A change of season is certainly upon us as the grasses start to lose their green hue and the seasonal pans start to dry up, with a very prominent chill in the air. These elements may sound to some as a deterrent, but for guides, this is when things start to get interesting.

I love the colder, dryer months. Animals tend to be more active and the concentration of game around waterholes increases due to the lack of rain. The presence of dust as well as the clear skies allow for beautiful golden sunsets leading into clear starry nights – it’s a wonderful time of year to be in Africa.

No better example of the harshness of the season could be epitomised better than when we were able to witness a clan of hyenas feeding on a giraffe carcass. The giraffe bull seemed to have died from old age or possibly from injuries sustained in a fight with another bull. I returned a couple times to this sighting over the four days because of the interactions between the hyenas.

For those of you who know me or have joined me on a safari, probably know that a hyena is one of my favourite animals. Much maligned due to their scavenging habits, these creatures fulfil a vital role of cleaning up carcasses in the environment.

The Southern Pride have not had it as easy as the hyenas when it comes to finding and bringing down a regular supply of food for the hungry and ever-growing cubs.

Due to the Charleston males moving off in search of other females ready to mate, has left the pride in a vulnerable position and sadly there has been a few cub casualties. However, with this being said, it may be a positive scenario as the remaining cubs will now get the full attention and a much greater share of the food, hopefully ensuring better body development and a greater chance to contribute to the needs of the family.

My greatest sighting this cycle was witnessing the Southern Pride hunt and take down a buffalo cow. This is not always the easiest thing to witness as there are a lot of mixed emotions pulsing through your body at the time.

Given the fact that we are out in the bush for a minimum of 6 hours a day, for 42 consecutive days, a lot of people assume that we see kills on a regular basis but it is all about being at the right place at the right time. In the four and a half years that I have been at Sabi Sabi, this is the first time I've witness the entire cycle of lions killing a buffalo, so needless to say it was special. Have a look at a clip that one of my guests managed to capture.

These kills are quite obviously needed for survival but also for the cubs to watch their mothers execute their tactics so that they can contribute to a cohesive family unit that makes lions so successful.

While we are on the subject of kills, we just missed the take down of an impala by a male cheetah. It is always special to see a cheetah, an elusive predator who is always vulnerable to having their kills stolen by larger, more powerful predators and scavengers.

To the other spotty cats, leopard sightings have not been in short supply this cycle. Maxabeni has been his dominant best, still actively patrolling his territory and covering massive distances with us often finding him on the opposite side of the reserve from where he was left the night before.

We have had sightings of both the Little Bush female and her sub adult cub but more often apart than together. The Little Bush female has been seen venturing out of her territory and giving off rasping calls with regularity. Now this can often be seen as territorial calls but given the fact that she remained static and didn't cover much distance, may suggest that she is ready to mate again.

If this is true, we will start to see less of the Little Bush cub with her mother as her priorities will be focused on her new young once she has mated. The sub adult cub has been seen to be taking down smaller prey items but when she is on her own, she cannot depend on her mother for food.

She certainly has courage which she has inherited from her parents and she showed this during a sighting when she refused to relinquish an impala ram kill made by her mother to a young Spotted hyena. We remained in the sighting, forfeiting our breakfast and staying out in the rain to witness this back and forth between these two inexperienced predators.

She is a beautiful cat and if she continues to evolve in the mould of her parents, Maxabeni and Little Bush, she will be a force to be reckoned with and will give us some elegant poses just like these.

This cycle has been hugely eventful with the stories of these wonderful animals morphing, adapting to their surrounding and their situations. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a wonderful time to be in Africa, but then again - is there ever a bad time to be in Africa?!