighty Mara River.  There was the usual mix of panic, chaos and crocodiles, which all made for some fantastic photography!  A clan of 7 hyaenas also popped up for a late afternoon photo shoot, as well as 5 ground hornbills and 2 very playful baby giraffes.

Major sightings of the day:

  • Leopard
  • Hippo
  • Several crossings of wildebeest and zebra
  • Crocodiles
  • Elephants
  • 7 hyaenas
  • Buffalo
  • Ground hornbills
  • Baby giraffe

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari – A little teaser

Having recently come back from Kenya, and having witnessed the most incredible wildlife spectacle first hand, I thought it was only fair to share with you some of the madness!

I will be leading The Great Migration Safari again next year, and am already looking forward to getting back amongst the tens of thousands of wildebeest as they gather on the banks of the Mara River waiting to cross, as well as all the predators that roam those beautiful, wide open plains.  The photographic opportunities are endless, as animals seem to constantly fill the viewfinder of your camera.  It really isn’t fair that one place on earth can have so many animals, with so much diversity!  It is a photographic safari like no other.

It does all come down to the famous crossing of the Mara River though. There is something about that experience which is quite difficult to explain – you can watch it on TV a hundred times, but you will never get the level of panic at each crossing.  The wildebeest herd is extremely sensitive, which seems odd given that they are not the sharpest animals around, and even the slightest disturbance will turn the mega herd around, delaying the crossings.  They seem to do their best not to cross, but the overwhelming instinctive drive eventually pushes them to do it. The tension that emulates from the herd is palpable, as they pluck up the courage to start the crossing.  Eventually, one brave/stupid/pushed wildebeest makes the leap of faith, and is rapidly followed but the rest of the herd.  The tension climbs to a maximum in seconds as literally tens of thousands of wildebeest and a few hundred zebra hustle to get across the most daunting challenge that faces them on their yearly migration.  Add a crocodile to the mix, and the panic reaches melting point.  The wildebeest do their best, but many succumb to the strong current, and even stronger crocodiles.  The only way to truly understand what happens each year, and what has happened for millions of years, is to experience it.

Have a look at the little teaser I have posted for you, which should whet your appetite!  If you would like to join me on next year’s safari, click here!

See you soon on Safari!

Kurt Jay Bertels

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 6

Another magic day!  An early morning leopard started us off, plenty of crossings (with 2 crocodile kills adding to the  chaos), and a fantastic experience in a hot air balloon, which gave us a great new perspective over the Masai Mara.  Some new species of antelope for the Safari didn’t hurt either…

Major sightings of the day:

  • Several crossings, with 2 crocodile kills
  • Herds of elephants
  • 2 lion sightings, including the huge pride of 19 lions
  • Leopard
  • Large herds of buffalo
  • Defassa waterbuck
  • Giraffe

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 4

What a day!  The magic started two minutes into the drive, when we had a surprise wildebeest crossing at a different river to the usual Mara River.  Upward of 10,000 wildebeest made the early morning crossing, exiting the tight river crossing mere meters away from where we were photographing the action.  We had a good sessions with a cheetah and two cubs, loads of elephants and an excess of the Mara’s antelope – we even spotted our first leopard of the safari.

Major sightings of the day:

  • 2 Wildebeest crossings (the largest crossing with over 10,000 wildebeest)
  • Cheetah and  2 cubs
  • Male cheetah
  • Elephant
  • Leopard cub (around 6 months)
  • Herds of zebra
  • Bat-eared foxes
  • Warthogs and piglets

The Great Migration Safari 2012: Day 3

After all the crossing madness yesterday, we were hoping for some more action, but the wildebeest had other ideas. Three different lion sightings picked the day up, including a double kill (2 lioness’ each caught an adult zebra in one go).  A parade of the usual suspects kept the cameras clicking all through the day, and the massive rain clouds that were building provided a perfect background for some awesome images!

Major sightings of the day:

  • 3 prides of lions, 1 with 2 zebra kills
  • Many pods of hippos with babies
  • Very large crocodiles
  • Kirks Dik-Dik
  • Topi Antelope
  • Zebra
  • Eland
  • Gathering herds of wildebeest
  • Warthogs with very small piglets
  • Secretary birds