Crossings, new hyraxes and baby ostrich...it's all happening

The Northern Serengeti is one of the only places we know which gets rain throughout the year.  It is a beautiful time to be at Lamai with emerald green grass and the endless herds of wildebeest, as well as giraffe, zebras and impalas, all foraging happily in front of camp.

Every morning commences with the sun shining brightly before the clouds slowly build up throughout the day and the evenings bring the dark storm clouds.  The distant thunder becomes louder and louder, until finally the pitter patter of rain drops can be heard falling on the roof, followed by the wonderful aroma of rain hitting the hot earth.  Soon the small drops turn into larger ones and in no time, the pathways and streams are filled with fresh rain water.

There have been so many adventures and sightings over the last few weeks but a couple of very special ones cannot go ignored. 

Firstly, for those of you who have visited Lamai recently, you would have seen our lovely pair ofostrichs who have been sitting on a nest for nearly two months now.  When we first saw the nest there were 18 eggs, but unfortunately the jackals have kept a very close eye on them and by the time they hatched, only 5 of them made it. We have not managed to get photos of the new chicks yet as the mother and father ostrich keep them well protected away from vehicles and predators.

We are also very excited to announce the arrival of our baby hyraxs (or dassies).  Firstly, twins wereborn close to Room 10 and now, a few weeks later, there are eight more babies, living under the guides’ tent.  They are adorable, each resembling a rather tubby bundle of cotton wool!

Grunts, snorts and croaks from wildebeest and zebra can be heard all day long at Lamai.  We sometimes have to smile at these strange sounds - they talk to each other non-stop and we wonder what they could possibly have to say to each other! 

The lions, hyena and vultures have been having a field day with all the food around and if you think the days are loud with vocal choruses, then just wait until night-time!  When the lions roar and the hyena giggle and whoop, it seems to open up the stage for a whole new enchanting theatrical production.

The wildebeest are everywhere, even spread across the airstrip and pilots often have to do a fly-by first to chase them off before landing! Isn’t that a great story to take home with you! 

Yesterday the crossings began again but this time they seem to be travelling north again, back to the Lamai wedge and the Masaai Mara in Kenya .

There have been some incredible crossings and these photos show only a couple of them.  Unfortunately, many wildebeest this year have not been lucky and have either fallen victim to the crocodiles in the Mara River or the lions on the nearby plains.  However, the sheer capacity of the herds which remain behind is an astounding sight which one cannot imagine possible and photos, videos and words could never explain or capture the sheer number of them.