Wow, did it rain this week! We had pretty much a third of our annual rainfall over the course of two nights, and needless to say, conditions in the bush became a little tricky. All the watercourses were flowing strongly, and the Maxabene, a dry riverbed for 99% of the year, was completely uncrossable, as Trevor Mcall-Peat found out. Twice. On the same day. Needless to say he received The Pink Pouch immediately!
With the rain washing away all the tracks, and stormy weather making for fantastic hunting conditions during the hours of darkness, the predators had a ball. At least we think the leopards did, but since we couldn’t find any for a few drives we assumed they had all made kills successfully and were happily eating them in thickets around the reserve. Thankfully they were on the prowl again within a short while and the Vomba Young male in particular has given us fantastic sightings over the past week.
With more and more of the ranging team contributing photographs, we have a surplus floating around, so enjoy this Week in Pictures…
Now a rare visitor. The Makothini Male, who is pushing territory further South each day. Richard Burman
An intense stare down, that many Ranger and Tracker alike dread. Mike Sutherland
Mother to her second litter. The Mashaba Female in beautiful morning light. Richard Burman
A very bedraggled Majingilane male shakes himself off after a heavy downpour. James Tyrrell
Stripes and Lashes. Mike Sutherland
Playful times between mother and daughter. Tamboti and her cub wrestle over a recent kill. Richard Burman
Resting in the branches of a fallen Marula, drying out after some heavy rainfall. The Tamboti female. Mike Sutherland
Another of her spread in all her beauty. Richard Burman
The Vomba young male stealing the hearts of guests daily. Mike Sutherland
Camouflage through the now fading Autumn grass. Mike Sutherland
One of the Mhangeni cubs grooms its sibling before settling down for the day. The Mhangeni lionesses took advantage of the recent rainy weather to bring down an enormous kudu bull near the airstrip. Unfortunately for them the Majingilane were nearby and lost no time in appropriating the kill all for themselves. James Tyrrell
John Varty joins ranger Tom Imrie on a specialist Big Cat Photographic Safari. Here they watch the Tutlwa female in the fading light on the open Marula crests in the North. James Tyrrell
LBJs. Little Brown Jobs. The nemeses of many a birder. I spotted this little fellow in a bush near where we were parked and didn’t manage to get an immediate ID, but snapped off a quick shot to look him up later. Can anyone identify this bird? The answer will be in next week’s post… James Tyrrell
The Vomba Young Male was the first leopard found after a two day dearth of the big cats. After being spotted by some kudu during a hopeless hunting attempt, his youthful exuberance took over and he started climbing trees, providing some wonderful photographic opportunities. James Tyrrell
A rare photograph of one of the Tutlwa female’s cubs. The mother had made a kill on the clearings opposite Varty Camp, and the cubs were fairly relaxed provided the single vehicle kept its distance. Simon Smit
The Sand River in flood after heavy rains upstream. Luckily the water level is dropping rapidly and the river should be crossable again fairly soon if the good weather holds. Simon Smit
The Majingilane, despite remaining in firm control of the central Sabi Sands, are nevertheless showing signs of ageing. How long will their tenure last? Simon Smit
The Scar-nosed Majingilane stares at ranger Simon Smit and licks his lips. Ominous… Simon Smit
The Tamboti female has featured prominently this week. A particularly beautiful example of what is a particularly beautiful species, she is a favourite among photographers at Londolozi. James Tyrrell
Photographed by Mike Sutherland, Simon Smit, Richard Burman and James Tyrrell
Amazing photos! Made my Friday!!
Another wonderful week, another thank you.
Classic Trev……
Mike, LOVE the zebra shot! Really great job.
Fantastic photographs! They are all spectacular! Hopefully the rain will peeter out and some nice, sunny days will be ahead.
Hi James
I think It is a Larklike Bunting, Ian Sinclair- Birds of southern Africa, page 330 number 887.
Stripes and lashes……magnificent shot!
Stunning photos! Melodious Lark?
Gosh, you have such beautiful leopards at Londolozi. Great pics as always. Thanks heaps!!
Glad we weren’t on the pink pouch run Trev, funny we just asked you about that, can’t remember your answer!!!! Thanks again for an awesome week
Wow what a lovely selection of photos !!!Enjoyed all of them – just cannot make a selection of just one