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Mammals

HARTMANN'S MOUNTAIN ZEBRA

October 29, 2026

“Why is this meal taking so long?”

That was the thought going through my mind 16 years ago at De Hoop Nature Reserve in South Africa’s Western Cape. I was keen to find Mountain Zebra, for which the reserve is famous, and was becoming increasingly frustrated at the amount of time we were spending sitting around a dining table when all I wanted to do was get out into the field and look for them.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be on the plain near the HQ.”

Well, they weren’t that time.

By the time we had finished our meal, there was no longer enough time to search more extensively. They couldn’t have been too far away. They are resident at De Hoop, but we had simply run out of time.

“One of those things.”

The disappointment has gnawed away at the back of my mind ever since; it still does.

Cape Mountain Zebra is the nominate of the two Mountain Zebra subspecies:

Cape Mountain Zebra — Equus zebra zebra
Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra — Equus zebra hartmanni

*Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra | Equus zebra hartmanni, River Crossing Lodge, Windhoek (Mike Watson) - how many in this image?*

FAST FORWARD TO JULY 2026

I was feeling a bit sleepy after a long journey and a morning spent transferring guests from Windhoek Airport. After eventually dropping my bags in my chalet at River Crossing Lodge, I stepped onto the veranda and raised my binoculars to scan the distant hillside.

There was a group of Southern Oryx, or Gemsbok, in the valley below, while a distant ridgeline looked promising for Verreaux’s Eagle. I also knew that Eland was occasionally seen in the area.

Then, almost instantly, some very distant mammals caught my eye.

They were far too distant for me to identify through my binoculars, so I reached for my camera and used its zoom to take a closer look.

Imagine my surprise when I saw they were zebras, and that they had two very bold black stripes on their hindquarters.

BINGO! Their barcodes read Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra.

How lucky was that?

They remained as a very distant handful of pixels, but provided a nice distraction just minutes before the official start of my Wild Images tour.

*Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra | Equus zebra hartmanni, Damaraland (Mike Watson)*

A CLOSER LOOK

We had to wait another week before reaching the wilds of Namibia’s Damaraland; true Mountain Zebra country. We marvelled at the rugged landscape created by the Damara orogeny; the collision of tectonic plates around 600-650 million years ago, which caused the earth’s crust to buckle and in some places melt. This created a spectacular mess of folded sedimentary rock, some of which was turned metamorphic and where the rocks melted, granite intrusions rose up from far below the surface. It is one of the world’s must-see geological locations, as well as for its special wildlife.

During our road trip around Namibia, we spent a lot of time worrying about the availability of diesel, so we were mightily relieved to discover that the crucial fuel station at Palmwag in Damaraland was operating.

Another couple was at the station, and they headed off before us. Around 20 kilometres later, we found them stopped beside the road, looking at something.

A herd of Mountain Zebras!

Magic!

We parked up and walked towards the zebras, across a grassy plain scattered with quartz pebbles. Unfortunately, they were nervous. Most of the herd soon trotted away and disappeared from view, although their bold stallion remained behind for a while, standing his ground and keeping a watchful eye on us.

Even so, it was a real privilege to see Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras at a much closer range.

CLOSER ENCOUNTERS

Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra is larger and more robust than the Cape Mountain Zebra but both are immediately distinguishable from the local form of Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) by the bold striping on the hindquarters and their more donkey-like proportions.

Hartmann’s also has a white belly and black stripes extending down the legs to the pointed hooves. Another distinctive feature is the distinct dewlap, a flap of loose skin beneath the neck. Its exact function is not fully understood, although it may provide visual information about an animal’s age or condition and could potentially have a role in thermoregulation.

Then, after another seven kilometres, my tour leader, Gin Wilde, spotted another herd beside the gravel road.

They were a little closer, although not particularly photogenic, so we pressed on.

Another 40 kilometres of spectacular Damaraland scenery passed by in the soft evening sunshine.

Then the radio crackled into life again.

Emerging from her dust cloud, we could see that Gin had done it again.

She had found more Mountain Zebras and this time the herd was more or less point-blank beside the road.

WOW!

Now that was something.

For me, it was the best wildlife encounter of the entire tour, they paused in lovely golden light to look at us, with a nice background. After all these years, Gin made my dream come true.

We could hardly have wished for a better view of these dazzling wild horses. And if you look for better images of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra online, there really aren’t many. They are normally quite shy. We were so lucky!

