True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
A conversation I had recently reminded me the importance of living in the present. Luckily, living at Londolozi and being surrounded by nature, this is not too difficult.
Take for example sitting with a female leopard as she slowly begins grooming herself. She stands up, stretches and strolls past the vehicle as she commences a territorial patrol. You admire the beauty of her coat, you hear her paws crunch quietly on the sand, you are in awe of that leopard in that present moment. A sighting like this reminds me how valuable it is to submerge yourself in the present and enjoy what is unfolding around you.
Using photography I try to capture these moments so I may relive them, but also so that I can share them with people who will perhaps experience some of the wonder I experienced in the moment. I pick up my lens and capture exactly what is in front me. I capture a moment that helps me appreciate living in the present.
In this week’s TWIP I hope to transport you to Londolozi to experience some of the amazing moments I have been lucky enough to witness.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The Othawa male stares us down as the afternoon sun catches his face. He had taken a few minutes to rest before beginning to continue in the direction of the Mhangeni pride was found later that same afternoon.
A zebra rests upon a relative while staring straight at our vehicle.
This scene excites many as winter approaches; a misty morning with a beautiful sunrise from a crest.
The Flat Rock male is not seen as often as he once was. Having pushed his territory way northwards, we are seeing his southern counterparts far more frequently than we are seeing him.
It was a quiet morning but this sighting made our morning. We first saw the mother and this blog of grey on the ground. To our surprise it hoped up and this barely week old calve started running around it’s mother. We watched the relaxed pair for about 30 minutes, constantly giggling. Unbelievable sighting.
The Ximungwe female. Exciting news on this front as this female has recently been seen with a cub; finding her in the afternoon always holds the promise of her potentially heading back to a den, but sadly she didn’t on this occasion.
Audible from up to four kilometres away, Southern Ground Hornbills have an iconic booming call, which is used as a territorial and long-range contact call. Being a flagship species of the savannah biome, it is valuable indicator for natural and anthropogenic threats within its range. Seeing these birds should never be never taken for granted.
We are very lucky to have had many cheetah viewings as of late. This male has been moving around the more open areas and a mother and two cubs comes through regularly, which almost counterbalances the long grass which makes spotting them difficult. Almost…
It is not only the Ntsevu pride that continue to provide interesting dynamics. With three young coalitions being seen on and off throughout the reserve, roars all around are heard in the early mornings, which is exactly what led us to this young male.
Formerly known as the Giant Eagle Owl, the now-Verraux’s Eagle Owl has distinctive pink colouration of its eyelids.
The Nhlanguleni female stares into the distance. Frequently being seen in and around the Sand River where she is believed to be denning, sightings have been far more frequent than they used to be.
A gape to be reckoned with. A hippo bull warns us not to come any closer as he clearly displays his impressive teeth in a yawn which can measure 1.2 metres wide..
A white-backed vulture perches on a dead branch waiting for any scraps left from a wildebeest calve that a subadult Ntsevu lioness was feeding on.
Misty mornings. As the dry season settles in, these autumn conditions make for quite eery settings. Here a giraffe moves between knobthorn and marula trees.
The African Harrier-hawk often grabs one’s attention due to its size and prominent facial colouration. Known nest raiders, it is far more common to see them in dead trees (that harbour many hole-nesting birds) than in live ones.
The Othawa male again. These are exciting times as we are starting to view this male more frequently; he seems to be pushing his territory more and more into the central parts of Londolozi.
The Nkoveni female leopard sets the perfect scene on a late afternoon. With prominent suckle marks creating great excitement amongst the field team, it was only a few days later that her two cubs were found with her for the first time.
Probably one of my favourite images from the last seven days, seeing the intricacies of trunk, hairs, mouth and tusks.
All such gorgeous pictures.. I love seeing all of them, thank you for sharing these majestic animals.
Too beautiful!
Thank you.
What a wonderful world in pictures. Thank you Dean.
Thank you.
Great catch with the rhino calf!
Love the golden glow of late fall/early winter.
Thank you.
I find it fascinating to see Londolozi moving from fall into winter, while here in California we are moving from spring into summer.
Lovely TWIP, Dean, thank you. I’m very excited about Nkoveni having 2 cubs, let’s hope she can do as well as she did with Plaque Rock. I have a large canvas (from your studio) in my living room of Nkoveni and Plaque Rock (when she was about 6 months old) on the airstrip.
Lets hope so. Thank you.
