“An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment.” Sir David Attenborough
This quote felt close to home for me as it defines why I came to Londolozi in the first place and why I love what I do. An effort to pursue a passion of great curiosity and better understand some of the amazing animals that we share this wilderness space with.
Being out here allows one to quickly discover the finer details of every animals’ movements and behaviours, which perfectly ties in with the art of photography. Knowing the path each animal is likely to walk or when action could unfold can help so much in ensuring you are in the right place at the right time. Luck helps too but, as we know, that’s totally out of our control.
The images you take can create so much curiosity for the people viewing them. Where was the image taken? What is happening? How or what led to that moment? What will happen next?
Only you as the photographer will know the answers to these questions. And, as the photographer, we can all hope to inspire our viewers and keep them curious, and inspired by the natural world that we so readily get to enjoy here at Londolozi
All-in-all it was a fairly diverse week where I managed to capture a selection of images from elephant, zebra and giraffe to an African Fish Eagle, wild dogs and of course several leopards and lions. The wild dogs feature too and have moved their den again, however, sadly somewhere along the line, they have lost another two pups, bringing the count down to only four.
Enjoy this week in pictures…
Providing great game viewing over the last few months, the Senegal Bush Male snarls aggressively at a female leopard he had spotted in the distance.
Here is something a bit different from an editing perspective but I quite enjoyed it and feel it showcases the majestic horns of a Kudu bull.
Covered in the morning dew this stubborn little cub sat watching its sibling and mother walk ahead. After realising that this was unlikely to achieve the desired affect of getting its mother to stop, it trotted after to catch up.
Seeing a male lion walk through water is an incredible sighting, and a first for me. Pre-empting this we were able to get ahead of him and capture it head on. With golden light made it that much better as his paws splashed through the flowing Sand River.
The textured trees in the background create the perfect contrast, making it rather challenging to see this male as he stands out in plain sight.
A giraffe slowly passes the crest as the sun rises with a warm Amarula-coffee in hand.
The Senegal Bush Male’s rapid reactions helped him catch this scrub hare as it tried to flee to safety. The two nearly tumbled into the vehicle during the take down.
An iconic bird to Africa, the African Fish Eagle.
The slightest gap in the foliage of the tree allowed us a small window in to make eye contact with this cute cub.
Hearing the calls of another zebra stallion in the distance this zebra stands to attention.
Quickly becoming my favourite animal in the wild, the African Wild Dog, here one male stares into the distance while guarding the den site.
Two pups adopt the same pose as they look down from the mound as their siblings play beneath them.
A relaxed giraffe bull allowed us to capture the intricacies of its beautiful face, it is easy to see why this could be a common favourite animal for those that visit us.
An abstract photo of one of Africa’s giants. This photo, while only showing a portion of the animal, tells such a great story. Just by the feet, you can see it has been drinking, with the clear water mark half way up its shin. It signifies to me the high levels of water that remain at the end of the dry season which are fortunately due to the heavy rains at the beginning of the year.
Few words do this sighting justice. Getting to witness these tiny pups play and bond is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One can’t help but love this photo.
A buffalo in a waterhole is one of my favourite sightings. Often a herd of over 500 buffalo can pass by allowing you to sit there for hours watching them wallow in the mud and wade through the water.
After some patience, these two Plains Camp males crossed the Sand River into the central parts of the Birmingham Male Lion’s territory which is dangerous but daring for younger males like this.
A female leopard stares at a herd of impala just as the afternoon sun dapples her coat. After a long day of resting on a termite mound, the sun began to set and she began to get active but she was quickly noticed as bachelor herd of impala roamed past.
Fantastic TWIP! The photo of the elephant feet is quite special!
Fabulous photos, Dean! Looking forward to sharing in the experiences next month! Hopefully we will meet! 🥰
So sorry to her that two more pups were lost! Love the pics of the remaining ones though! The two pics of the male lions coming through the water are excellent captures! Thanks for sharing!
I truly enjoyed your photos this week, especially the more abstract images like the wet elephant legs. I find it fun to take liberties whilst shooting to create a more artistic picture. I’m so sorry to learn the pups’ numbers have dropped to less than 50% of the original litter but unfortunately that’s what happens. I always enjoy seeing your post so keep up with your informative blogs and photos.
I must say, I do enjoy these pictures this week. I’ve seen a leopard use a liver as a pillow and now to see pups use ellie dung as a pillow is priceless.
Dean your foto’s in this week’s TWIP is so special and jam packed with abstract foto’s and beautiful animals. Loved the leopard cubs and off course the Senegal bush male is my favorite leopard. Well now those two Plain camps males are very brave going into the Birmingham males territory. Fish eagle is gorgeous and is my favorite big bird. So sad to hear that there are only 4 puppies left. Hope they make it to adulthood. Loved the black and white foto of the buffalo in the water, stunning foto and lots of contrast.
Another amazing gallery!!
Cracking photos, wild dog pups and leopard cubs and the lion walking through water
Great week Dean. Fish Eagle and the lion walking in the water are favorites!
so sad you have lost 2 more wold dog pups. I loved the photo of the kudu horns. they are such majestic animals. I love it when you find. male with his family standing guard. there is nothing like a morning in the bush! thankyou for sharing! Victoria
Dean, Thanks for another set of fantastic images! We added the lone Lion in the river and the Senegal Bush Male photos to our “favorites”!
Amazing pictures, all of them. Somehow I love the elephant’s feet especially. They really seem to tell story about the animal.
Terrific photos Dean !!! Your patience certainly paid off, they are all simply fabulous 💖
Great photos, Dean. Is the last one Ndzanzeni? – and which are the 2 leopard cubs?