NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA . . . News!
Large numbers of the butterfly
family pierdidae, both the common white and yellow or
the orange tipped wings, now emerge in clouds to attend their cycle of four
different stages. The egg, the larva, the pupa
and then the imago, or the adult,
which in turn delights us all.
Terrapins burrow into the ground
and stay hidden from sight for the long dry season.
As soon as a pool or depression fills with water,
it seemingly also fills with terrapins at the same time. Of course they too
emerge to a busy but short season of feeding and mating. Hippos
and hippo prints have been seen in the most surprising places
in the last few days and they are obviously using the wet conditions to explore
different areas.
It is time again for giraffe
to have their calves and gather
them together into crèches,
where they spend most of the day under the close supervision of several
females. The calves follow the progress of visitor's cars or walking safaris
with huge, liquid eyes, impossibly
beautiful and yet another perfect excuse for more photographs.
Yes it is raining in Ngorongoro
and as with the hippos, it is not a problem for the visitor to explore
new areas, in fact it is the best time!
Binoculars are a must on safari.
Photographs help tell a tale when at home. One's
memory captures all the treasured moments to enjoy at will
and Ngorongoro supplies everything else you need.
The wildebeest migration
is back on the short grass plains of the southern parts of Ngorongoro Conservation
Area!!!
Vast herds of gnu are simply dwarfing
the considerable zebra numbers also present.
The 8,300sq kms of Ngorongoro
is vibrantly reacting to the eagerly awaited rains. This year they are
a little late and so far somewhat patchy. But with huge blue
- black clouds tumbling over the
Rift Valley escarpment
to the east and rolling over the parched plains, the promise of a good
season is there for all to see.
Certainly the gnu see it, as they
are all pouring east blending with
the heavy skies.
The light at this time of year
is the best, the best for photography
and the best for memories. Never
ending skies, changing from minute to minute, hour to hour and day to day.
It is the time of year to choose your acacia,
take out your picnic breakfast
and watch the drama unfold.
Gnu calves are now old enough to
race through the early morning dew laden grasses
and still re-find their mothers. Flowers
are coming out and carpets of Cycnium
tubulosum and Berkheya spekeana mingle with the newly flowering,
deep purple of the cordifolia.
A sea of white, yellow and purple
highlighted against the also colourful sky. Lion,
cheetah, jackal and other fascinating predator viewing are
done at the moment, with this spectacular backdrop of a variety of flowers.
Dung beetles, members
of the scarab family, weave their busy
way amongst the droppings, firmly digging them into the earth, recycling
the important nutrients within.
Hatches of termites herald the beginning
of the rains. Unusual sights of feeding frenzies of
small predators and birds of all kinds and sizes, feeding side
by side, have been reported this year. Termite hills,
often used by cheetahs and other animals
as lookout perches, hide the complex and hidden underground world of the termite.
Damage to these hills is repaired immediately as the inside temperature is
highly regulated and essential to exact levels of humidity, which in turn
are necessary for the growth of a special fungus.
April 2003
