Rekero Kidogo Late Season Newsflash – 28^th October 2006

In the past week there have been some new visitors to the OOC - a female cheetah and no less than 6 cubs – all of whom are only a few weeks old ! As mentioned in the Rekero Camp newsletter this group were originally in an area of The Mara that was being closely monitored by Rangers in order to afford the animals some privacy. However, they have now moved out of that area and sightings by guides and guests at Rekero Kidogo have increased over the past few days. Naturally it is hoped that these cheetah cubs will thrive, but as many of you will be aware, the chance of all six surviving to maturity is unfortunately a slim prospect.

Suckling 6 cubs – a demanding job !

(photo by Rob Stowers)

In addition to these feline youngsters we have also been delighted to see that the local pride of lion have had their own batch of offspring. Three Lioness’s are currently based in a lugga behind the hill opposite camp. Up to 12 cubs have been seen on a number of occasions over the past week. The cubs themselves are only a few weeks old. Jackson and Rob watched them playing precariously close to a herd of Buffalo on Wednesday 25^th October 2006. Fortunately they were in sufficient cover for them to go unnoticed. The latest update is that a 4^th Lioness with 2 cubs a little older than the younger batch have also been sighted very close to camp.

Photo by Jackson Looseyia

We now move into November for a short break. We will follow up on the progress of these youngsters when we return in December.

Salaams

The Rekero Kidogo Team

Rekero Camp News Letter October 06

This season has yet again been very busy. Rekero Kidogo and Rekero Camp are still full even in this last week. The game viewing has been varied and interesting right up to the last – culminating on 22^nd October 2006 with the exciting news that 3 African Wild Dogs have been seen at Rekero Homes ! About 6pm in the evening Grace – who teaches computing for local youngsters – was called to the veranda of Acacia House when three were seen drinking at the water hole. We have known that Wild Dogs have been in the area of Rekero Homes throughout the year after a few sightings by Patrick, our community scout. Gerard and Rainee will be spending most of the off season at The Homes so they will be keeping an eye out for these elusive and interesting pack hunters.

African Wild Dog

Other Extracts from the last month’s game viewing :

17^th September 2006

Wildebeest in their thousands cross The Mara River, returning to The Paradise Plains next to Rekero Camp. Three Crocodile Kills are witnessed in a spectacular crossing that lasted for over an hour. Lions lying in wait decide to ignore the Wildebeest and instead make half hearted attempts to attack a number of Giraffe that guests were also lucky enough to see crossing the river.

30^th September 2006

Guests from California – Richard and Joyce Burns - decide on a late afternoon departure and are rewarded at 4:35pm when a few thousand Wildebeest cross through camp heading North to South over The Talek River. Vast swathes are seen disappearing over the horizon in the direction of the Rongai River.

1^st October 2006

Just as the sun is setting staff from the camp kitchen are temporarily distracted from their duties as a pair of Lions are seen mating only 50 metres from the Kitchen ! Seemingly unbothered by the audience they eventually lose interest in each other and wander off out of sight !

6^th October 2006

Dickson takes Honeymoon couple Iain and Alex Fry for a morning game drive and they are lucky enough to see a Cheetah with 6 cubs. This Cheetah had previously been in an area that had been cordoned off by Rangers to afford them some privacy at this vulnerable time. The Cheetahs decided it was now time to move on. At the time of writing this group has more or less taken up residence in the Olare Orok Conservancy very close to Rekero Kidogo. They are not the only youngsters in that area as a pride of Lions with no less than 12 cubs has been sighted regularly.

7^th October 2006

Nick and Lucy Wright and Simon and Jane Mobbs leave at 6am with Jimmy. They are rewarded for their early departure when not far out of camp they have an exclusive sighting of a male and female Leopard in the early morning sunlight. Nick manages to obtain some great video footage to show guests at pre-lunch drinks.

8^th October 2006

John Kaelo guides Ivor and Grainne Dunbar to the front row seats of a spectacular Lion Kill. After watching this they also sight a Black Rhino. This turns out to be the first of a spate of Rhino sightings very close to camp. Rhinos, on the whole, have always been sighted in the vicinity of Look Out Hill, quite a drive south of camp. To see them so close to camp is quite an exciting development.

Further great sightings this month include Serval and Caracal and more Rhinos – one of which spent the evening in and around Gerard and Rainee’s family camp.

Caracal

Gerard and Rainee’s son Charlie (now 19 months) has developed a keen interest for the abundant bird life around camp and now spends at least 20 minutes each morning studying the bird books – the guide school had better watch out for their youngest recruit yet !

We are all looking forward to a well earned period of rest in November – but this won’t last for long as there are plenty of developments that we’ll have news on in December. Watch this space…..

Salaams as Always

The Rekero Team

Rekero Camp Newsletter August 2006

31st July 06 - Guests The Grays from Atlanta arrive just in time for Tea…..
and a Wildebeest Crossing !

2nd August 06

7am – An early morning crossing takes place witnessed by Rob and one or two members of staff from camp along with guests – Britta Balogh and Moffatt and Pat Sanders. Their vantage point was from the other side as the ever-astute guide – Daniel Sopia had made it round in time after realising what was “on the cards”. Moments after Rob left the scene to go to the office a Lioness makes a kill in front of Daniel and his guests. A slightly unusual development follows whereby the Lioness decides to leave her quarry to the scavengers and crosses the river running off in a northerly direction !

3rd August 06

Jimmy takes his guest (a Rekero Camp regular) Butch Rice down to the “Main Crossing” along with Henry and his guests The Gray family. The group are not disappointed when they witness a huge Wildebeest crossing lasting for approximately 2 hours with 7 spectacular crocodile kills :

“Today we had the most amazing morning. Down at the main crossing at the Mara River there was an absolutely gigantic wildebeest crossing. There must have been tens of thousands of animals pouring across the river. And to top it all off the crocodiles were hard at work nabbing a meal and we saw seven kills. It was something I’m sure I’ve seen on a National Geographic film but now I was experiencing it in real life, truly a once in a lifetime experience. It was a fabulous end to a fabulous trip.”
-Alex Gray , Atlanta, GA

4th August 06

Quite an overcast morning and we’re left wondering what the day will have in store. True to form there’s an incident almost straight away. A lion is heard roaring from the breakfast table. Those present head in the direction of the “lunch tree”. In the distance about 100m away next to the Staff camp a young male lion is seen “Hot Footing” away with a bit of a “flea in his ear”. Then the character responsible appears only 30m away next to the river behind the “lunch tree”. A fully grown male lion made himself very visible to all (including all the staff from the kitchen who had come to watch). After another chorus of roars he marked his territory and wandered off towards a river side bush to settle in for a full days sleep ! There were also 4 other witnesses to this early morning spat – namely a small herd of Eland. It’s been great to see these often-skittish antelope establishing a temporary residence in and around camp.

10th August 06

Daniel (accompanied by Peter on a work placement from the Koyaki guiding school) has new guests The Warren family (more Rekero regulars) from England to impress – can he achieve his task ? He takes them out on an evening game drive and not long after setting off they are treated to a Cheetah kill.

11th August 06

On their morning game drive Daniel treats the Warren’s to a Lion killing a Wildebeest near “Double Crossing”.

It is later learnt that the “multi-skilled” Salaash has managed to find an Aardwolf (an extremely rare sight indeed) for his guests, a Honeymoon couple from Italy.

Daniel embarks on the evening game drive an witnesses yet another Cheetah kill. I think it could be safely said that Paul, Kirsty and Michael Warren were “impressed” !

Daniel Sopia

15th August 06

James Sengen’s guests Thomas and Mary Jo Nagy (Cleveland Ohio) are treated to seeing a Female Leopard and Cub near “Main Crossing” – a special sighting for them. Thomas and Mary Jo were nearing the end of a long trip that had taken in many sights including Gorillas in Uganda and a vast spectrum of wildlife in Tanzania. One of the things they hadn’t seen was a Leopard ! Not being satisfied with the one sighting James took them to a completely different area of The Mara and managed to find another Leopard – a slightly skittish one that was laid up in the long grass ready for an early evening hunt.

16th August 06

The Cavenagh family being guided by Dickson spot a Serval carrying a kitten. Mary Jo and Thomas are also lucky enough to witness this special sight.

