Bush Talk – Nigel Perks

 

2010 – Serengeti and Salai

Hard to believe that we are already half way through the year and again there have been so many excitements so thought I’d share few of the highlights. Read more

 

2009 – Photography Competition

After receiving many wonderful images for our photographic competition we have finally found our winners. It certainly was a difficult task picking the best of the best, but with the help of one of the world's best photographic teams, a decision has been made. Congratulations to all the winners. Read more

 

November 2008 – Ash and Aardvarks

2008 turned out to be the year with the event that I had been waiting to experience for 20 years – the eruption of Oldonyo Lengai – the Maasai Mountain of god.

I've always had a passion for volcanoes and Lengai, sitting over looking the Salai plains on the eastern side of the Serengeti Ecosystem has always held a fascination. It''s the youngest volcano in the Ngorongoro Crater highland system and is a living part of a fascinating geological history of the area. Read more

 

May 2007 – Odd behaviour

In complete contrast to the last few years we had rain that has not been seen since the last El Niño in 1998. Often very dramatic storms only lasting an hour but dropping over 100mm of rain.

 

The plains turned a vivid green and became full of life in all shapes and sizes. The gnus and zebras were spoilt for choice of grazing and spread out across the Serengeti. Read more

 

March 2006 – Endless Kills

What a dramatic year it has been so far! Christmas and the New Year passed with a just a few drops of rain. The Gnus and Zebra were in constant confusion as to where they should be migrating? Large numbers ended up at big marsh around Ndutu which had one of the last remaining water supplies in the southern Serengeti. This, of course, attached all the predators including a pride of Lion with 10 cubs of various sizes. The Marsh became a killing field with non-stop action daily. I've never had such short distances to drive to see such spectacular action. Read more

 

March 2005 – Cheetah Galore

With a lower than average rainfall in January and February the plains have been hot and dry, which has meant some unbelievable concentrations of predators along the water courses. One morning we sat near three trees (Ndutu) and were completely spoilt for choice. As we watched a male cheetah mating we spotted 2 other males killing a yearling wildebeest. This is a large kill for cheetah and amazingly we watched them consume vast amounts of meat without being disturbed. Read more

 

December 2004 – Cow Bells and Rain

The green season is in full swing and again we have all had some fantastic encounters in the bush.

The rains have been pretty variable this year, but produced some unusual situations. The Ol Karien Gorge in the eastern part oaf the Gol Mountains remained very dry so became totally dependant on the underground water always available up the gorge. We were able to witness scenes going back 100's of years as thousands of cattle trudged up past massive rock cliffs under the watchful eye of the Maasai warriors to the traditional dry season wells dug deep into the sand. Read more