Kenya (Amboseli, Ol pejeta, Naivasha, Mara) - Sept/11 to Sept/20, 2017

[amybatt]

@Gilgamesh do you happen to know which leopard that was?  What a beauty but I feel like she doesn't have the cock-sure presence of the lovely Fig.

[Gilgamesh]

Day 9 (Porini Lion) Evening Drive cont'd

 

We had just finished enjoying our sundowner by the sight of the mother Leopard. We were about to call it a night when Meshack saw her son on a tree not too far away. This juvenile male was actually with a kill. Something else I've wanted to see.

 

He was just a few feet away from mom...what a sight!...but of course it's pitch dark now....I was able to get some of the first images with natural light (I think) and then Meshack had to pull out the IR light.

 

He tried to lift the prey higher

 

But, it kept sliding down...

 

It was getting darker and darker, and the Jackals were howling...I was using iso 16,000 at f4 to shoot the images, the shutter speed kept coming down and down...the above image was shot at 1/100....what does these data mean?, the alert reader will know what's coming next...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yup! A Lioness didn't just climb a tree to get at a prey left by a Leopard, it climbed while the Leopard was still there...I was told this is very rare and the above image is what I've been calling the rare/surprise image. Like I said previously, this image was taken at 250mm, f4, ISO 16,000 at a mere 1/30 shutter speed.

 

I am curious whether anyone has witnessed this?

 

She backed out though

 

Now, lets track back a little bit...

 

We were watching the Leopard with it's prey up in the tree and Meshack saw the glowing eyes of lions in the dark...the Jackal's howling had attracted them...four lionesses started to swarm around the tree

 

The Leopard was very anxious and was scanning the ground...

 

The tree was tall

 

But, one Lioness attempted the unthinkable...

 

 

 

The Leopard was growling at the Lion

 

The Lioness growled back...it was awesome! ...the sound, deafening!!

 

Inching ever so closer

 

And that one final push which made the image of the trip for me...once again

 

 

Once she quits and got down to the ground, they were still eyeing the Leopard up above.

 

He kept a constant vigil

 

We left him there with the lions as it was after 7:30pm by now...on the way we saw another creature I've been hoping to see

 

Bushbaby (Galago)

 

That brought an end to the most memorable single day of vacation we've ever had. Meshack was a big part of it and I will be sending him full resolution images of any image he wants from this day as a thank you.

 

Believe it or not, even the short morning drive on day 10 was amazing....that's next!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[amybatt]

Ok, now, this is amazing.  I say this only half in jest (I think), don't go on another safari.  You will never, ever get this combination of notable sightings, I just can't believe anyone else would ever be able to conjure all this up in one trip!  This just seems too much to behold/believe!!  I think what strikes me most is that young male leopard really held his own against the lion.  If you do go on safari again, please take me with you.  You apparently are the lucky penny, four leaf clover, rabbit's foot and holy water of safari sightings.

[AKR1]

Amazing sighting. I have seen something similar with a cheetah and a lion where the lion was much more aggressive and the cheetah ran for its life. But never witnessed a leopard holding its own up a tree with an approaching climbing lion. This would not happen on the ground as a leopard would not tackle an adult lioness stealing its kill or at least I have not seen it. Perhaps the leopard really was trapped as it was too high to jump to the ground. Leopards are much heavier than cheetahs. Bottom line the leopard was lucky. If there were multiple lions it was likely toast. 

Edited October 5, 2017 by AKR1

[AmyT]

That was certainly worth waiting for!  Simply amazing!!

[Gilgamesh]

1 hour ago, amybatt said:

@Gilgamesh do you happen to know which leopard that was?  What a beauty but I feel like she doesn't have the cock-sure presence of the lovely Fig.

 

No I don't know her name, I only know she has a son who is beginning to go solitary.

[Gilgamesh]

1 hour ago, amybatt said:

Ok, now, this is amazing.  I say this only half in jest (I think), don't go on another safari.  You will never, ever get this combination of notable sightings, I just can't believe anyone else would ever be able to conjure all this up in one trip!  This just seems too much to behold/believe!!  I think what strikes me most is that young male leopard really held his own against the lion.  If you do go on safari again, please take me with you.  You apparently are the lucky penny, four leaf clover, rabbit's foot and holy water of safari sightings.