A mini celebration at the wonderful Khowarib Lodge, just a little further along the road, was definitely in order.

Thank you, Gin!

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ETOSHA – THE GREAT WHITE PLACE

October 29, 2026

*African Savanna Elephant, Onguma Private Wildlife Reserve (Mike Watson)*

Etosha is a true bucket-list destination, particularly for anyone with an interest in African wildlife. Like many wildlife enthusiasts, I had wanted to visit for years. The images of that enormous, almost impossibly white salt pan had lodged themselves in my imagination long before I ever set foot there on my recent Wild Images tour.

The Etosha Pan covers around 4,800 square kilometres and is so vast that it can be seen from space. Staring into it is an extraordinary experience. The whiteness stretches away to the north into a bright, almost horizonless void, and it is strangely disorientating to watch an ostrich or giraffe walk towards it, apparently heading into nothing.

Etosha is also famous for its remarkable populations of large mammals. The most recent census figures I could find recorded 2,911 African Savannah Elephants, 1,280 Black Rhinos, 14,232 Burchell’s Zebras, 10,317 Springbok, 4,108 Southern Oryx, 4,207 Blue Wildebeest and 3,172 Angolan Giraffes. All of this wildlife occupies an area of almost 23,000 square kilometres; the size of Wales.

The predators, naturally, are rather less numerous. Despite plenty of searching, most of us managed only Lion and Black-backed Jackal, although Gin had a brief Cheetah sighting. We received little help from the rather secretive local guide network, who seem reluctant to share their discoveries. Perhaps that is no bad thing for the animals, given that almost 400,000 visitors now pass through Etosha each year.

But for us, the real magic of Etosha happened at its waterholes.

THE ONKOLO HIDE

There are countless waterholes in and around Etosha National Park, and we were extraordinarily fortunate to spend much of our time beside one of them, in what may be one of the best waterhole photography hides in Africa.

The Onguma Private Game Reserve sits just outside the national park, away from much of the visitor traffic. Sunk into the white earth beside a waterhole, the Onkolo Hide gives you a remarkably intimate, almost water-level view of the animals coming to drink.

Our encounters there easily surpassed almost everything else we experienced in Etosha. The only real contenders were the extraordinary lion encounter and perhaps the nocturnal rhino gatherings at Okakuejo.

What struck me immediately about Onkolo was that every session was different. There were no repeat performances. I am not sure we saw the same individual animal twice. Everything seemed to be passing through, stopping briefly for a drink before continuing on their way.

A fence separates Onguma from the national park, but elephants apparently have a habit of pushing it over. If you own a private game reserve next to a national park, I suppose there is little incentive to spend too much time repairing a hole in a fence that brings more wildlife to you.

One moment we were sitting quietly in the hide; the next, a shadow appeared in the corner of my eye.

I looked up.

An enormous bull elephant was towering over us.

We enjoyed several elephant visits, each one different from the last. After dusk, a pair of Black Rhinos; a mother and her well-grown calf appeared at the waterhole as the light faded.

The hide is renowned for its views of herbivores, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Burchell’s Plains Zebras, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Springbok, Warthogs and, particularly, the magnificent Southern Oryx and Kudu all came to drink. Even a diminutive Slender Mongoose made an appearance.

*African Savanna Elephant (Mike Watson)*

*(Burchell’s) Plains Zebra (Mike Watson)*

The birdlife was also entertaining.

Hamerkops worked the shallows, catching tiny invertebrates and occasionally providing those wonderful “between-the-mandibles” photographic moments. A resident pair of Blacksmith Lapwings appeared with their scruffy youngster. There were Kori Bustards, Grey Go-away-birds, Namaqua, Painted and (a single) Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Crested Francolins and, seemingly, an unlimited supply of Helmeted Guineafowl.

The bushes around the hide sheltered drinking passerines, including Blue Cordonbleus, Violet-eared and Common Waxbills and Crimson-breasted Shrikes. Out across the surrounding grassland we saw Angolan Giraffes and Northern Black and Red-crested Korhaans, particularly on our transfers to and from the hide.

After dark, a furtive Spotted Hyaena appeared.

And then there was the Milky Way.

One night we ventured out, and Gin gave us a masterclass in Milky Way photography. It was as spectacular as ever to look up at the night sky and then put binoculars to your eyes and discover just how many more stars are actually there.

