[Romantic Old Bird]

And here, in the ancient and time-worn terrain of the Serengeti plain, our patience is ultimately being rewarded.

We are indeed fortunate to be witnessing what appears to be the advanced mating ritual between two young adult members of this endangered group.

The numbers are diminishing at an alarming rate, and anthropologists had feared that such an opportunity would not arise within the group before it is wiped out.

Over the past few weeks we have been able to observe, from the safety of our carefully disguised hides, fledgling attempts by both the male and by the female to attract a response from the other.

The threat of return by the absent Alpha Male appears to have slowly dissipated, and in the past few days we have seen the female showing her approval to the magnificent young rival male.

In this intricate and fascinating process we have seen the male engaged in ritual preening, role reversal and occasional active pursuit of the female.

As is customary, after feigning initial indifference, the female has gradually begun to take a dominant role in the relationship, exposing her upper torso to the male on several occasions, and emitting a piercing high-pitched screech.

As we observe the group basking in the sweltering heat of the plain, we can see the young female lying in increasingly closer proximity to the male.

The male seems at times strangely unaware, and attempts to socialise with other males within the group. Some observers believe this is to encourage the female into ever-increasingly bold attempts to mate.

In the past three days, the ritual has advanced, and the pair are openly gambolling in front of the larger group. They have now reached a stage where they are engaged in an seemingly irresistable dance, each circling around the other, risking the disapproval of the group as a whole.

Here we see the male showing his powerful chest to the female. This is an exciting development, and we can now expect to see the pair spending longer and longer periods observing each other, before seeking shelter and safety away from the group to complete the mating process.