For over a dozen years Peter and Grace Mason have made Kicheche their temporary home. Two weeks is never enough to quell their addiction, but it at least comes close to keeping their class A habit manageable. Grace takes the photos whilst Peter provides a not inconsiderable stream of bodacious invective.
Splitting their time between Mara and Bush Camp with Joseph and Charles their respective guides, they returned home last week with a bounteous harvest of images. The cheetah about to despatch a male impala before feeding – ‘say grace’ please – is a brutal reminder of how harsh life on the Conservancy plains can be. The spectacular shake down from Fig will tell you that there has finally been some good rains and the Mara Camp lions, with their precious carry-on baggage held delicately in their jaws – no fall from ‘Grace’ (sorry) – is a delight. It is very hard to get even halfway decent shots of tiny leopard cubs (following on from Jimmy Tinka’s discovery last week) as after the birth there normally is a ‘grace’ period of a couple of months, not to these two.
Perhaps my favorite is the ‘logged-on’ plump cub and the most surprising, to some, the new-born wildebeest – yes, ignore the regimented guide books, there are big numbers of migration wildebeest all over the Conservancies.
Top safari all round, ‘everything went brilliantly’ Peter rang me to say, as for his Mrs … two words: ‘ divine Grace.’
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