Wildlife photography is not easy; subjects often don’t do what we anticipate, right-place-at-the-right-time is crucial, and knowing your gear and how to react when things don’t go as planned are essential.
Photography has been a wonderful journey for me, it’s something I pursue every single day and try to better myself at all the time.
It’s what led me to Londolozi, and what keeps things so fresh for me in the African Bush.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The Flat Rock male and Nhlanguleni female had been seen mating in the morning, and we went to look for them in the Sand River but there were no signs of them at their last position. We followed their tracks and eventually spotted the female in some thick reeds. Within seconds of finding her Flat Rock Male emerged from the reeds with a Nyala lamb clenched in his jaws.
A Zebra foal trails its mother. As you can see we are slowly approaching winter as the colour of the grass is starting to turn from green to yellow in some parts of the reserve.
The Causeway is always great value when it comes to birding; this juvenile Malachite Kingfisher – a first sighting of such a young one for me – sat ruffling its feathers.
The Nkuwa female; we found her at the base of a termite mound, looking at impala in the distance. She was later bothered by a Hyena that came to investigate whether she might have a kill or not.
If that snarl doesn’t say “Keep your distance”, then what does?
Swallows migrate at the end of summer; here you can see them flocking in their thousands, getting ready for their long journey ahead.
A Giant Plated Lizard basks in the sun, warming up in the morning light.
In a split second it’s over, as the Plaque Rock female descends a Marula tree.
These young Kudu bulls were keeping a close watch on a male leopard walking by. Once the element of surprise is lost, a leopard’s chances of hunting success essentially plummet to almost zero.
We have been seeing the Nstevu pride push further West into Londolozi lately. It’s always incredible to see twenty two lions all together (including the Birmingham males). Here one of the sub-adults comes to greet its mother.
After sitting with the whole pride for the afternoon we were gifted we a beautiful sunset as the lions melted into the dusk
As night fell, we followed the Birmingham Males and the Ntsevu pride through the bush; they were on the move and looking for food. This image was taken shortly after the females caught an Impala. With so many mouths to feed it didn’t go far.
A White Fronted Bee-Eater in beautiful morning light.
The Flat Rock male giving a snarl after mating with the Nhlanguleni female.
A portrait of an elephant calf.
The underside of an Elephant’s trunk.
Stunning pics Matt. Fantastic shot of the Plaque Rock female.
Absolutely stunning photographs. would have loved to be present while they were being taken. can only dream 🙂
Fantastic photos, thank you! Wildlife photography is a passion of mine, unfortunately living in Joburg doesn’t afford me enough opportunities to hone my skills 🙂
Fantastic timed image of the Plaque Rock female descending the Marula tree!
Matt, thank you for a wonderful, lovely start to
my day. here they are telling us over 100,000 deaths, so your photos were a cheering up moment. I always love the beautiful birds of South Africa and I loved seeing the swallows starting to get to our side of the world. when we lived in France we looked forward to the arrival of the swallows. I think the Kudus are so magnificent , always looking regal with their gorgeous horns. All of you at Londolozi take care and stay safe. We are going to come see you when it hopefully is over. Victoria
I’m so glad you are still publishing the daily blogs during this time of isolation. I read them every morning during breakfast and would miss this routine terribly. I hope the whole Londolozi family is safe and well. Beautiful images.
So grateful for all these beautiful photographs – dreaming of the day that I will once again be back in the bush
Matt, you’ve outdone yourself this week with some spectacular images. I really enjoyed your detail shots in addition to the descending leopard and bee eater.
I’m curious about your camera selections- do you have the option to try out what you have in your rental stock. How did you like the Z6?
Amazing and beautiful images!
Matt, really enjoyed your photos this week. Loved the Zebra foal and the Malachite Kingfisher
Lovely photos Matt, you couldn’t be in a better place right now!
Great photos. Thank you. I always look forward to TWIP.
There are some real crackers , my absolute favourite (though not for the Nyala lamb) is the Flat Rock male.
The eyes , the eyes and the eyes – it’s all about the eyes.
Matt what an exceptional series of images you chose for this week! The elephant’s trunk is so visually interesting and well framed. The extreme, straight downward drop from a tree by a leopard shows their amazing dexterity, loving greetings and so much more. I throughly enjoyed each one and appreciate your efforts. My thanks, Matt!
@Joanne Wadsworth Kelley, so glad you enjoyed them! The Elephant Trunk is my favorite too!
Hello Matt, Beautiful pictures! I especially liked photo 9/16 the young kudu bulls! Very beautiful like from a fairy-tale… Thank you for the week in pictures!
Don’t you just love the new z6?
It’s fantastic!
@Vahan Moosekian, its great, the new firmware update on the tracking focus is good, however i shoot Canon myself!
Beautiful shots! I especially loved the Plaque Rock male’s descent from the tree. Thanks, Matt.
Matt wonderful blog today, I saved a lot of the photos in my library, especially the one with the elephant and the leopard falling from the tree!
@Joan Schmiidt, thank you Joan, had lots on fun capturing these images! Happy to hear you have some favorites!
What an amazing and vivid compilation of pictures Matt!~ The female leopard going down the tree is spectacular! Likewise, the up-close capture of the male lion’s eyes in the night, show’s so much expression. And of course the elephant calf, which reminds me of Dumbo, is just adorable. Honestly, all the pictures are “rich” in color and integrity.
@Jen Lum, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the images! looking forward to the next one.
Some great photos Matt! Loved the Malachite Kingfisher (Juvenile) a rarity, the beautiful movement of the Nkuwa female’s swishing tail, amazing eyes and the controlled strength and speed of the Plaque Rock female descending the Amarula Tree – almost has to be seen to be believed! Captured perfectly. Thank you for sharing and bringing back the memories.