Heading back toward camp for lunch on day 3 we noticed a Burchell’s Starling loudly calling in a small tree next to the track. Oblivious to our proximity it was clearly alarmed by something so we stopped to search for the source of the drama. Amongst the tangle of branches we spied a Slender mongoose.

Slender mongoose prey on insects, birds, reptiles and eggs so presumably this starling had a nest nearby and was anxious about predation of it’s eggs.

We spent some time watching this intent little hunter as he explored every nook and cranny of the tree but didn’t see him find anything. We tend to think of the drama of African wildlife in terms of the obvious carnivores – big cats bringing down antelope – but every minute small dramas are playing out everywhere in the tangled web of life and death in the long grass. The smaller the protagonists the more frequent but less obvious the drama. Once we involve the invertebrate world multiple dramas can occur in every square meter if we choose to look.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR