Nature doesn’t seem too concerned with what is going on in the human world. In fact if anything, urban areas are becoming rewilded and wild places are becoming wilder! This is not to say that those of us that are still in the bush are going to throw out our technology and move out into the reserve, feeding off marula fruits and termite alates. It does sound quite tempting, but we have committed to keeping you all updated with the stories of the animals that we have all come to know and love.
This past week we have been incredibly lucky with the abundance of lions on Londolozi. The Ntsevu Pride and two Birmingham males were seen on numerous occasions, looking very well fed. We tracked them on foot on more than one occasion, providing some exciting moments. The Styx Pride was found with a wildebeest kill near Ximpalapala Koppies in the north of the reserve, while at the same time another pride was calling in the far south west that we were unable to find.
On the leopard front, the Senegal Bush male seems to have settled around the Maxabene riverbed, potentially having pushed the Inyathini male further south, as the latter was seen in the far south-east of the reserve. Excitingly both the Piccadilly and the Nkoveni females have been seen lactating but we are yet to find where they may be hiding their young cubs…
Plenty of elephant and giraffe have been spread out across the reserve and we have received some fantastic late rain.
Enjoy This Week in Pictures…
The Nkuwa Female uses a termite mound to her advantage to gaze longingly at a flock of Guineafowls that were walking towards her in the road. Shortly after this photo was taken she launched a half-hearted attempt at stalking them and got surprisingly close before they noticed her.
One of two sisters born to the Nhlanguleni Female, both of whom made it to independence, the first intact litter to do so in 7 years.
I have so many photos of these magnificent birds. I can never resist an opportunity to stop and admire the colours of the Lilac-Breasted Roller.
A young rhino listens intently as we watch from a distance. Both of us had got quite a surprise as we rounded the corner early one morning.
A young male of the Ntsevu Pride stares us down from the shade of a thicket. You can see his mane just starting to form.
One of the more mesmerising things to watch in the bush is an elephant’s trunk at work. Here he uses it to shove a very thorny branch into his mouth without any problem whatsoever.
The nature of a Zebra’s diet and the way its digestive system works means that there is a lot of gas that builds up in the stomach giving it quite a bloated look. It’s either that or this Zebra could be pregnant. Either way the main thing I love when a Zebra looks at you is the diamond patterns the stripes make on the face.
By slowing down the shutter speed to 1/25th of a second and holding the camera very still on a bean bag for stability I was able to get the motionless crocodile in focus and blur the flowing water around him.
There is a time most mornings when the sun eventually burns off the carpet of mist that we usually wake up to and casts the most beautiful sunshine over the green reserve. It’s called the golden hour and it is beautiful.
One of the lionesses of the Ntsevu Pride strides across an open clearing as she heads for the cooler shade where the rest of the pride were. You can make out one more youngster in the background who was reluctant to follow but then changed his mind very quickly when he discovered he was now by himself.
Becoming increasingly more independent as the days go on, the Ximungwe Young Male is often found on his own. This photo was taken late in the day as he woke up and started to get active. He promptly walked down into the Sand River and out of sight.
James Tyrrell, focusing hard on getting the shot as a large elephant bull ambles towards a waterhole. James has been hard at work compiling our daily safari videos.
An oxpecker flies off a giraffe’s head as it swiftly raises up from a drink of water. The tendons in a giraffe’s neck help keep the neck and head upright, thus after stretching down for a drink, it all snaps back into position.
A lioness from the Styx Pride was seen a few hundred yards from where the rest of the pride was eating a wildebeest. Both in the morning and evening, she lay on a termite mound and called out continuously. Why she did this, we are not 100% sure.
The twist of a leopard’s tail… Instead of going for a standard side-shot of the leopard as it crossed in front of us, I tried to look for something different. The leopard kept flicking the tip of its tail over itself in this way, providing a great contrast against the shady background.
A large elephant bull in musth shakes his head at us while standing in a waterhole from which he was drinking. Bulls in musth will often sway from side to side and rest their trunk over one of their tusks.
The Senegal Bush Male emerges from a thicket and pauses before entering the Maxabene riverbed. We had seen him from behind heading in the direction of the dry riverbed so looped ahead in the hopes that he would emerge. Bearing in mind that he can be quite nervous around vehicles, we waited quietly for him. He did emerge and was surprisingly unperturbed by us at all.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
A silhouette of a grey heron, against a large storm that was brewing one evening this week. We received 25mm of rain one night, topping up all the small pans and mud wallows again before we head into the dry season.
Stunning pics Pete. Love the elephants.
So many beautiful photographs. The Zebra and the leopards tail were absolutely stunning. Very happy to hear that two leopards are lactating, how exciting. Another awesome week in pictures and words. Thanks again Londolozi. 👍😍
I was excited to see TWIP today. You did not disappoint. Great photos. Thank you
Another reason to love Fridays is getting – another “The Week in Pictures”. I always look forward to your email. Thank you
Pete, Loved all the photos – but I Nkuwa female on a termite mound, Lilac Breasted Roller, close up elephant feeding, Zebra head on, Netsevu lioness walks across, Ximungwe young male yawning, Elephant bull with James Tyrrell, Giraffe tongue, elephant in River – I saved them to pictures
Great pics Pete are the Styx still 5 members 1 older adult female 3 3 year old sub adult females and the 1 sub male?
Hi Blair,
Looks like it, although we had reports that there were 6 together the other day. We were a bit confused as one of the lionesses was actively vocalising for a missing member when all 5 were accounted for (you might have seen this on our IG story). Perhaps she was coming into oestrus and calling for a mate…?
Thanks James wow that could be great news the 6th member the other adult female has been missing for a few months now so that would be awesome i think most assumed her dead do they look like they have finally settled and moved there territory west?
Hello Pete, Interesting reading and beautiful pictures! I especially liked 8/17 the photo of nature in the golden hour, 13/17 the lioness from the Styx Pride and 17/17 the silhouette of the grey heron.
Thank you for the week in pictures!
Great shot of the croc, Pete!
What a great TWIP! It’s great to see so many species in your blog and you’ve captured some great images: the croc with the errant tooth, the curling leopard tail, impalas in the fog, and the well rounded zebra! I appreciate your blog and photos, not like being there, but the next best option!!
The “golden hour” photo was striking. Thank you.
That crocodile is insane!!!! LOVE HIM (or is it a her?)
❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for the update and the (as always) amazing pictures. Appreciated!
Pete,
Even more great shots. So wish I was back there. Look forward to these blogs every day. Keep it up.
Vahan
Really diverse range of images!! Love the atmosphere in the photos of the heron and the Styx lioness!!
Pete, .. Maybe the reason the lioness from the Styx pride called out, was to let her family know “Dinner’s ready! .. Time to eat!.. Come and get it while the coast is clear!” 🙂
Your Senegal Bush Male, I was told was the same as the original Kunyuma, Karula’s son, sibling to Quarentine Male. My records, however indicate a 2:3 spot pattern. So, my question is: is this the same male? Why is the spot pattern different? If the same leopard sure wish his name was the same as given to him when he was a cub!
Hi Pete, great selection of photos as always! Was wondering if you have a sex ratio for the Ntsevu Pride’s youngsters yet? Also, the Senegal Bush Male (aka Kunyuma in the northern Sabi Sands) was born in the northern Sabi Sands as I’m sure you know, and even when younger, he was a cat who let the vehicles know when close enough was close enough. His older sister is much the same, and she isn’t afraid to lift her lips to create a space bubble. I’m not sure how he’s been since he dispersed, but I think he’s just a cat who knows what his personal space is and isn’t afraid to let the vehicles know it. He’s a very likable cat and glad he’s managed to find a niche on Londolozi. Has he mated with any of the other females besides the Mashaba female?
I really enjoyed all the amazing photos of TWIP. And the croc with it’s tooth – wow !!