The Birmingham Males

[BA0701]

(07-29-2021, 07:48 PM)Potato Wrote: 2021:

January:
The two Gowrie males spent most of this month on the Sand River's western bank, a similar pattern to last month and a typical wet season distribution. The two males were seen together in five of the 14 sightings of them and in the company of members of the Kambula pride in eight of the 14 sightings. The first sighting for the year was of both males at Princess Alice pans on the 4th. On the 7th one of the males was at the same pans. Both males linked up and joined three lionesses from the Kambula pride on the Airstrip on the 12th . They moved north and were with the bulk of the pride at Mlowathi Koppies the following day. Overnight these lions moved south, covering approximately 9km and were at the Kapen breakfast spot the following day. On the 16th one of the males was with two lionesses from the Kambula pride on a zebra kill at West Street Pans. He was seen with the same lionesses south of the Airstrip on the 17th and 18th. On the 21st one of the males was with Kambula lionesses on the Old Airstrip while his brother was at Styx crossing. The elder of the two brothers was south of the Ngoboswan donga on the 27th. On the 28th, 29th and 30th the younger male was on the Airstrip, with his brother and three lionesses joining him on the 29th. 

February:
The two Gowrie males spent most of this month on the Sand River's western bank, similar to previous months and in their typical wet season distribution. In only four of the 14 sightings, one or both males were seen east of the Sand River. The two males were together in two of the 14 sightings and in the company of members of the Kambula pride in all but two sightings. One of the males was with 15 members of the Kambula pride at Princess Alice Pans on the 1st. A week later, the same male was with seven of the Kambula pride's sub adults at the Parking Bay (9th) and four of the subadults on the Airstrip (10th). Overnight these lions had moved south and linked up with two of the other subadults and were at Drum Crossing. From here, they walked north, linked up with three lionesses and crossed west over the Causeway. On the 17th, a male was alone north of Rattray's camp. He moved north to the Airstrip overnight, where he linked up with his brother, three lionesses and eight subadults from the Kambula pride. One male was with 16 members of the Kambula pride on the Airstrip on the 21st, Donald's Crossing on the 22nd, and in Kapen open area on the 23rd. While his brother was with the bulk of the pride, the second male was with the remaining three members of the pride on the Airstrip on the 22nd and by himself on the Old Airstrip on the 24th. Both males were together on the Airstrip with 11 members of the Kambula pride on the 26th.

March:
The two Gowrie males have found themselves under considerable pressure for the first time in their reign. The two brothers were not seen together once this month and were seen throughout their territory. They have pressure from the two Northern Avoca males in the north, the four Ndhzenga males to their southwest, the Othawa male to the west and the two males from the Kruger to their east. Not to mention the young males in the area like the Torchwood male. Hence, they have found themselves spread thin in an attempt to hold on. How much longer can they hold on in this manner, and will we see them spend more time together in months to come? The two males were seen from MalaMala camp in the north of their territory south to KK Pans in the southernmost part of our reserve, essentially in Southern Avoca male territory. In seven of the 14 sightings, a male was seen with members of the Kambula pride. On the 17th, a male was mating with Compiled by the Rangers of MalaMala Game Reserve a lioness from the Kambula pride south of the Kapen Breakfast spot. The final sighting of one of these males was on the 27th when the male stole an impala kill from a lioness and sub-adult male from the Kambula pride who themselves has stolen the kill from the Island female and Accipiter male.

April:
The two brothers were only seen together three times this month, and sightings of these two males were concentrated in the core of their territory between Rattray's Camp and MalaMala Camp. The pressure on the Gowrie males has been mounting over several months now, and this month we witnessed our first interaction between them and another coalition. On the 2nd, the younger of the two Gowrie males was chased by a Northern Avoca male. The Gowire male was mating with a lioness from the Kambula pride in Piccadilly Triangle when another male lion joined the sighting. The two males watched each other before tensions rose, and both lions stood and ran south, the Northern Avoca male chasing the Gowrie male. All the while, the Northern Avoca male was roaring. The Gowrie male managed to get around a herd of elephants that, distressed by a male lion's presence, prevented the Northern Avoca male from getting around them. The Gowrie male continued south to Sand Pit crossing, where he proceeded to start roaring while the Northern Avoca male moved back north, roaring and scent marking as he went. From this event, it appears the area around Piccadilly pans is now a grey area between the two coalitions territories. The following day the male in question was at Lower Mlowathi Crossing with subadults of the Kambula pride. From here, he roared and proceeded south, linking up with his older brother on the Old Airstrip. The next time both males were together was a couple of days later when they were on the southern parts of the Airstrip with a lioness from the Kambula pride. The following couple of days, a male was mating with the same lioness at Piccadilly pans and on the Airstrip. Both males were seen in multiple sightings with members of the Kambula pride before they were together again at the Old Airstrip on the 15th. The remaining sightings of these males were in the area south of Piccadilly Pans and west of the Sand River around the Old and New Airstrips.

May:
Both males were only seen together in three of the thirteen sightings and were in the presence of members of the Kambula pride in six of the thirteen sightings. The first sighting of the month was only after a week when one of the males was north of Rattray's camp on the 7th. On the 9th, one of the males was with members of the Kmabula pride at Piccadilly pans. The following day the same male was on the Airstrip. On the 12th and 13th, a male was with members of the Kambula pride at Planks pans. On the 18th, a male was with a lioness and two subadults from the Kambula pride on the Airstrip. One male was at Piccadilly pans on the 19th and 20th. The first time both males were seen together Compiled by the Rangers of MalaMala Game Reserve was on the 21st, when they were south of the Airstrip. A few days later (25th), they were around the Parking Bay. On the 28th, the younger male was trailing four lionesses from the Kambula pride that were hunting impala east of the Ngoboswan breakfast spot. We'd lost the lionesses and suck with the male. All of a sudden, he stopped walking, held his head high and set off at a pace no one was able to keep up with him. The lionesses had killed an impala, and by the time he got to them, there was nothing for him to steal off of them. One male was with two lionesses from the Kambula pride around Princess Alice pans on the 30th. The last sighting of the month was of both males together at Charleston North crossing on the 31st.

June:
In an interesting and not entirely unpredictable turn of events, the Gowrie males spent the majority of their time together this month. Of the fifteen sightings, only four featured them separate from one another. This speaks to the wise old principle of safety in numbers. The pressure from the Northern Avoca males seems to be mounting. Most of the sightings of the Gowrie males were in the core of their territory, around the Airstrip and Sand River, south of MalaMala main camp. The Gowrie males also spent a fair amount of time with the newest Kambula pride cubs. This is an indication that they assume paternity over the litter.

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