This week, the pictures in my post are a stark contrast to my previous post, which showed a dry, winter backdrop. After all the recent rains, the bush has transformed into a green wonderland, especially the areas in the south of the property which were burned in the dry season and are now sprouting lush, green grass.
In addition to this, we have had overcast weather for the majority of the past week and this has often provided a dramatic backdrop and made the subject ‘pop’ out of the pictures.
The lion viewing has been amazing, with the Tsalala pride bringing down an old buffalo bull in the Sand River opposite Granite Camp, but the rest of Londolozi’s inhabitants haven’t been too far behind.
It’s been a great week and I hope that, through my lens, you will get a feel for what we are so lucky to experience on a daily basis and will feel a part of the Londolozi family. Enjoy.
When I arrived back from leave, the Marthly male was finishing off an impala kill. I was lucky enough to see him feeding on the last of the impala, what a welcome back to Londolozi. With there only being a few scraps left, he was no longer able to secure the kill in the marula tree in which he had hoisted it, so he was regularly scanning his surrounds to ensure that there were no thieving hyenas in the vicinity.
The day after he finished the impala, we found the Marthly male and Maxabene female north of the Sand River. They proceeded to kill a warthog, hoist it in a Jackal berry tree and feed on it for 2 days. This just goes to show how opportunistic leopards are and, even though he had just finished an impala kill, the Marthly male didn’t hesitate to make the most of an opportunity to feed again.
The leaves of the Jackal berry frame the Marthly male beautifully as he checks on the Maxabene female who was lurking around close to the base of the tree hoping to get some scraps of the prize she helped him capture.
The last rays of light catch the Maxabene female as she looks on, waiting for the Marthly male to give her a chance to feed on the warthog. Even though she helped him make the kill, she knew better than to try and feed alongside him, a gentle reminder of just how tough things can be for the predators out here.
The overcast weather provided some wonderful opportunities to get some good texture shots. With all the recent rains, there is water and lush vegetation as far as the eye can see and as such, elephants seem to have dispersed and have become quite difficult to locate. This close up portrait shot was taken while sitting amongst a one of the few breeding herds that we managed to find in the course of the week.
The Tsalala pride killed a male buffalo on the northern bank of the Sand River, opposite Granite Camp. After a bout of feeding, the two sisters (tailed female and the new tailless) went down to a pool to drink. All the while they kept their eyes fixed on the vultures which were ever eager to venture closer to the buffalo.
Again, the soft light allowed for great textures and a reflection of this Tsalala lioness as she looks up after drinking.
It is seldom that I have seen such a great specimen of a waterbuck bull posing so nicely in the open! This animal is one of the flagship species of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve and appears on the logo of the reserve.
A little bee eater swoops down from its perch to grab an insect. Often you will see them on a perch, moving their head around trying to spot any insects flying past. They will then swoop from their perch, attempt to catch the insect and return to their perch.
The Majingilane with the hip scar crosses a dam wall. He had just called and received a response from his brother who was a couple of kilometres away. Without hesitation, he started walking in the direction from which the response came.
The male with the hip scar is easily identified by his piercing eyes, an unmistakeable feature. This portrait shows him as he continues to walk purposefully in the direction of Shingalana dam, where one of his brothers was lying and responding to his vocalisations.
A slightly different image showing a rhino calf with side lighting provided by the afternoon sun. I used spot metering on my camera to take the light reading of the part of the rhino’s face that was illuminated, causing the rest of the rhino to appear much darker.
A sub adult looks inquisitively at the game viewer. This is one of the older cubs at the hyena den site in the southern part of Londolozi.
A rare glimpse of a male cheetah. The only clue to his presence was his head which was lifted off the ground, allowing the sun to glisten in his eyes. This young male spends most of his time in the more open grassland areas in the south of Londolozi.
Written and photographed by James Crookes
Wonderful pictures, thanks James 🙂
James,
Simply outstanding! Thanks for sharing.
Scott
Thank you for the wonderful weekly pictures. How is the Sparta pride doing. I haven’t heard some time from them.
Hi Shirley,
The Sparta pride are doing well. Yesterday they finished off a zebra kill and are still on central Londolozi. It is always great to find them as there are now 7 cubs that are usually accompanying them and it also isn’t unusual for the Majingilane coalition to be with them. Keep watching the blog as they’ll likely make an appearance in the not too distant future.
Thank you for answering so quickly. This is wonderful news about the Sparta pride. I am looking forward for their appearance.
Another set of outstanding pic’s… just love the two lionesses drinking. Thanks for sharing!!!
Beautiful Pictures James,
22 more days & I will be there….Looking forward to meeting the Londolozi Family.
Thank You again for the Incredible Pictures.
