After three years of being a ranger here, and having ventured somewhat into the field of photography, it was time to contribute my first Week in Pictures…
The bird life in particular has been thriving recently, what with the abundance of smaller life in summer, and most of the scenes we come across have been emphasised by dark blue leaden skies and vibrant green grass.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
A pale Wahlberg’s eagle fluffs itself up on a dead tree. This eagle was grooming itself on this branch and quite possibly roosted there that night; often after they have groomed themselves birds will shake their feathers to get rid off any dirt and to help “re-zip” their feathers.
I recently wrote a post about this sighting. I love the sky and the Fork-tailed Drongo swooping right above the Elephant bull, heading to perch on the branch to wait for any flushed out insects. I like to lower the highlights to increase the sky’s definition.
Driving through the Maxabene drainage line (a riverbed that winds through the central parts of Londolozi) I heard the familiar call of a Pearl-spotted Owlet and then shortly afterwards the response of a juvenile. Looking through my binoculars, I spotted the fledgling hidden in a bushwillow. Young owlets are usually very secretive and will remain in dense foliage, being fed by its parents for up to 14 days.
A sub-adult from the Ntsevu pride subadult Lioness was found walking through tall grass. Notice the Impala rams in the background and how they had to lift their heads high as they watch her disappear.
The same lioness now walking through a clearing. I love layers in paintings or in photos so saw the opportunity to use the ancient Leadwood forest in the background to add a different layer to this photo.
A female Thick-billed weaver inspects the nest built by a male. When a female accepts the nest she will line it with soft plant material.
A Tawny Eagle overlooked by lowering skies. I have just started to paint with water colours and I really think it has an impact on how I see the landscape around me; I take in more details and see the natural world as a painting. The dead tree to me made this photo look like it was painted.
A Wood Sandpiper wades through a small waterhole immersing its head in the water to snatch up any aquatic creatures. Its feeding habit and reflection made it look like it is giving itself a kiss.
The Nkuwa female perfectly positioned to scan her landscape. With the long grass making it difficult for her to see, a Marula tree seems like a good vantage point. Hidden in the canopy she remained undetected.
A female (given away by her yellow eye) Saddle-billed Stork stands motionless, waiting for a fish to swim within range.
Male and female Ntsevu subadults brush each others’ sides as they walk along the road. Notice how different their eye colours are; the young male has paler sage green colour and the young female has more of a honey golden coloured eyes.
We have been very fortunate to have frequent viewing of the Ntsevu pride this week. I have touched on the grass length already, and it was more noticeable in this sighting. If you took your eyes off him he would be lost in the palette of green waves. There for only a moment…
A Goliath Heron stalking the shallows in the clean morning light. While hunting they walk through the water very slowly, taking only three or four steps a minute, making them easy to photograph.
Female weavers apparently accept the nests that males have constructed based on structural strength rather than neatness or appearance. If a male builds one that doesn’t quite meet the standards, he has to tear it down and start again…
Fantastic pics Jess. Love the goliath heron and wood sandpiper.
Jess, I loved all pictures, especially leopard in the tree, owl in tree, Goliath Heron, saddled bill stork🤗
Great first TWIP. I loved the heron and weavers.
Dear Jess,
Congratulations for your 1st TWIP!
Beautiful pictures!
Well done and keep it up!
Beautiful and beautifully framed photos this week. Thanks Jess.
Lovely TWIP, Jess – think you’ll be doing a lot more of them!
Great photos Jess. Especially the birds 🙏🏻💕 Interesting that the male lions eyes have a green hue to them rather than the golden eye coloring …never knew that.
Jess, Nicely done. I enjoyed the presentation, my favorite was the Goliath Heron, as we have several varities of Heron’s in my home state of Florida
Beautiful pictures; I like the pictures of the young owl and the Goliath Heron especially.
These don’t look like beginner’s photos to me, Jess.
Color contrast is fantastic!
Wonderful photos Jess. Thank you. The reflections are ultra special …
What a lovely variety of photos !! loved seeing so many birds I have not seen at Londolozi! Always fun to see lions and leopards!! Thank you Victoria
Your foto on the goliath heron is so beautiful with the shadow of the heron in the water. The little spotted owlet is so shy, reminds me of the spotted eagle owlet we saw in the open field behind our house. We also have a few thick billed weavers here by us. The male is much darker than the female. I love the two eagles, especially the wahlburg’s eagle, your foto’s are beautiful Jess. Why are the ntsevu lions colour eyes different from each other, is there a reason?
Lovely, lovely photos. I especially enjoyed the subtle, beautifully detailed backgrounds in several of them and the expression you captured of the wildlife and birds. Thoroughly pleasant.
Hi Jess! Could you confirm the sex ratio of the Ntsevu sub-adults for me please? I was told 7 males and 7 females but want to make sure that is in fact the case!
Congratulations on your first TWIP. You’ve put together a variety of images complimenting the large and small species found during your days out and about. The Goliath heron is especially stunning. Keep on clicking!
Jess, let me congratulate you for presenting your first successful Week in Pictures. Your writing, description and images were spot on. I loved your capture of the Nkuwa female in the tree and the Saddle Billed Stork always makes me shake my head in wonder while I stare at it’s beak. But the image that caught my breath was your Goliath Heron standing in the reflective water! Here’s wishing you further blogs and images to post in Londolozi’s blog.
It would be nice to see a bit more coverage of the fantastic birds that abound in the Londolozi bush, while out on game drives
So a female Saddle Billed Stork always have yellow eyes? That is really something awesome that I have learned. What is the color of the males eyes?
Wian they are black, and he has a yellow wattle hanging down at the base of his bill that the female lacks…
Wow, great first post on the Week in Pictures Jess!! I love all the birds, the thoughtful and artistic composition of your images, and the interesting captions! Brava, well done!!
Great first week in pictures for you! I enjoyed the weaver nest inspection and the sandpiper shots!