First up (and I apologise here as this post was initially published without this information; I added it subsequently), the identity of the Mystery Bird Challenge…
The answer was a Juvenile African Hawk Eagle.
This is a tricky one in the raptor realm as the young eagles are very differently coloured to the adults, who are black and white. A confusing species can be the the juvenile Black Sparrowhawk (much rarer at Londolozi), but what separates the two is primarily the feathering on the legs. The Sparrowhawk has bare legs while the juvenile Hawk Eagle has feathering all the way down.
Congratulations to those who got the right answer! Now on to the photos…
If each week has a theme animal, this one’s would be buffalo.
The large herd that has been roaming around the grasslands in Londolozi’s south-west made an unorthodox move and shifted to the central areas, something we haven’t seen for awhile. Being much closer to camp meant there was a heightened interest in the herd, as the bovines typically aren’t seen in the areas we have been viewing them over the past couple of days.
Water-dependent, they will usually drink twice daily, in the morning and the evening. As a result, there have been some amazing sightings of well over 300 buffalo pouring down to the waterholes.
No one has actually counted how many are in the herd, and there could be in excess of 400 of the beasts; we are all too enthralled by the occasion to worry about basic arithmetic.
It’s not just about the buffalo though, so enjoy the rest of this Week in Pictures…
A big bull buffalo looks up from drinking, his muzzle glistening with water droplets. When a herd is strung out and moving quickly, they are almost certainly on their way to water, so best practice is generally to drive up ahead of them, position the vehicle, and wait for the show to start…
The ostriches are at it again. The bright pink beak and forelegs of this male told us he was in breeding condition, which was strongly evidenced by the fact that he was chasing one of the females around. She wasn’t looking too enamoured though, and kept fleeing.
The male races past us, hot on the trail of the female. When shooting in Aperture priority, a quick trick to slow your shutter in order to capture motion blur is simply to dial your aperture right down. This saves you having to change modes, you can keep your eye on the viewfinder, and if your ISO is low enough it can drop your shutter speed well below 1/100s to blur the background.
A male cheetah was found this week by Ranger Mrisho Lugenge. The south-west of Londolozi is usually one of the quieter areas of the reserve, but for some reason the last two weeks have been providing incredible sightings, from cheetahs to leopard cubs to lions chasing buffalo…
Ranger Guy Brunskill explains the intricacies of cheetah behaviour to his guests.
This photo was taken only a few minutes after the one above. Leaving the cheetah sighting, we were driving past a small pan when we saw this mother rhino and her small calf approaching. We waited patiently as conditions were a little windy and rhino can spook easily in the wind, but thankfully the cow continued to approach the water, drinking for quite a while as her calf stood by her side.
Tracker Raymond Mabelane takes a closer look at some yellow-billed oxpeckers that were hopping around in the middle of the large herd of buffalo.
As most of her herd-mates had already drunk their fill and were leaving the waterhole, this cow persisted out in the deeper water, making sure she had enough water on board to last until the next day.
The Tsalala lioness and two of her three cubs cross an open patch in the Sand River bed. With the river and its closest tributary the Manyelethi providing some of the best places to hide her litter, the female is seldom to be found far from either of these two watercourses.
When judging how old a track is, it’s important to look at what other tracks the animal you are following has walked on top of, and what tracks are on top of ITS track. Here the footprint of a female leopard is clearly on top of a vehicle track that had passed by earlier that morning, which makes it very fresh indeed.
And the leopard that made the track just happened to be 30 metres ahead. The Nkoveni female hasn’t been seen much of late, as she has been spending time outside her normal territory to seek out males; presumably she is looking to reproduce again as her last cub is now fully independent.
I read an short article that claimed that the world’s first blue-eyed African buffalo was photographed in 2015. That’s only 4 years ago (if true), which makes the sighting of this blue-eyed cow even more special. The colouration is likely caused by a lack of melanin in the iris.