We look forward to welcoming you Tammy, I’m sure you’ll have some similar pictures to take home with you.
Wonderful pictures and may londolozi always remain green.
Phenomenal. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your photos and blog posts and how they bring me back to Londolozi in my mind’s eye. I can’t wait to return next May!
Nice photos James!
Hi James, welcome back from your leave. Hope you had a great time. We constantly check the blog and look forward to yours and as usual you don’t disappoint. I feel like I’m there with you guys – that’s how good the photos and write ups are. Looking forward to the next one….Maria
Thanks very much Maria, I’ll try and get more articles out for you!
I haven’t seen anything about the sparta prides 3 cubs (who were very young when I saw them in May). Did they all survive? I know one of the sparta orphan cubs was killed, was the other one ever spotted again?
Hi Evette,
The Sparta pride currently have 7 cubs. The break down of these are as follows: 3 born in March ’12 (8 months old), 2 born in June ’12 (5 months old), 2 born in July ’12 (4 months old). These cubs belong to the 3 females who are 5 years old. The 4th female (12 years old), doesn;t have any cubs at the moment. One of the orphaned cubs was killed by the Tsalala pride and the other one disappeared, presumed dead.
I hope that helps.
Thank you James, I am so glad the cubs are doing well! It is so special to have your blog, it makes Londolozi seem close even though we are so far away,
Awesome pics! Thanks! Leopards as always beautifull!
What an outstanding photographer you are James! Hope there will be an update of the Tsalala pride soon as well. It’s been a while.
Thanks so much Sandy. I stand to be corrected, but I think Adam’s working on a piece on the Tsalala pride. Watch this space.
Great photos James! A very special mention goes to the Little bee eater’s one, it is … WOW!
Thanks for so MANY photos of animals reflected in the water. My absolute favorite way to see them. The single Tsalala female is spectacular!
Thanks Merle. It seems reflections have been my focus for the month so far… I always love getting these images, but it is so seldom that you manage to set up the scene correctly, so I’ve been trying to capitalise on any opportunity I’ve had!
I would never make it in the lion world. I have a terrible sense of direction, rwl. Loved the photos. especially the refection ones. Thank you.
Thanks for the wonderful photos. Did Maxabene get a chance to feed on warthog after it’s persistent waiting?
Hi Vikranth, from what I saw, she managed to get a few scraps that the Marthly male dropped out of the tree, but that was about it. I suppose that it seems unfair as she helped make the kill but, with the Marthly male being twice her size, she would risk serious injury challenging him for a space to feed. She’s no stranger to having her kills robbed by male leopards, as the Camp Pan male has done it to her on numerous occasions.
Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you – what an achievement – capturing such special shots – we are so fortunate to share your sightings 🙂
Amazing pictures!!
AAh James.. you have succeeded in bringing Londolozi to New Mexico. Gorgeous pics and so good to see how our animals are doing. Thanks for another wonderful blog
Dear James- Is there anyway to send photos of my stay at Londolozi?
I was there with a group on September 17-18. On the morning drive we were privileged
to see a group of 3 male lions at rest. Would your journals be able to tell me which group this was
as I am following the daily blogs? If not, how can I send photos for identification.
I am looking forward to returning sometime this year. Many thanks for all you did to make
my days there the most memorable of my trip. Your recently posted photos are spectacular!
Hi Joan,
The males that we viewed that day were 3 of the Majingilane coalition (there are 4 brothers in the coalition). There has been a lot written and filmed about these 4 lions on our blog. If you search for them on the blog, you should find a great deal of material!
We look forward to seeing you again soon!
What outstanding photos. Thank you James for sharing your part of the world with us..
I don’t think you will ever know how very much we look forward the blogs from you and Londolozi.
Will there be any post about the two mapogos?:)
Yes Paul, keep your eye on the blog this week. rich
Hi James and all at Londolozi
Great pics James. Steve and I loved our time at Tree Camp and the drives with you and Robert in late September. We had four more amazing weeks in Africa but our time at Londolozi was the highlight. I’ve been checking the blog photos and sightings each week in the hope of hearing more about the Mashaba female and her cub. Seems there’s been a few sightings of her recently but no mention of a cub. I hope she hasn’t lost it?
Hilary
Hi Hilary,
I still haven’t seen her cubs, but she was seen recently, feeding on an impala in an almost inaccessible area and it seemed that she had two cubs with her. Both she and the youngsters seemed to be nervous and understandably so, as she hasn’t yet been around a game viewer with her cubs in tow. Watch this space, hopefully we’ll soon be able to capture an image or two of them!
Great to hear she still has her cubs. Looking forward to pictures!
Crooksie these shots are almost as beautiful as Trisha..
Hi James
Very nice textures in the Elephant shot
Regards Kevin