The proliferation of life at this time every year is utterly astounding. It’s the birds that have really stolen the show over the last ten days; nests have been discovered everywhere, with hornbills in almost every second tree, southern black tits nesting in a hole outside our office and the local drongo nest we featured a couple of weeks ago still going strong with its three chicks.
The Ntsevu pride’s youngest cubs have been around quite a bit, but the Makomsava female’s latest den is proving a bit harder to come by. Hopefully we can find it in the next few days.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
One often doesn’t appreciate just how sharp a lion cub’s claws are. This is the paw of one of the smallest Ntsevu cubs; razor sharp and like a row of daggers. Grow these over a couple of years and stick them onto the end of a 145kg lioness and you’ll start to understand just how well equipped these super predators are to bring down prey.
This southern black tit was spotted slipping into a hole in a buffalo-thorn tree just outside the Londolozi offices. Peering in after it had flown off revealed three tiny chicks, still blind, at the bottom of the deep cavity. The tit pair have been observed making constant feeding trips back to the nest over the 24 hours since they were first observed.
The drongo nest we featured a couple of weeks ago has three very healthy fledglings in it now. This photo shows very interesting nesting behaviour; one of the parents is removing the fecal sac of one of the chicks; it’s essentially the bird version of a diaper, and is a way of keeping the nest clean by ensuring that the chicks’ droppings don’t foul it
The Tsalala lioness and her daughter move past a journey of giraffes and a herd of impala in the distance. The lions had just come off a kudu kill so were full bellied and not interested in hunting.
Swainson’s spurfowls are seen perched up on vantage points far more than the other spurfowl or francolin species we get here. Their raucous call is usually only given first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening.
A chinspot batis nest, discovered by ranger Jess Shillaw. The female is the one on the nest (the female is the one with the actual chin spot), while the male is flying off behind. He has been feeding her while she broods the eggs.
The same nest in the sighting during which it was discovered. Look closely in the background below the nest and you can see the form of the Tsalala lioness lying in the sands of the Manyelethi River.
Summer is a time of wallowing. Pans fill up and water is ubiquitous. Soaring daytime temperatures also mean that animals want to keep cool, and one can regularly find the larger creatures like rhinos, buffalos and elephant making good use of the mud as a covering.
One of the Birmingham males charges towards where the Ntsevu pride had just killed a duiker. He didn’t manage to get anything though as the kill had just been appropriated by his brother. Irritatingly I cut off his tail and back foot while panning with him; he ran close to the vehicle and I was zoomed in way too much.
The Tsalala young female grooms her paw in tandem with her mother lying behind her
The male lion situation is getting interesting, with at least three coalitions having mated with Ntsevu females over the last couple of weeks. We have also been seeing a few itinerant young males, like this the one, not territorial and essentially nomadic. I stand to be corrected but this looked like either the Styx or Mhangeni young male.
Ranger Nick Sims, Tracker Life Sibuyi and guests enjoy an amazing sighting of wild dogs, with the pups of the pack coming closer to investigate the Land Rover.
A young hyena bypasses a pan while on the scent trail of something. Simply following a hyena that is sniffing around is generally a good strategy to adopt if one wants to find big cats in the bush. The hyena will often lead you straight to one.
Summer is a time for the small creatures to emerge, like this flap-necked chameleon that was crossing the road. A great spot by tracker Andrea Sithole and a hasty swerve prevented a very flattened chameleon being the outcome.
The Ntsevu pride are splitting more and more. On the afternoon following this sighting the pride had split three ways, all hunting in different directions.
The four cubs were left all alone in a Tamboti grove as evening fell, seemingly very exposed. Thankfully all four were found alive and well the next morning, feeding with their mothers on a waterbuck kill.
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Stunning pics this week. Love the birds. Great pic of the Birmingham male.
James, I loved all the photos, I saved the drongo, the Swainson spur fowls, I also saved the nest, also saved the lion with the big yawn🤗
That’s Young Male is the Styx Male. All the Mangheni Young Males have died. The Birmingham Males sons, the Styx and Nkuhuma Young Males, formed a coalition and recently went nomadic. Also, you said the Nstevu females have mated with 3 coalitions. I believe it’s only the infertile lioness who has done this, am I correct? The other 5 females have only mated the 2 Birminghams who in that picture looks in incredible condition.
Thanks Zaahid, apologies, I was meaning Nkuhuma or Styx.
How beautiful to see every morning with interesting information and glorious photography. How lucky are those guests to view close up …I need to open your Blog every morning first thing to remind me of the beauty and balance of nature in its glory….that’s what is really important not the other “fluff and stuff” …. you know what I mean. Thank you, James!
Amazing selection of photos James! That young male lion I believe is the young adult Torchwood Male (born in 2016 and fathered by the Birmingham Males) but it is hard to get a great look at his whisker spot pattern to tell for sure. Do you know what the sex ratio of the Ntsevu cubs are at this time or is it still unknown?
Love the chameleon pic.
Styx or NKUHUMA male! The Mangheni male is no more….They are looking great and we are hoping that they find the Torchwood male as they are actually 1/2 brothers/cousins with the Birmingham boys as their fathers….
The Tsalalas are looking so beautiful too
Apologies, Nkuhuma was what I meant…
Great selection of amazing pictures this week! I especially loved the diverse and interesting images of the various birds, and that lizard pic is FIRE!!!
Great pics this week, you can actually feel the pictures brimming with spring/summertime life! Loved the chinspot birds and the Chamaeleon especially!
I love your photos, James. The birds’ nests are so interesting; and the lion cub’s paw on the tree is just great. And you still have the wild dogs in your area. That’s fantastic!
Thoroughly enjoyed your photos this week. I understand about cutting off the Birmingham’s tail and leg during panning- it happens to the best! Really nice bird photos, perhaps one day I can manage some decent bird shots. Good to see guests!!
I am enjoying your Blog. The bird pictures were great. Thanks.
Such a lovely week in photos ….. thankyou James….loved every one of them….. beautiful…..
Just love all the birds this week !! Just loved your angel taken on the Ntsevu cubs paw. All fabulous and so interesting as always ..thanks James ❤️🙏
Loved the photo of the lion cub’s claws–incredible how sharp they look.
Great pics this week, thank you, I love those lion cubs. Regarding the cut off lion, I had a similar issue recently with a leopard. I had zoomed in too much while she was walking past the vehicle and managed to cut off her nose and tail. I ruined a totally perfect shot!
Pretty and powerful male!! (The Birmingham one).
Excellent picture.
wonderful pictures of birds I didn’t know!The week in pictures is always the bright spot of my Friday morning! Thankyou Victoria
Great variety of nesting birds!!