http://www.searchingforspots.com/

Searching For Spots, Chimanimani (2026)

27/12/2025

A pocket sized burst of vibrance, Pygmy kingfisher.

26/12/2025

Precious time spent with these new born flap-necked chameleons. Amazing find

24/11/2025

Remembering Ravenscourt’s Reign.

These images are my contribution to an indomitable animal’s legacy in the Sabi Sands. He will without question be remembered as an icon of the area and the story of his Mother’s ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten.

21/11/2025

Boswell the Elephant, Lions, and Lover’s Tree. 🐘 🦁 🌳

Part of Mana’s allure is the allowance for patrons to exit their vehicle and photograph animals on foot. When presented with the rare opportunity to photograph fornicating felines framed by the holy heart-shaped trunk of an Ana tree, I joined the pair of lunatics my wife and I occasionally camp with, and then proceeded to kneel, aim the lens and capture the orange big cats, contrasted by the cool blue haze reflecting off the Zambezi River and onto the escarpment.

As fortune would have it, Mana’s main attraction appeared: Boswell began to feed in the background.

Undeterred by a torn meniscus and advanced age, I squealed my way to my feet and waddled off to capture the scene from a different angle. The iconic two-legged pachyderm now stood centered between the lions, with the Ana tree playing a major supporting role in this fairytale.

19/11/2025

🐆 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

The young duiker’s remains lay in an unlikely thicket, a few meters west of a double-laned tar road and a stone’s throw from HWE’s main gate entrance. The box-shaped patch of veld was further bound by a short gravel road leading to the fortified perimeter fence. A large k**b thorn tree lorded over the embattled piece of land, the deceased tiny antelope rested at the base of the tree, behind a fallen branch. A competent golfer would hit a nine iron from the tree and into the local Pick n Pay. Is this picture not one of compelling concern? Why would Kulua choose this area to stash her kill? This remarkable cat continues to learn and adapt to her ever shrinking environment.

I arrived at 04:00 and parked the Suzuki on the gravel road. I filled my lungs then slowly exhaled in an effort to ease a relentless headache. I then gazed up at the sky and greeted those closest to me that had passed on.

Lacking leopard-like night vision, I had to listen carefully for signs of Kulua’s presence. The cat had likely dragged her quarry elsewhere, that was of no concern to me; the chance of seeing her was enough cause for me to await dawn’s inevitable appearance. Within minutes of my arrival there was an unmistakable crunch. The leopard was certainly there and still feeding! For those of us so inclined there is an addictive calm in a leopard’s presence.

I closed my eyes, sank into my seat and switched on my “go-go- gadget ears.” There was about an hour left before the darkness lifted. A misguided confusion of guineafowl had chosen to roost in the k**b thorn and they would intermittently voice their disapproval of the predator below. Once the visibility began to improve, I lifted my camera off my lap and tweaked the settings for low light conditions. Once done I placed my camera on the passenger seat and gazed out my window toward the kill. “What is that?” I whispered to myself, my system flooded with adrenalin. “That’s a cub!”

The little leopard was barely visible, a diminutive pale shape defined by disproportionately over-sized ears, but it was there, and before I could properly compose myself, Kulua padded out from behind the cub and snarled at me. It was a startling moment because I had never witnessed this behaviour from the leopardess, she was elusive and habitually avoided attention. I acknowledged her cautioning by staring down at the car’s floor carpet; Kulua calmed and padded toward the tar road. At this point I was on autopilot because I was yet to process what I had just seen, I cannot recall switching the vehicle’s headlights on or capturing the images of Kulua and her cub.

The leopardess crossed the road into a far larger block of veld before being followed by her inquisitive cub. “Hello little one, pleased to meet you.” I said. In that moment I had no idea that this rosetted fur ball would go on to give me and many HWE residents the most incredible experiences. Conversely, this leopard’s later behaviour would cause concern for some and the ‘Searching for Spots’ research would be crucial for his defence, but more on that later.