Beautiful pictures this week. That look in the eyes of the Ottawa male!
Thank you.
OTHAWA…for some reason my iPad wants to call him the capital of Canada. 😂
Dean, I loved the leopards🤗
Thank you.
And the cheetahs🤗
Definitely the best job in the world, given the opportunity to view the flora and fauna of the reserve. Your photos took me right back to the sounds and sights I left just a week ago-oh how I’m missing my drives!!
Thanks Denise
Great pictures, Dean.
Thank you.
FANTASTIC TWIP!!! Loved all the pics! That baby rhino was probably my favorite just because he was so adorable! Thanks for some great ‘sightings’ from a distance!
Could be mine too.
You are so privileged Dean to be surrounded by the beauty that Londolozi presents with all the different animals there. How wonderful to be able to see, here, smell and touch nature at its best. Your foto’s are absolutely beautiful, each one tells a story and every animal has a special place in your heart. Being there brings peace and happiness and at the same time satisfaction seeing nature in all its glory. The flat rock male is my favourite male leopard. Thank you for your wonderful story and foto’s.
Thank you so much Valmari
Okay, so I’m going to be bias. – Being a cat lover, my first pick for this week, is the lions. As much as the Othawa male is massively much bigger and more “ferocious” than a domestic cat, at first look, I just see an over grown kitty. Second of course, is the two female leopards.
For me personally, I have a cat that’s 5/8’s Savaanah. She has facial features of a TRUE Lioness. Although she is now 4 years old, I see amazing comparisons in her to that of the Female Leopards and the Cheetah, yet most of all, the Othawa male. Some of her behaviors are very similar to a male lion, even though, (due to her past history) she doesn’t growl and RARELY purrs, and she’s not keen on “raw” food. BUT!, Her MAIN instinct IS HER swat! It’s JUST LIKE that of a lion! Put your finger in front of her, and her eyes squint and her paw spreads and it comes FLYING at you SWIFTLY!
Comparatively, it’s so amazing to see how you captured the picture of the Othawa Male, Dean! – It amazes me how I actually have a “domesticated” Savaanah, when I can see her “foreign legacy” out in the wild! (hahaha – She’d be an hordeorve to the Othawa or Burmingham male! .. despite her lioness features. 🙂 ) If Sage had the opportunity, she’d EASILY put the lions into a state of confusion if they were to walk side by side, as she even WALKS like a MALE LION! All said, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed today’s “feline” pictures.
The energy that is captured amidst the bush surroundings of Londolozi makes my heart ceaselessly gravitate to a world I know I am to some day come visit (at minimum).
Thank you for your generosity in sharing your beautiful composition of sites with us for the week. It is so gratifying and edifying.
(You might find it “comical,” , as the shelter director had named the cat “Sage.”)
Great week!
Good job Dean! What’s up with the ostriches?
Still see them in the open areas. No chicks at the moment.
Well, you certainly did capture the wonder and magic! Breathtaking photos and lovely narrative. Thank you for transporting this one from California.
Thank you.
A wonderful group of photos. We always love just going out and seeing what is out there. Loved the hippo’s open wide stance. Londolozi is a fabulous place in which to learn about the world we never see at home! Thank you for sharing. Victoria
Flat Rock and Nhulanguleni and their two daughters were a family at dinner when I visited in Aug 2019….glad to see that both of them are doing well!
Wow!.. Ottawa Male in black and white is wonderful, really. You should sell it Dean de la Rey. I would like to purchase it.
Stunning photos Dean – indeed helping us to join in your “living in the moment”. Looking so much forward to being back with you all in late June.
You are so right Dean, living in the present is even more important for us all right now. What a great week of photos to make us relive the moment you enjoyed! Couldn’t be more apt for us, as today was my husbands 70th birthday and I had planned a surprise birthday present of a trip to Londolozi. However Malta will not allow us, so his surprise will have to wait…in the meantime we will look to the future and enjoy what we have in the present time !🙏🏻💗
Oh, that elephant close-up is stunning.
Dean some fantastic shots of the wildlife, but, like you, my favourite was the ellie – excellent shot. Thank you for sharing with us.
Elephant are always the best.
Stunning Week in Pictures Dean! It really is a brilliant survey of the wealth of wildlife at Londolozi. I was especially taken with your introduction regarding being present to the moment; not an easy task when you are also trying to capture the moment for posterity. Thanks for a great series of pictures, and bravo!!