Salaams from us all

The Rekero Team

Rekero Camp Migration Update 30/07/06

Spectacular wildlife viewing continues in camp as well as the surrounding area. In the last week there have been numerous crossings at various points along the Talek. All easily visible from the comfort of the lunch table. On 29th July there were at least 4 crossings back and forth. Two of the crossings were at least 20 minutes long. Only to be “spoilt” on two occasions by a lone lioness who kept appearing from the bushes on the north bank. Despite this the Wildebeest seemed keen to confirm their questionable intellect and crossed in exactly the same place minutes later ! Eventually the lioness concluded a successful hunting mission and killed a baby Zebra which had unfortunately been separated from it’s mother. One lucky client managed to capture the moment on video whilst sat having a “sundowner” !

Salaams

The Rekero Team

June/July 2006

Rekero Camp is now really busy with a full dinner table most evenings. As ever this incredible area continues to deliver some spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities. The diary extract from the last few weeks has so many surprises one would question it’s authenticity in other circumstances!

27th June

Approx. 7:30pm Gerard was taking the short drive from his family camp over to the guest’s side of the camp when he came across Bella the “Big Cat Diary” Leopard right in front of his vehicle. She then hung around the area until the next morning when she was seen running across the “car park”

at the back of the guest tents and then eventually watched by staff in camp to walk along the other side of the river in the direction of her main territory just above our camp.

29th June

Jimmy (also becoming known as “Chui” these days) took guests out onto Paradise Plain and saw a Leopard with a recent kill in a tree. The guests he was with (The Debarge Family) were lucky enough to see Bella the next day as well.

Cheetah at this stage are appearing rather elusive due to the vast swathes of extremely long grass.

A “strange” glow is witnessed on the Southern horizon in the night sky.

This is known to be the Serengeti park authorities burning the grass in the hope / belief that this will stimulate new grass growth. The reason behind this is to try and delay the Wildebeest migration, which will inevitably be arriving on our doorstep within weeks if not days.

1st July

On a trip up to Rekero Kidogo Gerard, Rainee and Rob witness a large herd of Elephant carefully making their way across an open plain in that area. They were instinctively shielding a very young baby.

A Bull Elephant has pretty much taken up residency in and around Kidogo, which is nice to see. Game is seen regularly from guest tents, including Giraffe.

A large number of animals have made a “mini” migration from the Loita hills.

This is providing a plentiful supply of prey for the large pride of Lion that have been seen in the immediate vicinity of Kidogo. This pride includes a number of young cubs.

2nd July

Fred and Rob made their way up to an area called “Double Crossing” which is between the two camps. 200 Vultures are seen devouring a Zebra carcass. It looked as though the Zebra actually died of natural causes.

3rd July

More “Front Runners” of the migration are seen on the horizon from Rekero Camp. This includes Wildebeest and Zebra.

4th July

The Debarge family are lucky enough to witness a crocodile kill a Zebra crossing the Mara River. The inevitable hyena appear and chase off the crocs in order to take the spoils for themselves.

5th July

6:15am – An amazing incident unfolds opposite Tent 5 on the banks of The Talek. Whilst enjoying their morning tea, guests : Rick and Tommy Lloyd and Sally Foxton are treated to a real spectacle. A lone Wildebeest is seen running over the plain towards the river “spinning” around and looking rather distressed. In hot pursuit a single Hyena is spotted, followed by another 11. They quickly manage to corner the target and subsequently start tucking in to an early breakfast. Eventually approximately 17 Hyena are feasting on the Wildebeest. Moments later a male Lion appears on the scene and chases off the Hyena. He then eats his fill.

Rick, Tommy and Sally are also lucky enough to spot a Rhino down by “Look out” hill later in the morning.

8th July

Jimmy and Rakita elected to take their guests over the Talek River to the Rongai area. Initially the evening drive is pleasant enough, but unfortunately slightly sparce in terms of wildlife. This is mainly due to the fact that the grass is extremely long and a bit too good for predators to hide out. Nevertheless it provides the opportunity to experience that wonderful feeling of being completely on your own in a vast unspoiled open expanse.