 

I can't believe the luck we had either...I will be telling my wife what I wished to see and literally the next day we"ll see it...it was unreal.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[Gilgamesh]

37 minutes ago, AKR1 said:

Amazing sighting. I have seen something similar with a cheetah and a lion where the lion was much more aggressive and the cheetah ran for its life. But never witnessed a leopard holding its own up a tree with an approaching climbing lion. This would not happen on the ground as a leopard would not tackle an adult lioness stealing its kill or at least I have not seen it. Perhaps the leopard really was trapped as it was too high to jump to the ground. Leopards are much heavier than cheetahs. Bottom line the leopard was lucky. If there were multiplayer or lions it was likely toast. 

 

There were four lionesses on the ground. We went there the next morning and did not find the Leopard but the prey was still up on the tree...so this Leopard stood its ground and made the lionesses chicken out...may be too young to know better.

[bettel]

Wow, that is an outstanding safari and it makes my heart beat faster as I should be there in a month (if everything is OK with election re-run) and hopefully Meshack will be my guide again. Thanks a lot for posting! 

[Alexander33]

Whoops!  I thought the report was over with the cheetah hunt! 

 

Wow, there was a lot more to come. Amazing lion/cheetah sequence. Okay, keep it coming.....

[Gilgamesh]

Day 10 - Our Final game drive (Porini Lion camp)

 

Jackson was the main guide today. It was still dark and we saw this pride of lions on the move. High iso images

 

We went to see Fig, she was sleeping.

 

We haven't seen lion cubs on a carcass yet, so fixed that next

 

Then this little brat walked towards it's mother

 

and then

 

and the winner is...

 

Then they soon left the area

 

Hey! but we haven't seen you drag a carcass yet???...another lioness came and showed how that's done

 

It's hard work

 

Then on our way we realized I never got that Cheetah shot with nothing on the background...The Cheetah sisters obliged with a few incredible poses...

 

On our way to the airport I took these shots to show how open many of the Porini vehicles are...some have solid roof though. Look at that skyline!

 

At the airport

 

The gang of two waiting at the Mara airport.

 

And this most amazing trip of our lifetime came to an end...taken from the plane looking down on our vehicle

 

I will be posting my thoughts, recommendation, advice etc. on the next post.

 

Thank you!

 

"Africa!!!...There is no substitute"

<I am a life long, die hard Porsche fan. There's no higher compliment...none!!!>

 

Edited October 6, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[AKR1]

Excellent ending. You certainly had a fabulous first safari. I have said it before and repeat here: for all it’s problems of overcrowding, mismanagement, corruption etc  and having to endure the safari elite’s snob comments on the Mara not being real wilderness, it never fails to deliver. Kenya in general, and the Mara in particular,  were where modern safari originated.  I for one, during the right season and clearly staying at the “right” camps/locations, love to keep going back. 

[Tulips]

Wow @Gilgamesh your safari was certainly very successful.  Absolutely spectacular photos!

[plambers]

I cannot believe everything you saw! so jelly!

 

[offshorebirder]

Great safari @Gilgamesh!   Thanks for the enjoyable and informative trip report.

 

Thanks also for including the detailed photos of the Porini Lion vehicles.  Very sharp!

 

Question for you:  are those fold-down padded photography trays?  That's what I gather from 2nd and 3rd vehicle photos     If so, I am impressed!

 

 

[offshorebirder]

@pault - I saved you the trouble of asking.  :-)

[Peter Connan]

What a magnificent trip report. The sightings you had were incredible, the writing both informative and entertaining. The photography is great. The way you managed to keep the racing cheetahs in the frame is deeply impressive (I know how difficult it is, I failed spectacularly), the landscapes are breathtaking and I really love what you did with the curios!

 

Thank you.

