A couple of months ago rangers Greg Pingo and Pete Thorpe made the wonderful discovery of an ostrich nest in the grasslands.
It was a find completely by chance, as they were scanning for cheetah with their binoculars at the time when Greg happened to notice what looked like an ostrich’s neck sticking up out of the grass.
Moving in to investigate the pair found a male ostrich nursing a clutch of eggs. They couldn’t tell how many were there as the male stayed put.
Over the next few weeks we would check in on the nest from time to time. Interestingly we only ever saw the male brooding on the clutch; I say unusual as it’s the female that usually sits on the nest during the day and the male at night.
Less than a month ago Greg Pingo visited the nest site and found nothing but broken egg shells. We didn’t know if the chicks had hatched or if the nest had been raided by hyenas.
Then finally a couple of days ago, reports came in that the ostriches had been seen with chicks way down in the south of Londolozi – an area we haven’t been visiting recently owing to so much wildlife activity in the north and central sectors.
But in the last 24 hours we have managed to find the pair and their chicks on two separate occasions.
The chicks are barely ankle height to the adults…
There are 18 chicks in total; a wonderful sight in an area not renowned for its population of these birds. Things have changed in the last few years though since the drought of 2015/16, and apart from this male and female pair there is another group of three females and a male that we regularly encounter.
Add the 18 chicks to the mix and there are currently 24 ostriches roaming the Londolozi grasslands.
In a predator-rich environment it is unlikely that all the chicks will survive to adulthood (a combined clutch of 23 completely disappeared last year), but one can always hope…
The chicks are only a couple of weeks old, but by four to five months they will be almost half the size of the adults. Their rapid growth is in their favour, as the quicker they get bigger, the less vulnerable they become.
Let’s hope that in early 2021 we can still report over ten chicks trotting along behind their parents.
I think 2020 is overdue to deliver some goodness…
Fantastic. Hope they stay safe this time.
Such great news! Is this the original lone ostrich female?
Yay!!!!!
James, I loved the ostrich chicks, I saved the ostrich chicks barely ankle height to adults, and I saved the ostrich chicks combined clutch of 23🤗
Hello James , big thank you for the update on the delightful ostrich chicks! Their parents are imposing birds and with such big eyes with eyelashes to protect them they look charming. The chicks are irresistible! From a conservative point of view I’m so glad you’ve got such precious birds over there. Maybe the father has more strength and is more effective in keeping predators off? Hopefully hyenas will not raid them. I look forward to further news on the new brood!
Wishing them the very best luck!
Amazing growth rate! Great photos!
Beautiful pictures and a wonderful narrative. Some good news would be well received. Here’s hoping for those ostrich chicks🤞
Oh wow those are cute! That’s great news and I hope some of these mature into adulthood!!
Yes, you are right, 2020 is indeed overdue to deliver some goodness. And the news of these chicks is so wonderful. I hope that at least half of them will reach adulthood.
Enjoyed the story about the Ostrich family and the chicks … You all have the best jobs – yes I know nothing is perfect in this life and everything has challenges but overall your job is thrilling and uplifting and I am happy for all of you and grateful that you can share with us !!! I look forward to every Blog with more beautiful scenery and animals. Thank you!!!!!!
So adorable and so exciting to see the babies and we agree that any good news these days is so very welcome. hank you for the uplifting and hopeful blog today. Hoping you all stay well and safe.
Why is it that you can always see the “Femaleness” of an animal in the wild? I find it interesting that there’s just something amidst the sweetness in a female’s face that gives way to being able to detect that they are “A mother.” (At last true when noticing a lioness and an Ostrich.)
Thanks for such a precious and rare sighting!… gorgeous…. they’ll need a great deal of luck to survive, but really hoping like mad that they do!….
Wonderful news!
James, any idea what the success rate is for ostrich pairs raising chicks in general and in an environment like Londolozi and the Sabi Sands? Also, as a young American who dreams of becoming a guide and who loves following the stories of the animals of the Sabi Sands, any advice you would recommend on how to overcome the number of obstacles an international has in doing that (post-COVID of course)?
James, this is the perfect follow up to Guy’s blog and video. The chicks are adorable and hopefully will survive this time. SabiSabi has just posted photos of a pair of ostriches with a clutch of chicks following them during a game drive with their guests. Must be the season!
2020 is definitely thin on good news …
Let us hope that some ostriches make it.
It sounds as if the grasslands are becoming a more interesting area.
Thanks so very much for the wonderful news of the latest addition to the Londolozi wilderness.amazing pics
Great news James! It would be wonderful to see that family grow safely!
Amazing news!!!
Ostrich chicks very encouraging addition to the area.praying they mature well into adulthood.
Amazing images ,excellent photography presentation.greatly helps us easily understand
how many families of the ostriches are documented in the londolozi wilderness
Only one clutch so far resulted in successful adults
Beautiful pictures
Happy news and may they all survive to roam the Londolozi grasslands! The short video of the chicks made me smile, smile. I do remember the inquisitive lone female….
Hi James. Do Ostriches mate for life? Sometimes one sees a male Ostrich with a harem of ladies. Not quite sure about this. Lovely pics! Wendy M
How wonderful to see! Thanks for sharing, James!
Awesome — hope they safe!