There are perhaps 400 billion stars in our own galaxy, the densely-starred centre of which we are looking at.

It puts things into perspective.

We are rather insignificant.

Our stay at the Onguma tented camp itself was a tour highlight. It is a seriously luxurious place; somewhere I imagine Richard Branson would be happy to call home for a few nights. The chalet-like tents surround a delightful waterhole, while the dining area, lounge and open-air fire pit (or boma) provide an excellent place to relax after a day in the park.

*Gin at Onguma Tented Camp (Mike Watson)*

EASTERN ETOSHA

We spent time exploring the waterholes around Namutoni at the eastern end of the national park, but after Onkolo, the encounters inevitably felt somewhat anticlimactic.

There were Angolan Giraffes, Plains Zebras and elephants, along with a couple of particularly cute Damara Dik-diks. A group of Lions had taken up residence around the Klein Okevi waterhole, but they remained mostly out of sight during the heat of the day.

The evening lion sightings at Onguma were considerably better.

First, a lone female walked along the boundary between the reserve and the seemingly endless sea of grass stretching into the national park. Later, we encountered another female being followed by two males. The males sauntered along behind her, occasionally pausing before continuing their pursuit.

And then they roared.

Hearing Lions at night is a completely different experience. From inside a tent they sound impossibly close, although then camp staff tell you they were half a kilometre away.

These Lions, however, were about 15 metres in front of our vehicle.

The roar was a terrifying, reverberating sound. When the Lion reached the end of its sequence of roars, the finale seemed to come from somewhere deep inside its belly. Nothing else in nature makes a sound quite like it—not even a Tiger.

THE DUSTY ROAD WEST

Crossing Etosha from east to west was tedious hard work.

There were extensive roadworks, several waterholes were inaccessible, and our mapping app seemed determined to find anything except the shortest route. We eventually encountered a couple of people watching two Black Rhinos, but the animals quickly disappeared into the bush.

That was the highlight of a day spent driving through a dust cloud, while enduring what seemed like at least a million teeth-rattling corrugations.

Eventually, though, relief arrived in the form of a sudden realisation:

We were nearly there.

Okakuejo—the western hub of this part of the national park—was just a few minutes away.

And then the ordeal was over.

*Kori Bustards near Namutomi (Mike Watson)*

OKAKUEJO AFTER DARK

The tracks around Okakuejo were dusty and corrugated too, and most of the wildlife seemed determined to remain at arms reach.

Nevertheless, we added some worthwhile encounters to our Etosha portfolio: Giraffes and Ostriches silhouetted against the white of the salt pan, a Secretarybird methodically stomping around in search of prey, a feisty little Yellow Mongoose and a Martial Eagle that swooped into a gathering of Guineafowl.

But, the real action began after dark.

Okakuejo’s waterhole is famous for its nocturnal wildlife, and it did not disappoint.

The evening golden hour was interesting enough. Hordes of Helmeted Guineafowl gathered around the water, accompanied by Plains Zebras and Angolan Giraffes against a beautiful sky. Unfortunately, the quantity of dust in the air made the photographs a little soft.

Then came dinner.

Afterwards, we returned to the waterhole to find a crowd gathered around it like spectators at a major sporting event.

We soon discovered why.

On each of the two evenings we spent there, up to eight, or perhaps even nine, impressive Black Rhinos appeared. Some came remarkably close, and under the floodlights they were surprisingly photogenic, despite the challenging combination of high ISO and slow shutter speeds.

There was plenty of interaction between mothers and calves, as well as between individual rhinos. There was pushing, shoving and plenty of snorting.

Magic!

Black Rhinos are essentially bad tempered, grumpy mammals with poor eyesight, and their encounters with the elephants that also arrived after dark were not particularly cordial either.

*Black Rhinos at Okakueio Waterhole (Mike Watson)*

Spotted Hyaenas and Black-backed Jackals lurked in the shadows, while on the evening we arrived early, hundreds of Double-banded Sandgrouse descended on the waterhole for their own sundowner. They arrived in small groups, drank, and disappeared again into the darkness.

The waterhole after dark was unquestionably one of the highlights of the whole trip.

Our only regret was that we hadn't conserved more energy during the afternoon so that we could have stayed even later to watch the endless comings and goings.

But another busy day awaited us.

