Our week started with dinner under a striking lunar eclipse. Although the African sky is breathtaking enough already, it was still a treat to witness this rare event.
A Brown-headed parrot pauses in the search for Torchwood fruits. This thorny tree bears its pecan-shaped fruits in winter, attracting many fruit-eating birds, vervet monkeys and elephants.
The Camp Pan Male watches from a termite mound for any signs of prey. We have been locating this male slightly further south of his usual territory ever since his fight with the Dudley Riverbank 5:5 Male. In this sighting, he came across the scent mark of another leopard and quietly investigated for a while, seemingly with a heightened concern for any intruders.
The Camp Pan Male, despite his battle wounds, is still magnificent as he walks into the morning light.
The Causeway, our gateway to the Northern side of the Sand River, at dawn.
A female cheetah watches nervously as vultures start to land, surrounding her and her impala kill. They would eventually chase her off, but luckily not before she had had a decent meal.
A White-backed vulture descends in pursuit of the cheetah’s prize.
The Sand River below, a Green-backed heron stands in wait for the winter sun to warm up before his day of fishing.
A young hyena cleans its mother, who had returned to nurse her cubs after a night of successful scavenging. We have been treated to wonderful sightings of these relaxed and curious youngsters at a den site which appears to be housing at least 10 cubs.
A Southern Pride Male poses sleepily in a red bushwillow thicket. Unable to cope with the aggressive dominance of the Majingilane Coalition, these young males have a long road ahead of them before they will be able to claim territory of their own.
A klipspringer catches the remains of the afternoon light. This diminutive antelope is a rare and elegant sight commonly found amongst the rocky boulders and dense surrounds.
The Ravenscourt Female and her cub turn in stride. The previous night, after her kill was stolen by hyenas, she had dispersed the cubs in the chaos. We were fortunate enough to find her the next morning as she collected both youngsters from their respective hiding spots.
The Ravenscourt Female and cub listen out for hyenas as they search for the second cub. They were right to do so: soon after this photo was taken, a young hyena ran out and tried to snatch the cub. Instinctually, the cub fled up a nearby tree, while the mother stood her ground and hissed until the hyena backed down.
The Ravenscourt cub dutifully runs to its mother after being called from its hideaway.
This Yellow-billed oxpecker, rare to the area, seemed as curious as his host about the disruption to their evening routine!
Two buffalo bulls have a disagreement at the waterhole.
