While searching for the plaque Rock Female one morning, I noticed this large male baboon poised in a dead knobthorn tree. Keeping a lookout for the rest of the troop to forage beneath him, it was clear to me that the Plaque Rock Female was probably nowhere near. Just before he descended his post, he yawned exposing a formidable set of canines.

I am always amazed at how leopards make this look so comfortable. I am not sure if any of you have tried to lie on a tree branch like this, but it is not as comfortable as the Xinkhova Female makes it seem.

Driving along the crest, this dazzle of zebra all paused and raised their heads at the same time, something had caught their attention, causing me to scramble to get the cameras out and snap a shot of them all alert and the moody sky in the background.

During my editing process, I couldn’t help but flip between colour edits and Black & White. Let me know which you prefer?

A magical sight of one of the Nkoveni Cubs resting on a fallen tamboti tree was escalated to another level when it lifted its head and began to groom.

The Sand River has been a hub of activity of late, particularly with elephants moving through and around it feeding, drinking and crossing through the water. I was fortunate enough to have this small group of elephants wade through the water with one playful youngster splashing its trunk in front of it the whole way.

With many of the migratory birds prepping for their journey further north for the winter, I am sure the Woodland Kingfishers will be setting off soon to enjoy the warmer weather of central and northern Africa for the next few months.

One of the Nkoveni Cubs had found a pretty cosy-looking hole in a Schotia tree trunk, resting right beneath a leopard orchid.

During their bout of playing the one younger cub climbed this cassia tree and sat resting here while the others ran and around causing chaos with each other.

So inquisitive and interested in us in the vehicle, these two wildebeest calves didn’t break their gaze until we drove off.

Photographically, it doesn’t get much better than having a leopard cub out in the open with no obstructions in front of it.

The only thing better, is the mother getting involved and playing with her cubs. Here we only had the two cubs playing around with the mother. This was the same scene as the Virtual Safari from a few weeks ago.

While out on the mission to find a pride of lions, this is a very welcomed sight. Piping hot tracks in soft sand, going in the direction we were hoping for. Notice the crispness of the edges of the tracks, a telltale sign of how fresh these tracks are. With time, the wind blows and degrades the edges a little bit making them appear older. The toe tracks are not as clear due to the lions slapping their feet down when they walk causing the toes to scuff the ground a little.

While all quenching their thirst, the elephant on the left was sucking up water and spraying it out in front of her.

A couple mornings ago, we endured a relentless bout of drizzle and were rewarded with two large elephant bulls paying a visit to the Kambula Pride. Here one elephant is perfectly framed by a prominent dead leadwood in the background, the second and larger elephant is pictured behind a few bushes to the right of the frame, you can just see his one tusk.

Perched upon this dead knobthorn tree, presumable scanning for any prey this pale morph Wahlberg’s Eagle caught my eye. I love how vastly different the shades of their plumage can be. This pale morph one has been around for a few years now, along with its partner who is a much darker shade, they always return to the same nesting sites after migrating north for the winter.

Keagan, Ray and their guests enjoy an unobstructed view of this large bull shortly after he had emerged from rolling around in a mud wallow.

I was thoroughly entertained by this Rufous-naped Lark, standing proud on top of this small termite mound, he was calling incessantly. After every few ‘treee-leee-treeloo’ calls they flap their wings in a little flutter. This is what I was hoping to capture. However the wing flutter is at random and so rapid that I kept missing it. In the rain I did not want to sit there for too long with my camera out, so I settled for this shot.

Still roaming the northern parts of the reserve, the Tsalala Female has been seen vocalising a few times, is she looking for a mate? Or possibly some company?

Eventually after quenching their thirst, the whole herd went marching through the river.

With all the rain on the reserve, we are seeing a few more birds that would normally be a lot more difficult to find. This Female Lesser Moorhen and her partner were wading through one of the ephemeral pans in the deep southwest.

While waiting for some signs of activity from one of the Ndzhenga Males, his paws were lit up by the setting sun.

In the company of the entire Kambula Pride, the larger Ndzhenga raises his head to the distant alarm calls of a herd of impala. From which some of the rangers found the Ximungwe Female.

Known as a keystone species, in that elephants play a huge role in shaping the ecosystem around them, this large bull had pushed over a marula tree and was feeding on the cambium layer surrounding the smaller branches. The marula trees appear to be the elephants’ favourite.

Now feeding on the smaller twigs, it begs the question as to why is it necessary to push the entire tree over to feed on some of the smaller branches? I guess the elephant’s answer will be “Because I can!”

The irresistible nature of a bunch of lion cubs to engage in tomfoolery on a cold drizzly morning, you can almost feel that the lion in the background is about to get up to something.

Surprise, here I am…