This is the last month you’ll be able to witness the massive herds (plus calves) taking it slow on the plains in the Naabi and Kusini areas. They’ll be making the most of what remains of the nutritious Digitaria, Sporobolus, Andropogon and Cynodon grasses before beginning their long and often perilous journey north.
Starting this month, the wildebeest will continually be on the move, heading north through the Moru Kopjes and toward the Western Corridor. Dramatic thunderstorms (good to photograph) persist, providing water to the medium-to-tall Pennisetum and Tussocky Themeda grasses that the herds will now be grazing on. There is slightly less nutrition in the vegetation, prompting the animals’ continued movement northward.
The Great Migration is in full swing, travelling swiftly up through the Western Corridor and Grumeti Reserve. It’s peak rutting time, as well as the beginning of the dry season, though there are still localised showers in the north. From now on, the animals’ nutrition depends largely on the growth stage of the Hairy Finger-Grass, Pennisetum, Eustachys and Themeda grasses anchored in nutrient-rich clay amid the woodlands.