Today is World Photo Day, one that marks the invention of photography and there is no better way to celebrate it than with a Week in Pictures. Photographs are one of the essential ways we enjoy sharing this piece of paradise with you. This week we created yet another collaboration of images, with each contributor showing their unique perspective of this wilderness. One of the biggest highlights from this week has been the arrival of the 16 strong Mhangeni Pride, the Matimba males heading into the southern reaches of the property to join up with the Mhangeni breakaways as well as a bit of an altercation with what we believe to be the Matshipiri males. As of this morning the Mhangeni pride and the breakaways have joined together, creating a pride of 22! We’ll be featuring the full update regarding the lion dynamics of late this weekend, so be sure to keep an eye on the blog.
Until then, Enjoy This Week in Pictures…
The Nkoveni female leopard looks up from a drink at a large dam. Despite there being cleaner water closer to the centre of the dam she chooses to drink from one of the shallow pools. The most likely reason being that she is attempting to avoid being snuck up on by crocodiles. ISO 800, f6,3; 1/500
A male cheetah descends a Sjambok Pod tree. Cheetah are by no means renowned for their climbing skills but sometimes scale smaller or more substantial trees to gain a vantage point. ISO 800, f5,6. 1/400Photograph by Callum Gowar.
A mother hyena leads her cubs back to the den after their curious nature caused them to venture too far from its saftey. ISO 400 ; f5.6 @ 1/1250. Photograph by Kevin Power
A rhino bull rests while an oxpecker perches on his back. Rhinos will often rely on the alarm call of this particular bird; knowing that if it shouts and flies off there is potential danger near by. 1/640 at f/5; ISO 250. Photograph by Sean Cresswell
The Piva male and Tamboti female mating. We hope that she is able to successfully secret her imminent cubs away in the next few months. ISO 800, f5 @ 1/1600. Photograph by Callum Gowar
A Spotted hyena laps water from a small pan in the early evening. As the sun goes down and the temperature cools, these animals tend to become more active, heading out to patrol territories and seek out their next meal. 1/1600 at f/5; ISO 400. Photograph by Sean Cresswell
A pearl spotted owlet gazes into the distance looking for a potential meal in the late afternoon. During the dry conditions it’s much easier to spot these tiny owlets with the lack of leaves on the trees. ISO 640; f6.3 @ 1/800. Photograph: Kevin Power
A view of the Drakensberg mountains that lie to the west of Londolozi at sunset. This pan is a favourite wallowing spot for rhinos, elephants, warthogs and buffalo as well as a popular evening drinks stop spot. 1/30 at f/8; ISO 640. Photograph by Sean Cresswell
A young Mhangeni lioness yawns atop a termite mound as the sun sets slowly in the foreground. ISO 800; f5.6 @ 1/6400. Photograph by Callum Gowar
The weather has heated up considerably in the last week and this herd of elephants took advantage of this waterhole to cool themselves down. ISO 800; f8 @ 1/800. Photograph by Kevin Power
The Nkoveni female stalks some nearby bushbuck through her favourite terrain, the maze of wild date palms in the Sand River bed. ISO 640, f2,8 at 1/800. Photograph by Sean Cresswell
A rare sighting of a Trumpeter Hornbill as it briefly perches on top of a tree outside Varty camp. This was the first time I had ever seen this elusive bird and just managed to capture a photograph before it flew off. ISO 800, f5.6 @ 1/3000. Photograph by Callum Gowar
One of the Tsalala young males pauses to catch his breath after the pride just missed a buffalo. It was the first time in about 5 months I had seen the Tailless female and the subadults, who all seem to be in good condition. ISO 320 ; f6.3 @ 1/800. Photograph by Kevin Power.
An elephant crosses the clearing north of the Londolozi airstrip. There have been copious amounts of elephants around the camps and river of late, all moving to where the vegetation is at its thickest. ISO 800, f.6,3, 1/5000. Photograph by Amy Attenborough
A Tsalala lioness rests in the sand of the Manyelethi River. Later this week, the pride were on a young hippo kill in the Sand River, making it a bit harder to view them. Photograph by David Dampier
A long exposure taken of the Milky Way. The clear winter’s evenings provide the perfect conditions for night time photography. Photograph by David Dampier
Photographs by Amy Attenborough, Sean Cresswell, David Dampier, Kevin Power and Callum Gowar
Beautiful shot! But being in the Northern H identification of the brighter stars would be great!
Wow! Those pictures bring me right back! Thanks so much, Amy. The magic of Londolozi will never leave us. Blessed to have the experience.
Please tell Nick we are still looking for the perfect tall, pink socks. 🙂
Amazing pictures
love all your beautiful pictures. cannot wait to read and see the stories of the great pride of 22 lions.
These are all fantastic pictures. It’s so great to hear that the Tsalala Tailless female and subadults are back on Londolozi and are all in great condition — she has worked hard to protect them. Thanks for a great week of beautiful pictures!
And an amazing week it was; so privileged to have the dynamic duo of Callum and Freddy as our leaders. What a gift!