Not entirely weaned yet, the Tsalala cubs are still suckling from their mother, but in a couple of months will be entirely dependent on meat, which will add further pressure to the lioness’ hunting efforts.
Zebras are notoriously skittish when coming to drink, and this herd was no exception. Conditions were still, there was ample space around the waterhole for visibility, yet the slightest rustle in the bushes had them spooked and dashing away from the exposed water’s edge.
One of the Birmingham males walks straight past Ranger Warren Pearson’s vehicle, totally ignoring the humans only a couple of feet away from him.
Awesome pics this week. Love the Rhino.
James, What a great week in pictures you bring us. Especially the beautiful male lion next to the Vehicle. I could feel the rush of adrenaline myself. Wish I were there with you now. Thanks again
Exciting week to be visiting.
The buffalo herd charging the watering hole was incredible. The cheetah sighting and unsuccessful chase of a springbock was thrilling. That was followed immediately by the rhino and cub, with the latter consistently emitting a whining sound. There were multiple sightings of the Mashala. Unbelievably, we came upon a pangolin.
Only day 3 of 7!
love animals
Another informative TWIP. Learned something new about male ostriches, when looking to mate – beak color change as well as forelegs. Good to know the Tsalala lioness is taking care to protect her three cubs by continuing to hide them in the river places.
So what was the bird identity from earlier in the week?
James, wonderful photos this week. I especially like the one with Tsalala cubs and Mom.
Seeing the Birmingham male walk right past the vehicle reminds us that the most frequent question we get asked is why the lions et al don’t just hop into the vehicle and devour all of us. My answer is usually that we are essentially part of a big non-threatening “boulder” that moves around, probably much like an elephant. You probably have a much better answer!
Awesome selection of photos James, as always! Couple of quick questions:
1. Which Birmingham Male was with the Tsalala Lioness and her three cubs on the buffalo she killed, or did I misunderstand the article and he fed separately from them?
2. Haven’t done spot comparisons but do you have any idea as to the whereabouts of the young Thornybush cheetahs (the son and daughter of the one-eyed female who raised them last year on Londolozi and Mala Mala? I haven’t seen anything in weeks and am concerned
Thanks for any info!
Am also wondering if the Tsalala Lioness will allow the cubs to suckle for a bit longer than normal since she is a single mother and there will be added pressure on her to provide for the cubs?
Some truly lovely pics, James! And such interesting descriptions – especially the blue eyed buffalo! Thank you! Wendy M
Fantastic week in pictures! The buffalo cow drinking surrounded by the herd is my favourite. Did I miss the answer to this week’s “What bird is it?” on a different blog post?
Hi Declan,
Woops, totally forgot to put it in!!! It was a Juvenile African Hawk Eagle…
Great, thanks James. Looking forward to the next one!
Ah the Tsalala lioness looks so relaxed, but her position (and that of the cubs) must remain precarious for some time yet. Fingers crossed
Another fantastic TWIP. Loved the lion strolling past the Rover. I had that happen several times, but with leopards. Seems Ranger Kevin always knew where to go.
Hi James, I have just finished reading an article in Earth Touch News and it featured Londolozi. I know it has nothing to do with This Week In Pictures – which are beautiful, but wanted to share the article with all at Londolozi. You may be aware of this or have seen it, but just in case. Enjoy!!
https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/predator-vs-prey/in-photos-lions-struggle-to-break-through
Hi James, I sent a link to an article that appeared in Earth Touch News, however, upon checking, it was an oopsie. I am therefore sending another link. My sincere apologies for my senior moment.
https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/predator-vs-prey/in-photos-lions-struggle-to-break-through-pangolins-rock-hard-scales/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=29-July-2019
Nice pictures! What a great story of the Tsalala lioness.
3 cubs all look good.Hmm is she alone, or there are some other lions could help her ,single mama is not easy !
Gorgeous lighting on the first pic of the buffalo/s drinking. Excellent control of exposure and colour rendition!
@Joan Schmiidt, hyenas are bad I don’t like them