Autumn is in full swing with the bush changing – temperatures dropping – and animals spending time warming up in the early morning sunshine.

Possibly one of the most beautiful birds in the bush and one not very easy to photograph - the Little bee-eater. This brightly coloured little bird often perches on low, flimsy branches sunbathing or waiting for insects to fly by.

These two Southern Ground Hornbills were perching in a big Marula Tree, possibly on the lookout for their nest snack that might be hiding away on the ground amongst the vegetation.

The leopards have been out in full force again this week...

The young Ntsumi female was showing interest in three Kudu's browsing behind a thicket. She began silently stalking the small group before one spotted her and gave out a loud alarm call which alerted the other individuals thus, blowing her cover.

Here the Tatowa female demonstrated the real meaning of a "Leopard Crawl" as she stalked a nearby pair of young impala rams.

We were treated Maxabeni moving through his territory as he scent marked and walked the tracks at Sabi Sabi. He was later seen feeding on a large impala ram carcass before deciding to attempt to hoist it up a large Marula tree. However, he was unsuccessful and settled on a large termite mound trying to fend off his son and a few Spotted Hyenas.

The following day we located Maxabeni again, with Tatowa in the same tree. Maxabeni was feeding on an impala carcass while a female leopard gazed down from the branches above. It was assumed that the kill was stolen by the large male.

Not too far away, the young White Dam male was stalking a herd of impala and we could see how his entire body behaviour changed as he lowered his profile while sneaking closer to the impala. Unfortunately for the leopard, he missed and the impala got to tell the tale. His luck changed a few days later and he was seen feeding on an impala shortly before sunset.

The Msuthlu female has been hanging around quite a bit this week where she was also seen stalking some impalas but they caught sight of her and she decided to move off. The following day she was successful in taking down a Common Duiker.

The Little Bush female wasn’t so lucky... She was found on a freshly killed impala but was exhausted after the kill and only managed to get in a few bites before she had to go and quench her first at a nearby watering hole. While being away from her kill, two hyenas came across the kill and stole her prize.

A certain highlight this week was a sighting of 3 Wild Dogs who chased down a Duiker close to Earth Lodge and ripped it apart in front of a herd of elephants whose distress calls attracted the attention of a clan of Hyenas. By this time there was little left for the scavengers who got regularly got attacked by the dogs to keep them at bay.

With the cooler temperatures, the night skies are extremely clear and Kyle and his guests took the opportunity to snap some shots...

Until next time...