*Yellow Mongoose, Okakeujo (Mike Watson)*

MOVING ON

All too soon, it was time to leave Etosha and head west towards Damaraland.

On the way, we stopped to refuel at one of the few fuel stations operating this year. Then, quite by chance, we came across a crowd of vehicles following the progress of a young male Lion.

I was disappointed to see that he was collared. When he turned side-on, Mike pointed out that the collar was barely visible, but nevertheless it wasn't exactly a photographic opportunity we'd been hoping for.

Still, it seemed an appropriate final Etosha sighting.

The Great White Place had delivered bull elephants towering over us, rhinos drinking under floodlights, lions roaring at point-blank range, giraffes walking into the white void, birds arriving by the hundreds and a night sky containing hundreds of billions of stars.

Not a bad place to tick off the bucket list.

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MAASAI MARA SERVAL

September 13, 2022

*Serval, Pose Plains, Maasai Mara, August 2022*

Card No. 15 in the Brooke Bond ‘African Wild Life’ series, first published in 1962 was the Serval. Illustrated and described by Charles F Tunnicliffe it is a truly beautiful animal. With legs, even more out of proportion than Cheetah, in fact the longest of any cat compared to its body size that give it a stilted appearance. It shares a finely spotted coat too, ‘at one time much in favour with native chiefs for mantles, and even today its fur is used for that purpose by the European furriers’ wrote Tunnicliffe 60 years ago. When photographing wildlife I am often thinking of an image that looks like one of his tea card paintings - I might just have what I was looking for!

We had a couple of Serval encounters on the recent Wild Images Maasai Mara tour. The first was in very harsh late morning light and very nice, but it was more of a watching experience as it hunted in a sea of grass, so typical of the Mara plains. As we waited for it to show in the open, more safari vehicles arrived and made viewing space tricky and backgrounds far from ideal, so we abandoned it. Our next meeting with the ‘Delicate Cat’ was late one afternoon at sunset, when we received a call from our lodge’s other vehicles that a Serval was not far away. This time we had it completely to ourselves for about half an hour, on the prowl in the long grass, striking various poses and crucially a few times without a mesh of grass stems across its face as so often is the way. The low light was actually really nice and the Canon R5 performed. FAB-U-LOUS!

Thanks to my awesome Maasai driver guide Tinka Jackson, without whose expert help these photos would not have been possible.

*Brooke Bond Tea Card no. #15, African Wild Life 1962 by Charles F. Tunnicliffe*

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HARE HIGHLIGHTS

April 18, 2021

BROWN HARES ARE VERY CONSPICUOUS AROUND RIBCHESTER at the moment, as the grass in the fields is a little late in growing following the very cold start to the month. It always amazes me how daft they are, sometimes oblivious to me, when I crouch down. Standing up they keep their distance. Birding today included the first Yellow Wagtail for me and Phil in the village. I imagine the meadows in the valley were once full of them but they have not bred in East Lancs since I have been here and that’s over 15 years now. Three very loud single ‘tseeeep’ calls signalled its presence as we saw it fly over us on Shorton Lane and then over the farm towards the river. We spent some time trying to relocate it without any luck but I am not allowed off the footpaths here anymore so that was that.

Other highlights today included three Little Ringed Plovers opposite Churchgates, our highest number so far. There was a lot of song-flghting but one pair of them later flew west over Lower Barn. A redshank was on the field pool above Parsonage Farm where there are some excellent signs asking for dogs to be kept on leads in the field where the lapwings are nesting. There was a pair of skylarks here again today and three Greylag Geese too. A pair of Reed Buntings was on another field pool, a very scarce breeding bird down in the valley and I heard five singing Willow Warblers on my circuit this morning, also my highest count so far. No Common Sandpiper, whitethroat or redstart yet though but they have already reached nearby Alston and Brockholes so any day now but it looks like yesterday’s Fieldfares may have gone.

*Reed Bunting, male moulting into breeding plumage - almost there now!*

*A lovely cloudscape over Ribchester at dawn this morning, forming high heaps of Altocumulus*

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BLOG

HARTMANN'S MOUNTAIN ZEBRA

ETOSHA – THE GREAT WHITE PLACE

THE ONKOLO HIDE

EASTERN ETOSHA

THE DUSTY ROAD WEST

OKAKUEJO AFTER DARK

MOVING ON

MAASAI MARA SERVAL

HARE HIGHLIGHTS