Heading back to camp after another magical day, the clouds cleared for a moment, giving an incredible sunset over the Drakensberg Mountain range in the distance. Silhouetted against the setting sun, none other than an owl with its deep call, welcoming us back.

Still with the exuberance of youth, the young Shingi Male spends a large amount of his time in the branches of marula trees (lucky for us!). Again, the setting sun lined up perfectly with his tail for a tricky shot, but one I have wanted to try for a long time.

This time round, we were out early one morning to catch the sunrise. And catch the sunrise we did, over a small mud wallow close to camp, with a herd of zebra approaching for an early drink, we knew that there was going to be some great photographic opportunities.

A portal into the eyes of a growing leopard. The Shingi Male paused as he passed our vehicle, and with a 300mm lens, I had no option but for a close-up (thankfully!).

With the recent rain, Alates (the winged, reproductive termites) have been taking to the skies in their literal millions. This is great for pretty much every bird species (and lots of mammals too), but none more so than the raptors. Here, a perched eagle (Wahlberg’s) launches from its perch on another feeding frenzy.

The same bird from the previous photo, except this time a Fork-tailed Drongo is taking exception to it hunting too close to home. Brown eagles can be very tricky to ID, looking at the gape, eye colour, strength of the bill, feathering of the legs, etc. It isn’t easy at the best of times, even more so in flight. We, however, concluded this was a Wahlberg’s Eagle. Anyone have another opinion?

Spending the majority of her time in and along the banks of the Sand River, the Xinkhova Female appears when you least expect her. Driving along the banks, merely admiring the beautiful old trees along the river, we spotted a glimpse of gold high in the branches of an incredible Jackalberry. Her eyes fixed on a herd of impala in the distance, we were treated to an incredible sighting.

This week, the Three Rivers Female has been a bit of an anomaly. Being seen at all corners of her territory and then disappearing for a few days, we think she is starting to look for males to mate with and at the same time, where she can gather new areas of territory as her daughter, the Tinshia female, enters independence and will be ceded some territory.

The Ngungwe Young Female has been giving us grey hairs. Young leopards can disappear for many reasons, and with her naturally skittish nature, it was easy to imagine the worst. But recently, slowly, she has begun to show herself again, and over the last few weeks, something has shifted. A turning point, perhaps?

The Ngungwe Female, historically, was one of our more shy leopards, but over the last year, she has slowly started to allow us into her world more. However, due to this, her cub inherited that skittish behaviour, and this snarl is a gentle reminder that the habituation process will take time.

The causeway allows for some unique photographic opportunities. One I have been playing with recently is slow shutter speed. The colour and texture this creates on the water I rather enjoyed, especially in contrast to the scales of the crocodile.

A very impressive elephant bull, making use of the rising sand river, drank his fill and then walked through the crossing straight toward us. Needless to say, we moved out of his way and weren’t brave enough to try the crossing ourselves for fear of the pink pouch!

Zebra foals are born with russet (brown) stripes as a natural part of their development, which then darken to black as they mature. This initial colouration helps them blend into their surroundings and aids in the imprinting process with their mother.

A Saddle-billed Stork stalking around the mud wallows in search of one of the many frogs that have pop out of the woodwork recently. I am never not taken aback by their unique bill and colours.

The first Wildebeest calf of the season! So many reasons to love summer.

The Plains Camp Males are very impressive lions, and with the recent dynamic shifts between the Ndzhenga coalition and the Gijima Males, they have seized the opportunity to venture into the western parts of the reserve relatively unchallenged.

Nothing quite like the stare of a dominant male lion. This photo was taken moments before the next…

Around the corner came a herd of elephants, leaving no doubt as to who had right of way. Although big lions, even the Plains Camp Males, know when they are outgunned.

With impala lambing season in full swing, the Ottawa Pack of wild dogs tore through the South West of the reserve. With 11 adults and 8 pups, there are a lot of hungry mouths to feed, and on an unusually cold and wet morning, we bumped into the pack right outside camp. Following them for less than an hour resulted in no less than 3 kills!

I often find Wild Dog some of the hardest subjects to capture. Not only is there chaos as they are always on the move, but the subjects themselves are tricky. Highly contrasted with their colouration, dark muzzels, amber eyes and huge ears that need to be aligned for a good shot.

Perched and waiting. A Yellow-billed Hornbill perches along the sand river, waiting for one of the millions of Alates taking to the sky. During their breeding season, the female hornbill seals herself into the nest with mud and droppings for safety, relying entirely on her mate to pass food through a tiny opening.

A little challenge for the week: try and ID this bird! I concede this is very much in the realm of LBJs (Little Brown Jobs), however, there is enough to work with here. Take note of not only the bird, but also the habitat and perch. A not-so-little hint – This individual was in full voice when the photo was taken, and in fact, these little guys simply won’t shut up at the moment. Let me know how you go.