It’s been a while since it was my turn to do TWIP, so I stuck a couple of extra ones in from the backlog I was accumulating on my hard-drive. I could write lots about what happened and which lion is doing what or where the leopards have been operating, but this is a photographic post, so just enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The Mashaba Young Female strolls confidently down the road as she approaches the Sand River behind us. She has been seen scent marking more and more, properly ensconcing herself in the corner of the river to the east of camp. f2.8, 1/320s, ISO 800
The Mashaba Young Female again a few days later, as she heads towards the sunrise. f3.2, 1/200s, ISO 640
A female saddle billed stork, distinguishable by the yellow ring around her eye, works to gain altitude above the Sand River. f4, 1/5000s, ISO 200
The Nanga female pauses while grooming herself as a nearby rustle catches her attention. f2.8, 1/640, ISO 2000
Three young hyena cubs look towards where their mothers were approaching the den to give them their evening feed. f4, 1/800s, ISO 640
The Mhangeni pride fight over the remains of a giraffe calf they had just taken down. f4, 1/400s, ISO 2000
A peaceful mid-morning scene. A solitary elephant bull snatches a quick drink from a pan before continuing his day’s feeding. f7.1, 1/3200s, ISO 500
The Short-tailed male about to hop over the gaps at Water-on-the-Rocks. f4, 1/3200, ISO 800
The magnificent elephant bull that has been seen around the place, shown in Sean Creswell’s TWIP last week, breasting a hill on Ximpalapala crest. f4, 1/640, ISO 800
The same bull the following evening, crossing the Sand River, drinking as he goes… f5.6, 1/800s, ISO 1250
Wild dogs. Enigmatic carnivores. Their stay was as brief as ever, only about three days, before they once more disappeared into the vastness of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park. f4, 1/1250s, ISO 800
Because they are forever on the move, a wild dog sighting can be a fast-paced and exciting affair. f2.8, 1/500s, ISO 1000
The pack begins to settle on a clearing to wait out the night, as ranger Don Heyneke captures some footage with his GoPro. f2.8, 1/200s, ISO 1250
We spent a lot of time with the Sparta pride last week, as they dogged a herd of buffalo for days. We were hoping to witness a takedown, but the herd proved too formidable, and the pride went hungry. Here one of the lionesses grabs a drink after another unsuccessful hunting attempt. f2.8, 1/160s, ISO 2000
The Tsalala pride on fast-forward. Lots of energy from an unknown meal two nights before (they were found in the morning with full bellies) meant that it was all systems go when they got to the river, and the sub-adults could be let off the proverbial leash. f3.2, 1/1600s, ISO 1000
No pause for breath for two of the young lions in the pride, as they are watched indulgently by the tailless female. f3.2, 1/1600s, ISO 1000
A slightly different image, also of the Tsalala pride and at the same spot in the river, but on a rather more sinister day. This photo was from a couple of weeks ago, after the pride had killed a wild dog in the Sand River. The sub-adults were engaging in exactly the same types of rough games. A slower shutter speed because of difficult lighting conditions created the blur in the photo, as the lions stayed slightly ahead of the spotlight, but I rather like the effect the blur creates. f2.8, 1/10s, ISO 1600
Immediately after the above photo was taken the pride melted away into the darkness. I was using the Auto White Balance setting on my camera, and the cooler temperature of the photo adds significantly to the mood. f2.8, 1/20s, ISO 2500
Photographed by James Tyrrell
Stunning pics! Great images of the Tsalala pride. Different.
Is it just me or is the Sparta Lioness pregnant?
Once again, wonderful pictures to get my weekend started 🙂 Thank you James
Some absolute crackers, the leopard over water, the hunting dog in black and white and of course the big tusker.
Thank you for the wonderful pictures.. Love seeing the Mhangeni pride, wonderful to see them doing well. the night photos are stunning!
Beautiful! I am so excited to see this amazing place again next weekend!! See you soon Londolozi!
These are all really great shots!
1. Love the Nanja female leopard, of course….she is always my favorite!
2. The bull elephant in the sunset
3. The straigh-on face shot of the wild dog is striking
4. The sub-adult lions romping in the river, especially the one with the female in the picture
5. the hyena pups
6. I like the night photo of the lions….nice
Beautiful images James! I especially love the close up of the Wild Dog. Is it rare for a Giraffe to have her calf killed? I would have thought they were too large and protective for lions to attempt to kill. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photographs.
Great photos! I really like the elephant bull and the Tsalala’s and the leopards. After reading the comments, I looked again at the Sparta lioness. Is she pregnant or is it just the angle of her belly in the photo?
Thanks for the comment everyone.
Sadly I do not believe the Sparta lioness is pregnant. I think it is just the angle of her body that gives the illusion of a protruding belly.
As far as I can tell, although it’s a bit trickier in the dark, the picture appears to be of the young lioness (approx. 3 yrs old) and she is probably still a little too young to conceive.
James
James