When heading back to camp a lone female cheetah is spotted. She acts slightly nervously, almost as if she were unused to vehicles. She spots a group of unattentive Thomson’s gazelle and commences hunting. Almost inevitably she’s spotted and there’s a sigh of disappointment from onlookers. Just when we think the “action” is over she turns her attention to Jimmy’s vehicle in front of her. She makes a beeline straight towards the car and hops up onto the bonnet! After surveying the surrounding area she carries on towards the river. Jimmy and Alan Binks (a visiting guide with guests – Annalie, Eloise, Russell and Maggie) then monitor the Cheetah’s movements from a respectful distance. This results in a further foray onto the bonnet of Alan’s vehicle. During which Jimmy’s attention is drawn to something 400m in front of his vehicle and very close to the Southern side of camp. It’s a Leopard. After watching the Cheetah for a further minute or so Jimmy made his way over to t he Leopard. It’s thought that this was “Chui” – son of Bella. He is observed prowling around the bushes for a few minutes, before “melting” away into the long grass. Just when it’s thought the evening’s activities are drawing to a close another Leopard is spotted in a tree overlooking Gerard and Rainee’s family camp. This one is slumped in the tree, very relaxed and without a care in the world.

9th July

8am – A Cheetah is seen crossing the river in camp. Jackson identifies some large male Lion tracks on the road leading into camp. It transpires that it is highly likely the Lion wandered past the camp fire late the previous evening.

1pm – The Cheetah is witnessed crossing the river the other way – most of the 16 guests present are lucky enough to see it.

4pm – A group of Impala are seen in a state of high alert below the horizon opposite the mess tent. Right before the eyes of everyone enjoying tea and chocolate brownies a Leopard sits up and slinks through the grass out of sight.

11th July

7:20 am – Leopard seen opposite the breakfast table on the other side of the river. 20 minutes later a family of 12 Elephant troop across the field single file – a really welcome sight whilst eating your cornflakes!

On 22nd June 2006 Rob Stowers joined the management team at Rekero. Rob was at University with Gerard where he studied Zoology and has been a regular visitor at Rekero over the last 13 years. Rob has a keen interest in photography and wildlife. For the last 10 years Rob has worked as a Police Officer in the Northumbria Police force in the North East of England. He has taken a three year career break to work with us.

“I was staying in the camp in January when Gerard asked me if I would be interested in the job. I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to miss. I am very lucky that my career and personal circumstances allow me to do this. My Swahili is improving day by day (or at least I think so !). I am also lucky enough that Gerard and Rainee are not throwing me in straight at the deep end. Fortunately I have got to know the majority of the staff over the years I have been visiting. This has really given me a great head start for working with them. I am very excited about what my future out here could hold and can’t wait until I am 100 % up to speed on all aspects of work in camp”

April 2006

The camp has been dismantled and packed away as this, the last newsletter of the season, is written. It’s been a busy and very successful year with really outstanding game viewing which was helped by nearly 9 inches of rain over the last few weeks.

There have been plenty of exciting events since last June: Henry, one of our mess waiters, was amongst the first graduates of the Koyaki Guide School, which as many of you will know was set up by Gerard’s father, Ron, this time last year with the objective of training Masai people to be professional guides. The graduation was the culmination of a lot of hard work and has been the realisation of a life-long dream, so well done Ron (and Henry) and good luck to the 2006 intake of students. Additional to Henry we are also employing Dixon Keretu from this years graduates and the Rekero Community Conservation Fund will be sponsoring a further six students for the coming intake.

Salaash, one of our other mess waiters, has just passed his Bronze Level Guiding exam and will soon be out with guests. Our existing guides also continue to learn and broaden their knowledge. In November last year we held a 6 day Wilderness First Aid Course, run by Rift Valley Adventures, for all the guides, management and a couple of guides from other camps. After much bandaging, fake blood, CPR and a long exam, we are now all qualified to deal with an emergency in the bush.

There has been research on hyenas, started by Michigan University going on in the Mara for the last 16 years. The day after the camp closed we had the ‘Hyena Girls’ (they do mostly seem to be female for some reason) come over to do a talk about their subject. We all learnt a huge amount and they also dispelled any myths about hermaphrodites we may have had. We feel it’s important that our guides have as broad a knowledge as possible.

Today is the inaugural computer lesson in the classroom we’ve built through our Conservation Fund at Rekero Homes, Gerard and Rainee’s base to the north of the Mara Game Reserve. Teachers from the local primary school will be having three-hour lessons every day for the next two weeks. Then the children from the same school will be introduced to computers, which will be invaluable in later life.

