An Ode to the Mara

Most stay for a weekend

But I stayed the whole year through

And there’s nothing to say but

You’re the coolest of the cool

You got me into birding

So I’m officially a grandma

But I don’t mind

They make me ooh and ahh

And thanks for putting me with Jana

She tolerates my b.s.

Even when I ask her

To drive down The Abyss

You brought me close to my hyenas

And for that I’m forever thankful

Not to mention all the sightings

Cheetahs and leopards, you’re never dull

We drive your tracks like we belong

But don’t worry, we never take you for granted

Getting stuck when we least expect

Leaving our respect for you, un-slanted

Your skies make our jaws drop

Burning suns behind wispy clouds

Teaching us to use our cameras

And making our photos the talk of the town

Each of our clans that grace your lands

Entertain us to no end

Happy Zebra, North, and South

Intertwining, and hard to count

ANUB* and ONEK* from South to North

MOMO*, GOLI*, KNG* and more

Moving back to South, ensuring

South returns to it’s former glory

With only a few weeks left

It’s a bittersweet goodbye

You’re biggest drawback

Is you don’t have tacos

But that isn’t a surprise

So thank you for the memories

The photos and the fun

My hyenas and I won’t forget

This year even when it’s done

*Full Name: ANUB (Anubis), ONEK (Onekama), MOMO (Momo), GOLI (Goliath Bird Eating Spider), KNG (King Ghidorah)

Please see below for some of my favorite wildlife photos taken this year:

Camera stare

AMOR* on top of mom, WAFL* 

AMOR* smushed against mom, WAFL*

SPCE* framed by termites

ANUB* throws a carcass

KRKN* carries a carcass

HRLY* freaks out

UNO* freaks out

NEDL* prance

SAW* rolls 

A grumpy baby TLDA*

WSKY* got a vertebra

SNUG* yawns weirdly

Scratch!

So many yawns

Bedhead

Flehmen response

Flehmen response again

Wanna go?

Don't fall off mom!

Ohhhh man

Trumpet!

Snack time

More flehmen response!

Full Names: AMOR (Amoretti), WAFL (Waffles), SPCE (Myspace), ANUB (Anubis), KRKN (The Kraken), HRLY (Harlequin), UNO (Uno), NEDL (Needle), SAW (Sawtooth), TLDA (Matilda), WSKY (Whiskey Sour), SNUG (Silver Nugget)