The transition to winter is usually a gradual one. Summer arrives with a bang, with the first rains causing a green flush literally within days. The dry season is usually a lot slower to bear down upon us, with things slowly losing their colour, the leaves gradually falling off the trees, and the dust of winter settling onto the tracks and game trails that criss-cross the reserve.
This winter has been different. Two weeks leave saw me returning to a far, far drier Londolozi than I had expected. Temperatures in the mornings have been warranting gloves on game drive, and the greens and vibrant colours I left behind are now the duller chocolate brown hues of the dry season.
And I love it! I love the stillness in the mornings, the long golden afternoons and my breath fogging up in the dawn air.
Winter is here, and I couldn’t be more excited!
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
A grumpy buffalo bull gives us the evil eye after being disturbed during his afternoon mudbath.
A Nile crocodile enjoys the evening light at Ronnie’s Dam.
The young Tsalala lioness, STILL wary of the Majingilane, crouches low as the Hip-Scar male approaches
Two of the cubs, meanwhile, watch from the sandy Manyelethi riverbed nearby.
A giant legless skink peers out of the sand in the Mhangeni drainage. Although at first glance easily confused with a snake, these animals are in fact lizards.
The Marthly male treated us to a wonderful morning, making his way south over the Sand River near Taylor’s Crossing. Here he leaps over a small pool from the northern bank.
Landing in the sand.
A pause to glance in our direction.
Unfortunately, his crossing of the main channel was obscured by some Matumi trees, but he reappeared below us to cross this smaller channel.
A curious Scops Owl. The smallest owls found in Southern Africa, Scops Owls can often be heard calling to each other with their soft ‘Prrrrrrp”.
One of the Majingilane analyses the urine of a Sparta lioness with the Flehmen Grimace, testing her sexual condition.
A flap-necked chameleon that I had nearly flattened with the Land-Rover. Had it not been for Mike Sihtole’s eagle eyes, this little guy’s camouflage would have fooled me and he may have ended up pancaked, but fortunately I was able to hit the brakes in time!
Hope for the future. Londolozi’s new favourite rhino, this tiny calf, only a few months old, has been hanging around the clearings south-east of camp with her mother.
The four Majingilane in all their glory.
A tough sighting to photograph. The Mashaba female had hoisted the remins of an impala into the boughs of a Tamboti tree, and I was struggling to focus automatically though the leaves. Switching to manual focus, I waited until she moved her eye across this gap, and luckily got the timing of the shot right.
Photographed by James Tyrrell
Beautiful pics of the Marthly Male. Love the baby rhino, and Majingilane.
Awesome. Thanks.
A baby rhino! Makes my day, makes my week, makes my month, frell, it makes my heart sing!
What a wonderful week in a wonderful place. Thank you very much.
Wonderful pics, thank you
Booking made – we’ll be coming back a year from now! The start of winter, cool mornings, a 1 year+ little rhino, lion cubs young adolescents, the Marthly male still on the prowl – hurry 2015!!
Fantastic photos James! I love the baby rhino and the one of the Mashaba female is a beautiful shot of a gorgeous leopard, with spectacular colours and wonderful eye contact! Thanks for ending the week with such great shots!
Love all the pics especially the 4 lions & leopards
So cool to see the giant legless skenk 🙂 Thanks JT.
Wow what a great variety of photos. I would love to see all four males together. What a sighting. Great captures.
I thought the young Tsalala sub had finally been accepted. Or is she just naturally tense around them after years of being harassed?
Hi Mike,
I think her natural tenseness is still enduring…
James
Brilliant photos’ and writing that takes me right to Londolozi and the bush! I wait eagerly at my desk on a Monday morning for these photos to escape to your world briefly! Stunning= thanks
Thank you for my highlight of the week. All these pictures are awesome, especially the baby Rhino. God Bless it to be safe with mom <3
Love all of them, but the last leopard shot thru the tree is perfection.
I love the photo of the 2 cubs.
I forgot to mention the nice photo of the baby rhino.