A new camp kitchen is under construction and we are in the process of designing a new Mess tent while we’re closed. Three of our guides are sitting their Silver guiding exam in April, so there’s a lot happening in the off season. We do hope to see some familiar faces back next season, and look forward to meeting new ones too.

Rekero Camp News, February 2006

People often ask what the best time of year is to come to the Mara, to which there is no simple answer; in June the plains are covered in tall red oat grass, rippling in the breeze. The wild flowers are in full bloom after the rains of April and May, birds have a feast of insects and the temperature is pleasant and fresh. Lions look hungry after a spell with little food; the wildbeest are yet to return from the Serengeti where they calf and they are also slightly more difficult to spot, but the reward is greater when one does.

The migration, from about July to September, which the Mara is famous for, is a spectacular time of year. We’ve had many happy guests who enjoy the spectacle of a crossing from the comfort of the camp; we really are in the thick if it here and there’s almost no need to go out in the vehicles- just sit back in a comfy chair with a cold drink, and watch the migration taking place on the Talek river, right by the camp.

Although the sheer concentration of game in those couple of months has to be seen to be believed, it does mean that the diversity of wildlife is compromised. Elephants, for example, seem to want to escape for some peace and quiet while the wildebeest are in residence. Black rhino also appear to prefer solitude and are seen less regularly in August and September.

As many of you may have heard Kenya has been experiencing a drought. A difficult time for many people but we seem to have struck it lucky; after 4 days of rain in mid January, with about an inch each day, the area turned green almost over night; the flowers bloomed and the animals were granted a reprieve from the heat and lack of food. One of the most remarkable things is that the wildebeest, who should be in the Serengeti giving birth, have all turned round and headed north again. The plains are a mass of animals, and the lions have so much food there are half eaten carcasses littering the plains. This is the first year Gerard can remember there being non-resident wildebeest around in February, and we’ve had many crossings on the Talek, usually at midday when we’ve assembled on the lawn for pre-lunch drinks. A couple of days ago some guests who’d just arrived witnessed a lioness killing a wildebeest and having another, unsuccessful, go in the evening.

The game viewing really has been spectacular of late, with numerous leopard sightings, caracal, serval and cheetah in addition to the unseasonal wildebeest. Yesterday a couple saw a leopard, cheetah, lion and rhino in the morning, which we all agreed was very good going, then they came back in the evening and said that they’d repeated the morning’s record! Other highlights for our guests, are walking outside the Reserve, visits to the guides’ villages and the Friday market, where the Masai can be observed going about their daily lives of cattle trading and exchanging news.

So there really is no right answer; every season is good for different reasons. Just in case that hasn’t given you enough food for thought, though, we’ve got another choice to throw at you: Rekero Kidogo (little Rekero) is our new camp which will open in July of this year and will operate to the same formula as this one. There will be more emphasis on walking, culture and night game drives, as the camp will be outside the Reserve, but close enough to drive into the Reserve for the wildlife viewing which makes this area so special. The other option is to do a combination of Rekero and Rekero Kidogo, which really should satisfy everyones’ desire for wildlife and adventure. We’re taking bookings now so contact your agent for more information.

REKERO CAMP NEWSFLASH…………..

Rekero Kidogo

Gerard, Rainee and Jackson are pleased to announce that they will be opening their new camp, Rekero Kidogo (Little Rekero) from 1st July 2006.

Rekero Kidogo will also be a seasonal camp running from 1st July – October 31st and 15th December – 28th February. The camp will consist of 4 tents, similar though slightly smaller than those at Rekero Camp.

It will be situated in the newly formed Olare Orok Conservancy which is approx. 20,000 acres and bordering the Masai Mara Reserve. The location is ideal for walking in and around the nearby Ntiakitiak Gorge. There will be two vehicles available for game drives, cultural visits, and night drives will also feature.

Access to the camp will also be via Ol Kiombo airstrip, which is approx. a 45 min drive away.

Rates are exactly the same as Rekero Camp. Further info can be found in the fact sheet below.

Hosts: Gerard Beaton, Rainee Beaton, Jackson Looseyia, Daisy Muir (on a rotational basis)

Accommodation: 4 Twin or Double ensuite tents with flush toilets and safari showers.
Regret Triple tents NOT possible

Rekero Camp - New Year 2006

This is a historically busy time of year in Camp. Consequently there has been a full dinner table most evenings.

