“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
―
With a change in season approaching, so the dynamics of the wildlife are starting to change too.
We are seeing more nomadic lion prides moving across the property. A shift in many leopard territories has been unfolding over the last while, one being the ever-expansive movements of the Tortoise Pan male, who has even been seen crossing the western boundary of Londolozi. With the wild dog pups being of age to leave the den, more and more sightings of them have been had.
Change is inevitable and out in the wild change brings much excitement. For us at least.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
After feeding on the remains of a zebra that they had killed in the early hours of the morning, the Ntsevu pride soon marched their way to a nearby waterhole to quench their thirst. Full-bellied and rehydrated, they chose to spend the day lying in the shade not too far from the pan.
With little rain, high nutrient grasses are scarce. Here a crash of white rhino can be seen moving along quickly to get to another area where they can continue the search for food.
The intense stare of the Mashaba female as she scans her surroundings making sure there’s no threat to her kill, just out of frame. She has recently been seen mating with the Flat Rock male so in a few months, she could be raising her 12th litter…
The Mashaba female is currently Londolozi’s best-known leopard. Her relaxed nature means she is comfortable around the vehicles.
Sitting amongst a large heard of buffalo is an incredible experience in itself. A common noise that surrounds a sighting like this is that of the red-billed oxpecker, one of which is picture here mid-call.
A small herd of Impala nervously drink at a waterhole. The vulnerability of herbivores when drinking always puts them on edge.
Dappled light shows the the elusiveness of a leopard as it hides in a thicket by a pan. An unbelievable spot by tracker Ray Mabelane revealed the Senegal Bush male lying sleeping in the shade…
After following the Tortoise Pan male for the afternoon, he decided to rest up on a termite mound. He couldn’t have chosen a better place to rest as the sun was setting directly behind him, allowing my guests and I to capture this frame.
Some buffalo bulls stare at a passing herd of elephant…. There is still a bit of grass cover down in the south-west of the reserve, which is where the majority of the bulk grazers have been congregating.
Two kudu bulls appear to have a stand-off, but in actual fact they were coming together to browse off the same shrub.
Photographing rhino calves always provides for a happy image. They have so much character and leave many smiles on a vehicle when spotted close to their protective mothers. Here this young one takes an interest in us as its mother slowly grazes in the background.
As the most recent litter of Nstevu cubs gets older, they are starting to be seen with the whole pride a bit more. Here one of them stares at his older cousins as they start to drink at a nearby waterhole.
A small herd of elephants starts to pick up the pace as they approach water. Often there is a lot of excitement seen within the herd, trumpeting and increased movement, when approaching a spot to drink.
Father and son share a bonding moment. The young males of the Ntsevu pride are starting to show clear mane growth. With the genetic line of the Birmingham males, I have no doubt that this one will grow a very impressive mane should he survive.
Pink in the face. This hooded vulture is rather excited, being the only vulture around and getting to scavenge on an abandoned carcass left behind by the Ntsevu pride. Some vultures when around a kill will go a blush pink or red which indicates a form of heightened mood.
Often before a leopard climbs a tree you will see a few glances happening from the ground. This male looks up up before climbing the tree to rest up on a cool afternoon. If you look carefully you can even see the tree in the reflection of his eye.
A Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill keeps a watchful eye on us through the bare branches.
Aggressive nature of mating leopards as the Piccadilly female comes quite far out of her territory to mate with the Flat Rock Male.
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
With the denning season over, we are starting to enjoy more wild dog sightings. One of the many pups watches her siblings fight in the distance.
A tree squirrel feeding on a dry russet bushwillow pod, maybe discovering it from hoarded food that was buried during the winter.
Stunning pics Dean. Love the lions and the baby rhino.
Thank you, Marinda
Beautiful!!
Thank you, Callum.
Another superb WIP!
Thank you, Chelsea.
Stunning camera captures, especially the Mashaba female leopard, male lions, Kudu bulls, baby Rhino, Squirrel, in fact all of them are so beautiful. Very interesting reading too. Many thanks.
Appreciate the comment. Gad you enjoyed, Annie.
Hello Dean,
Fantastic pictures!! Love the one with a leopard that hides in a thicket by a pan. Art on a high level! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Ann, yes i enjoyed that one too.
Dean, Loved this week in pictures. From beginning to end each photo brought an even bigger smile. A favorite is too hard to pick. Thanks for making my week
That is the exact intention, thank you the comment.
Outstanding photos! I loved every one! The reflection of the tree in the leopard’s eye—wow! The lions, the baby rhino, the buffalo, all were wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the lovely comment Darlene.
Fantastic pictures this week- especially the leopards!👏📷
Thank you Denise.
Dean – great photos, love the lions and leopards!
Thank you Joan.
Nice selection of photos!!!
Thank you.
Can’t get enough of aby rhinos–have never seen wild dog pups.
It is something extremely special Vin.
Iconic images this week, Dean! Love the lion father and son and the Tortoise Pan male silhouetted again the sun. But so many others are special too. Thank you!
Appreciate the amazing comments Mary Beth, glad you enjoyed.
Thanks for sharing with us. Love those leopards 🙂
Pleasure, glad you enjoyed Earline.
Great photos as always Dean! Do you have a count on the sex ratio of the Ntsevu Pride cubs? From the sounds of things there are quite a number of males among the cubs? Also, could you brush me up on the ages now of the cubs?
Wonderful pictures. Why is it always the young ones who are so very adorable? Even the baby rhino. Loved the 2 male kudos. A great way to end the week! Now we pray for rain. Victoria
Need rain desperately. See Ranger Alex Jordans blog on why we find younger ones cute. Great read. https://blog.londolozi.com/2018/10/27/why-are-we-attracted-to-the-young-and-cute/
Super photos, the bar set really high this week
Wow, thank you so much Ian.
Your images this week Dean are over the top! You captured the mutual affection between father and son with queen Mashaba looking regal as always. The group shot of the lions post-kill drink along with the fascinating leopard eye reflection was so unique. Thanks so much, Dean!
Humbled by the comment Joanne, really appreciate it. Thank you.
Dean, What a beautiful set of images! We always have our fingers crossed for our Mashaba and hope she is successful. We are blessed to have watched her from when she was just “Vomba Young Female”! The father and son lion shot is a classic. We love the way the young male looks up at his dad!
Watching the journey and generations of animals in the area is something that I think keeps people coming back and addicted. Its something we are so lucky to be allowed to witness. Glad you have been apart of it. Thanks for the comment.