Johan and Annica Van Rensburg

Peculiar Serengeti Lions

November 17, 2019November 17, 2019
by Annica

The Great Migration of Serengeti

We planned our visit to witness the great migration – it was March 2011.

It was in the middle of calving season, but rains were late. Serengeti was gripped with a severe drought. There was only one, muddy drinking spot for kilometres around, and all the animals were forced to pass through it.

The heat of the day started slowly to subside. We thought to make a last drive-around before heading back to the camp but found four lionesses. They were positioned a few hundred meters from the waterhole, and fast asleep. Or so they seemed to be.

We anticipated an action,

seeing it was the only waterhole in the area. After positioning ourselves closeby, we waited patiently. There was a possibility that nothing will happen, but we were prepared to take the chance that something could unfold. In nature, there is always that venture of luck, chance, intuition, and ‘reading’ the situation. We waited, getting crisp in the sun, while other tourist vehicles came and went.

There was a slight flicking of the ear … it could have been the chacing off a fly. But then the dominant female’s ear flicked again, she peeked with one eye but remained motionless. Soon after that, we noticed on the horizon a herd of wildebeest approaching the waterhole. They must have sensed the lions and suddenly stopped. We waited. After a while, because of their thirst, they threw caution to the wind and approached the water.

Like a flash, the lionesses perked up.

The chase was on!

Before we even realized, with blistering speed, the dominant lioness was amongst the herd. While running, with one mighty smack of her paw, she sent the newborn calf flying; then jumped onto the mother. The lioness brought the wildebeest down with a firm grip on her throat.

We watched the kill nearby with mixed emotions of sorrow, anguish and yet also adrenaline rush that did not allow us to put down our cameras.

But what we witnessed next was even more surprising.

The lioness moved to start sucking on the lactating udder of the killed female wildebeest.
The milk was visibly flowing over the flank and hindquarters as she was drinking and nibbling.
When finished drinking, she left the wildebeest uneaten and went to the dead calf to feast on it.

Meanwhile, the other three lionesses kept on hunting and brought down two additional wildebeest.

Witnessing four kills in one pursuit, we left the sighting in awe but humbled.

Stories through the lens

Tweets from ‘Weaver Tree’

November 4, 2019November 5, 2019
by Annica

It’s the time of the year when new beginnings in nature are creating buzz.

I didn’t anticipate that observing Southern Masked Weaver birds colony on our Blouhaak (acacia erubescens) tree, would be fascinating to the extent of providing entertainment for me, not just for hours, but days. Southern Masked Weaver birds have earned the name from their nests that are intricately weaved from the grass blades. But it’s not that simple.
Building the flawless nest requires experience – practice, practice. And there is intense competition amongst the males with a race for time. The female will accept the nest she is satisfied with the craft.
While photographing the Weavers, I noticed some peculiar behaviours.

”The early bird catches the …?…”

– NO, not the worm! The early Weaver bird pinches building material from neighbours nest. Building the nest is hard work, requiring to fetch the grass blades, one by one, from a distance away. Hence occasionally grass is taken from other Weavers half-built nest.
Nest building can take anything from two to four days, depending on interruptions. While building, the males spend a lot of energy chasing each other away – supposing they are protecting their own interest: females. (the less competition, the better). But the females also give a ‘fly around’ to the males.
This chap on the photo, was trying hard to build, but every time he turned his back to fetch grass, a female flew in and fiercely destroyed his nest. He looked devastated (I imagine), but he was not giving up and started to fix his nest again. But that female objected and came back to destroy his nest again. This Weaver male had to start all over again to repair and build his nest.
As the sunset, the ‘Weaver tree’ got quiet.

It’s tough competition and not every nest will pass the test.

The next day, I was hoping to see what happens with the Weaver chap whos nest the female prevented him from building. He was persistent and continued to build his nest, despite the female destroying his nest at least ten times. Eventually, the male gave up and abandoned the site. Kind of sad. I hope that he had better luck with different Weaver-neighbourhood.
One male can build multiple nests in one season.
Meanwhile, more and more nests are appearing on our tree, and happy males are ‘tweeting’ as females are coming to inspect them. Not every nest will pass the competition. Once when the female has chosen the suitable nest, she will help the male to finish it. Or rather interior decorate it, as she brings soft leaves and grass tufts to line the inside of the nest.
Then the mating starts, and I will be waiting for the little beaks to appear in the nests.

The ‘Weaver Tree’ got quiet. Too quiet.

And then we witnessed the reason: A Gabar Goshawk dived in, ripping and shredding the nests, then snatched a chick and flew away. The Gabar Goshawk came back for more and more.
Out of 38 nests, only about 15 was occupied, and out of those 15, probably only a few chicks made it.
Although one suppose to remain the neutral observer in nature, I felt devastated – I had watched them days. I followed the laborious process of nest building, the interactions, the joy … they were ‘our’ Weavers! Well, it felt like it.
But the Goshawk had its own ‘tweets’ to feed.

The remaining chicks stretched their wings and went to explore.

The nest dried; swaying on the branches – in the sun, rain and wind until some Weavers returned to destroy what was left.

And it will repeat again as the seasons make their rounds — year after year.

Stories through the lens

The Great Migration

August 12, 2019August 17, 2019
by Annica

THE GREAT CIRCLE
The migration never stops until …

Witnessing the migration from A-2-B or the mass river crossings might seem like a chaotic frenzy at first.
It is estimated at 1.4 million Wildebeest and 200 000 Zebras, migrating from Masai Mara in Kenya to Serengeti in Tanzania throughout the year, following the rains.

Large herd, seemingly 400 or more, gathering on the bank of the Mara river, you could hear the ‘gnu’s and rustle as they move toward the crossing. However, none of us knew when it might happen, not even Wildebeest themselves. We gripped our camera in anticipation, ready for action and … nothing happens, – they turn back again.
This anticipation could last for hours and hours, building up an incredible power of energy in the air amongst the trampling of the hooves and low humming of ‘gnu’s.

We waited for four hours under the heat of the dust and baking sun,
but as any photographer knows, patience pays off.
It happened so quickly, without warning, when suddenly one brave Wildebeest decided to take the Superman-style leap and rest of the desperate, adrenaline-fueled herd followed to cross the river. The hustle, splashes, even louder calls of ‘Gnu’s’ and suddenly appearing Crocodiles for their share. We tried to capture the moments with our cameras, but mainly It was an experience hard to be able to describe.

It is a fascinating circle of life that I hope is here to stay uninterrupted by human hand for generations to experience this spectacular wonder of nature.

East Africa’s migratory wildebeest are currently found in five ecosystems
Serengeti-Mara –
Greater Amboseli –
Mara-Loita –
Athi-Kaputiei –
Tarangire-Manyara –
Four of five migrations are critically threatened and on the verge of collapse.

Migratory wildebeest populations in East Africa decline with an alarming rate.

As often the case, the main drivers behind many critical wildlife and nature challenges are human population increase and with this appear numerous other human-wildlife conflicts.
The leading causes of the decrease in numbers of migratory wildlife in East Africa are the expansion of agriculture, settlements, urban development and with its roads and infrastructures.
Contributing to the problem is the failure of government wildlife policies, badly planned agricultural expansions and lack of law enforcement for illegal hunting.

Wildebeest migrations in East Africa are facing extinction if humans act too late.

Photography by Love Nature Phix – Johan and Annica Van Rensburg