A Week in the Bush Vol. 613
on Oct 14, 2026Over the past few days, we have been treated to incredible sightings of these two young male cheetahs as they move through the reserve, hunting and assessing the open plains around them.
By maintaining their strong sibling bond, these two males are likely to remain together as they mature, working as a coalition to establish and defend a territory. Any rival males attempting to move into their area will be met with fierce competition as they work to secure their territory and future.
On a cloudy morning safari, we came across three of the four N’waswishaka males resting peacefully in a small clearing. One male was lying some distance from his brothers, but after a short while he woke, stretched and yawned before walking over to join them, settling down in the open area beside the others.
While male lions are generally less social than females, coalition members still spend time resting together, grooming and rubbing their heads against one another. These interactions help strengthen the bonds and trust within the coalition, which are vital to their survival and their ability to defend the territory they have successfully taken over.
A lovely morning surprise awaited us as the Msuthlu Pride and N’waswishaka males were finishing the remains of their meal from the previous night. With full bellies, the males began following the females towards the nearest waterhole to quench their thirst after their feast.
It was clear that the females had not had much of the meal, so when two lionesses stayed behind, we initially thought they were feeding on the remaining scraps. However, it soon became apparent that one of the males was preventing a lioness from rejoining the pride. He growled at her before repeatedly mating with her, making for a fascinating and unexpected sighting.
After a good meal, three of the Msuthlu lionesses made their way to a waterhole near Little Bush Camp, where they could replenish the moisture they had lost. After finishing their drink, they basked in the sun, yawning and stretching, and playing with one another, before settling down in the shade provided by the big trees nearby.
Early one morning, we found the tracks of a pride of lions moving deeper into the reserve. As we followed the tracks, we picked up the alarm calls of impalas and immediately moved into the area.
To our great surprise, we found the three lionesses of the Southern Pride resting with two of their cubs in a rocky section of the reserve. Their full bellies suggested they had made a successful kill during the night.
These lionesses have been very active in this part of the reserve, attempting hunts almost daily before returning to their cubs during the day. This allows the cubs to nurse, while the lionesses remain close by to protect them from potential predators and scavengers.
After a short burst of rain, the reserve was covered in fresh leopard tracks as they moved through their territories, re-marking areas where their scent trails had been washed away. One set of tracks led the team to the Kurhula leopardess and her cub, resting along a drainage line. They soon moved off through the bush, scent-marking their territory, playing together and searching for their next meal.
We came across a young leopard cub resting on a rocky outcrop, but with no mother in sight, we decided to rather leave the cub and come back in the morning. Within the first half-hour of the morning safari, Golonyi and her cub rested on the same rocky outcrop with a small Duiker that she had killed the night before.
As we sat watching them, the mother got down from the rock to feed on the carcass, and the cub was clearly not happy, as it came rushing over, growled at its mother and stole her kill.
As we were driving, a flash of blue leaving a dead tree caught our attention. We stopped to investigate and found a Greater blue-eared Starling perched on a branch beside a hole in the tree, suggesting it was nesting there. After sitting briefly, it took off and we lost sight of it.
We decided to wait and see if it would return, curious to see what it might bring to the nest. About ten minutes later, not one but two starlings arrived and landed on the tree. Both were carrying something in their beaks, but from a distance it was difficult to make out what it was.
Through the binoculars, we were surprised to discover that they were carrying pieces of snake skin. The starlings were still preparing the nest, using the unusual material to help line it. It was an unexpected and fascinating sighting, and certainly not something we see every day.
Just as the sun was about to dip below the horizon, we encountered two herds of wildebeest standing beautifully in the open. Both sightings gave us an amazing opportunity to capture photographs as the golden light streamed in behind them. It was a lovely way to make the most of the last light of the afternoon.
As we crossed one of the rivers running through the reserve, four Greater painted-snipes suddenly scattered from the vegetation along the riverbank. These fascinating birds are polyandrous, meaning a single female may mate with two to four males during each breeding season.
As we watched them move along the shallow stream, they used their long bills to probe through the sand, their bodies bobbing rhythmically as they searched for small food sources such as seeds, insects, snails, crustaceans and worms.
A big buffalo bull was making the most of the watering hole in front of Bush Lodge, cooling off and preparing for the heat of the day ahead. At this stage of their lives, older bulls are often pushed out of breeding herds by younger, stronger males and begin living more independently. Without the safety of the herd, they can be more vulnerable to predators and are often extremely alert and quick to react to anything they perceive as a threat.
We watched as a Saddle-billed stork moved gracefully through the shallows of a dam in the late afternoon light. These striking African wetland birds use its long bill to probe the water and mud for fish, frogs, and other small prey.
A small herd of elephants moved through a clearing, slowing down to feed as the young calves took the opportunity to play. They playfully sparred with one another, climbing over each other and testing their strength.
Until next time…
Blog by Wendy Claase
Images by Benjamin Loon, Jana du Plessis and Ruan Mey
Videos by Jana du Plessis