The drought continues without there being any significant rain since August 2005. The only respite was on 7th January when the camp and surrounding area of The Mara received a welcome cloud burst that lasted for an hour or so. Since then there has been cloud build up which has raised hopes of further rain. The effects of the dry conditions are really starting to be reflected in both the condition and behaviour of the animals. The Hippos in Camp have been uncharacteristically less vocal during the night, which some might say is a blessing! Many Hippos have been seen out of the water during the day – some considerable distances from the safe haven of the pools and rivers. This is mainly due to the fact that they are topping up their night time grazing during the day. Inevitably there have been casualties. A large Hippo by the Rongai River died within the last couple of days and the Rongai pride of lions have predictably taken the opportunity to feast on this welcome free meal. It is anticipated that there will be some interesting antics among the scavengers and lions in the coming days around the carcass. Other ‘victims’ of the harsh weather conditions have been some of the smaller antelope.

Game viewing continues to be spectacular. A repeat guest (8th visit), Rob Stowers, left us with a “morning report”, here are some of his recounts.

“...After seeing a group of Elephants, just before sunrise, John (Kaelo) pointed out a pair of Serval Cats making their way across the terrain.
Although these interesting and beautiful cats are not rare, they are particularly difficult to spot. We continued south towards The Rongai and a tell tale ‘clue’ to what was to be seen next was fairly high up in a moderately dense area of woodland - a dead Zebra Foal about 10 Metres up a tree. Two Hyena were circling around the bottom, then a deep growl came from the same direction and a female Leopard darted towards one of the Hyena demonstrating an impressive show of force towards the, now sheepish, Hyena!
This was a brief glimpse of the elusive Leopard, but we were to be treated to further encounters in the coming days.

After a picturesque breakfast by the Sand River, John carefully drove around the perimeter of the thick bush that forms part of the terrain in that particular area of The Mara. A crack and crash emanated from our right, John ‘whizzed’ around the thicket to the other side to see a female Rhino and calf trot across the plain in front of us. We skirted along the south side of the river and were treated to another interesting sight – four newborn lion cubs (according to John and Nelson no older than a week). They were strategically secreted behind the root system of a tree alongside the north of the riverbank. Their eyes had only just opened. This was particularly special as cubs this young are very rarely seen due to the fact that they are hidden in caves or dense undergrowth. Next on the “list” to see (which of course wasn’t discussed!) was a Buffalo. We weren’t to be disappointed - just over the next hill was a herd – completing “The Big Five” in less than 4 hours! Just to put the polish on the morning’s outing we also saw a female Cheetah relaxing under a tree. We returned to the eopard’s location and were lucky enough to have a further sighting!

The Leopard has since obliged with further sightings. She has been seen relaxing on a tree on more than one occasion. The list of fascinating sightings goes on. Two Hyenas were seen feasting on a Wildebeest early one morning. Nothing unusual about that you might think, however, the Wildebeest was in a pool of water, as was one of the Hyenas. The gruesome aspect was that the meal was still alive! Although this is the way Hyenas deal with their own prey (rather than scavenged meals) and in that respect not unusual, it was initially quite a shocking thing to witness.

A male Lion (part of The Rongai Pride) was witnessed making a kill of his own on the 10th January. The Lion was typically sleeping next to a bush by the river when two Zebra came down to drink. Inevitably the Lion took his chance a killed a pretty large Stallion. This was a particularly exciting opportunist kill to witness for the guests being guided by the ever-reliable Jimmy.

Gerard and Rainee’s son, Charlie, continues to be a regular “attraction” and one of his latest tricks is steering The Land Cruiser between his tent and camp!

The guides continue to impress with their professionalism and enthusiasm.
The camp and The Mara continue to deliver exciting and interesting experiences and game viewing”.

P.S. Since last weekend (14th and 15th January) Rekero Camp has had close to 4 inches of rain – so all green again.

Rekero News Archive 2006

Rekero Camp Newsletter August 2006

Rekero Camp Migration Update 30/07/06

June/July 2006

April 2006

Rekero Camp News, February 2006

REKERO CAMP NEWSFLASH…………..

Rekero Kidogo

Rekero Camp - New Year 2006