[JakeGC]

10 hours ago, offshorebirder said:

Great safari @Gilgamesh!   Thanks for the enjoyable and informative trip report.

 

Thanks also for including the detailed photos of the Porini Lion vehicles.  Very sharp!

 

Question for you:  are those fold-down padded photography trays?  That's what I gather from 2nd and 3rd vehicle photos     If so, I am impressed!

 

 

For @offshorebirder : Yes, as mentioned previously, we have now fitted the folding shelves on most of our open-sided Toyota Landcruisers.

[mtanenbaum]

Your photos are amazing! I can't believe this is your first safari...your photos would make me guess that you're a very experienced wildlife photographer! Thanks for sharing with all of us. I will be going to the Mara in January for 4 nights after a trip to Uganda, and hope I am as lucky with my sightings as you were.

[Alexander33]

So glad you got your cheetah shots to end the safari.  A wonderful finale. Great report. Thank you for sharing this with us. 

[penolva]

Excellent shots of some great action. I love the look the cheetah gives the mother warthog as it chases the cheetah away. We also saw the 5 cheetah on our recent trip, such beautiful animals. Pen

[Gilgamesh]

On 10/5/2017 at 10:19 PM, AKR1 said:

Excellent ending. You certainly had a fabulous first safari. I have said it before and repeat here: for all it’s problems of overcrowding, mismanagement, corruption etc  and having to endure the safari elite’s snob comments on the Mara not being real wilderness, it never fails to deliver. Kenya in general, and the Mara in particular,  were where modern safari originated.  I for one, during the right season and clearly staying at the “right” camps/locations, love to keep going back. 

 

Thank you!

 

We love the Mara, especially the conservancy. IMO, the only way I will go there again.

 

That last photo is the Mara airport ...the tree is the checking counter. That row of white rocks demarcates the vehicle area from the aircraft area...overcrowded???? ... I guess it's all relative. I'll take these types of overcrowding anywhere.

 

Next time, I will spend a few nights in the Mara conservancy and visit Tanazani. Jake said they are developing a new combined itinreary. This is the tentative plan he had sent us - 

"We are developing a new itinerary in Tanzania as an “add-on” of 5 or 6 days to a safari to the Porini Camps in Kenya, taking in Serengeti 2 nights, Lake Manyara and Ngororongoro 1 night and Tarangire 2 nights. We will be flying guests from the Mara to Serengeti and then by air to Manyara for Ngorongoro then by road to Tarangire and on to Nairobi by air."

Sounds ideal to me.

 

Kenya was synonymous with safari to me. My research started and ended there. I will recommend it for anyone wanting a first safari...a fabulous country.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[Gilgamesh]

On 10/6/2017 at 1:23 PM, Tulips said:

Wow @Gilgamesh your safari was certainly very successful.  Absolutely spectacular photos!

 

Thank you very much

On 10/6/2017 at 2:07 PM, plambers said:

I cannot believe everything you saw! so jelly!

 

We were very lucky...thank you!

Edited October 10, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[Gilgamesh]

On 10/7/2017 at 7:40 AM, offshorebirder said:

Great safari @Gilgamesh!   Thanks for the enjoyable and informative trip report.

 

Thanks also for including the detailed photos of the Porini Lion vehicles.  Very sharp!

 

Question for you:  are those fold-down padded photography trays?  That's what I gather from 2nd and 3rd vehicle photos     If so, I am impressed!

 

 

 

Jake, the owner has already responded. Yes! On that vehicle they are. I don't think our vehicles for game drives with the closed roof had them...anyhow, I didn't look for it.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Gilgamesh

[Gilgamesh]

On 10/7/2017 at 10:18 AM, Peter Connan said:

What a magnificent trip report. The sightings you had were incredible, the writing both informative and entertaining. The photography is great. The way you managed to keep the racing cheetahs in the frame is deeply impressive (I know how difficult it is, I failed spectacularly), the landscapes are breathtaking and I really love what you did with the curios!

 

Thank you.

 

Peter,

 

Thank you so much for the kind reply. I am so glad you liked it so much. You are very welcome.