This past week we said goodbye to a great guide – Mike Sutherland. He is a phenomenal ranger and is probably one of the nicest guys I know. I must say he has been a great inspiration to me and to the rest of the Londolozi team.
Mike Sutherland I personally would like to say thank you. It has been a privilege to work with a man like yourself and I wish you good luck on your new journey.
With summer in full swing, vegetation is green, flowers are blossoming and there is a sense of excitement in the air…
The first impala lamb was seen by the Tracker Academy on the 4th of November on Shingi clearing and within the next week or two the woodlands kingfishers will be back in full force.
Summer is always a great time in the African bush. Full of new borns, the migrant birds are back and the contrasting colours of the natural vegetation is always a beautiful sight.
Enjoy this week in pictures….
After a night of unsuccessful hunting a hungry lioness of the Tsalala pride watches as vultures circle overhead.
The Tamboti female catches her breath after being chased by a herd of elephants during the afternoon heat.
A closeup of the striking painted reed frog.
The Piva young male seen in the east of Londolozi, confident and asserting his dominance.
This white-crowned lapwing was seen wading through the waters of the Sand River.
I used this image to experiment with post-processing and while this image was taken in the day, I managed to create the effect of a night scene.
Often confused with a yawn this male hippo is actually showing his dominance.
This young female cheetah amused us with her playful nature and her general excitement for life.
I like this image mostly because of its simplicity – a white sky and nothing to obscure our view.
I got some good macro shots of this little fella – the painted reed frog.
The Scar Nose Majingilane Male although still looking good, shows his past battle wounds.
The Goliath heron patiently awaiting an easy meal in the Sand River.
The Nanga young male shows up beautifully in this backlight.
There’s no better way to start your day than with a beautiful sunrise.
Written and Photographed by: Trevor Ryan McCall-Peat
Great pics this week. Love the black and white images.
Thanks Trevor. Brings back memories.
Thanks Trevor. I wish Mike well on his new venture too as I so enjoyed his posts. I am sure you will miss him as we will too. Your pictures are stunning. The Piva Male looks like a force to be reckoned with & is going to give the other males a run for their money!!!
So happy to see the Nanga young male. I hope he is doing well! Thanks so much for sharing!
It’s so wonderful to look at these photos and remember our visit to your Safari Park. Living in a suburb in Solihull, near Birmingham, UK, we see squirrels, birds, local cats etc. Just a bit more mundane!!
The ‘post processed’ tail is wonderful! My favorite of the week…but that’s always a difficult choice for me.
Just love receiving your blogs and the photography is so professional and so exciting to see, almost feel as though I am there. All fotos are brilliant in their respective subjects, each tells a tale of awe and thrills, of survival and of nature in its beauty and cruelty. Stunning.
Beautiful photographs and great blog Trevor! I especially love the image of the Majingilane. I wish Mike all the best as he embarks on this new journey in his life. I will miss his beautifully written blogs and his stunning photographs, and I’m sure he will be sadly missed by everyone at Londolozi.
HI TREVOR,
I WAS VERY SAD TO READ THE NEWS THIS MORNING ABOUT MIKE LEAVING LONDOLOZI.
I HAD MET MIKE FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR AND HAD THE PLEASURE OF SPENDING 10 DAYS WITH HIM LAST MONTH ON OUR SAFARI.
HE WAS AN AMAZING GUIDE AND VERY GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER. WE VERY SOON REALISED THAT WE SHARED THE SAME PASSIONS ABOUT THE LEOPARDS OF LONDOLOZI AND WE HAD THE MOST INCREDIBLE TIME WITH MIKE AND LIFE.
I AM SORRY TO HEAR THAT HE HAS LEFT AS I WAS HOPING TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIM AGAIN IN JANUARY 2015.
I WOULD LIKE TO WISH HIM WELL IN HIS NEW VENTURE AND EXPRESS A HUGE VOTE OF THANKS TO HIM FOR MAKING OUR TRIP SO VERY SPECIAL. I WISH HIM ALL THE VERY BEST FROM MYSELF AND HYLTON.
I HOPE OUR PATHS CROSS AGAIN SOMETIME SOON MIKE!
Great photos Trevor. I enjoyed the black & whites, the Nanga young male and seeing the Piva young male (who is stirring things up). I too will miss Mike’s leopard updates and great photos. Best of luck to him.