Looking through this week’s diverse and remarkable selection of images – one can begin to see the flush of green making an appearance as the new shoots of grass push through the desiccated growth of last summer. The contrast of dry tawny brown through to bright green makes for some great photography opportunities, and of course, the wildlife came to the party too.
Predators definitely feature strongly this week with some great shots of leopards, lions and their cubs. We were fortunate enough to have had a rare sighting of a mother cheetah and her two very young cubs. Cheetah cubs are incredibly special to see and something definitely worth raving about. They were found in the far southern parts of the reserve, but are extremely hard to find due to the way they blend into the grass so well – making them camouflage.
We are also thrilled to announce the introduction of 14 Ostrich chicks, we can confidently say that this week’s theme should be along the lines of all the ‘new life’ with the amount of offspring which feature in today’s post.
We had some great contributions this week from Jess, Robbie, Chris, Kyle, and Barry, who are all upping the photographic game at Londolozi.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The Ximungwe Female’s young male cub is drawn into a rustle in the grass. He soon discovered that it was a terrapin walking through trying to find a puddle of water. We all could not hear it but only saw what was happening by following his gaze. I love taking photos of this cub as he has the most beautiful eye spot in his left eye, making him so unique.
Wading through a small waterhole this Saddle-billed Stork is on the prowl for any treats hidden in the mud; crustaceans, tadpoles, frogs and small fish.
The Cub of the Ximungwe Female peaks over the branch of a tree in which his mother had stashed an impala carcass. It is usually the spot patterns that we use in order to identify the individual leopards, however, in this situation we can clearly see the birthmark in the cub’s left eye helping to confirm that it is in fact him.
Dainty yet deadly. The paws of a leopard appear delicate and gentle, but beneath the surface is a set of fiercely sharp retractable claws that can be sprung into action in a split second.
A Sub-adult Lioness from the Ntsevu Pride pauses after quenching her thirst.
A watchful mother cheetah keeps an eye out for any danger while she and her two young cubs feed on an impala ram she had just caught.
A playful and inquisitive cheetah cub abandoned the long grass, where its long fur aids its camouflage, to investigate what was on the road.
It’s all fun and games amongst young lions. Not really a worry in the world when mum is around. They know they are safe, have food on tap, and the best playmates one could ask for. Here two cubs chase each other up and down, tackling and wrestling with each other.
The two Plains Camp Males scan the surrounds for any sign of intruders that may have been drawn in by the ruckus of them taking down an injured zebra.
A portrait of the Ximungwe Female as she perches upon a fallen tree. Her mischievous cub playing in the grass nearby caught her attention.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
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A Pied Kingfisher hovers against the backdrop of a crystal-clear blue sky. Head held dead-still fixated on any small fish beneath, to which the Kingfisher will dive down beak first in an attempt to catch the fish.
The Ximungwe Female perches atop an old fallen Knobthorn in the late afternoon light.
The newest addition to the Ostrich family are 14 tiny chicks, shepherded by both parents through a fresh flush of green grass after some very recent rains.
During territorial patrols, leopards will seek out prominent features such as trees, bushes, shrubs, stumps, rocks in which to leave an olfactory indicator to any passers-by that there is in fact a dominant leopard in the area. Here the Nweti Male makes use of a marula tree that had been pushed over by an elephant as the perfect spot on which to rub the scent from glands in his face.
He is a large, tall, and long male that has an incredible coat and a tuft of hair on his neck
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In the efforts to keep this carcass out of the reach of the opportunistic jaws of hyenas, the Nkoveni Female works out the best angle for hoisting a sizeable impala kill into a marula tree.
A gorgeous female who is found to the east of camp. Easily recognised by her 2:2 spot pattern she is often to be found in Marula trees.
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A while later, one of the Nkoveni Female’s Cubs gazes up at its sibling who was busy feeding on the impala carcass. Highlighted beautifully by the morning light catching its coat!
A very impressive looking Plain’s Camp Male gazes at a few hyenas in the distance, who had come to investigate the smell of zebra carcass that these males were responsible for.
Roughly three weeks old, one of the newest additions to the Ntsevu pride, snarls at its siblings who were busy suckling. Fierce, but cute!
The strikingly vibrant bill of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker stands out on a bird that is otherwise very drab bird.
Capturing a gentle moment with this giant. This female elephant was resting while her calf suckled. The soft light made this a perfect moment to get a shot of her eyes in the light.
Stormy Sunset. As the clouds rolled over the land, there was a brief moment when the sun managed to break through creating this gloomy look that was emphasised by the dead Knobthorn tree.
A Ntsevu Sub-adult Male drinks from the Sand River. The dappled light fell perfectly on his golden eyes, emphasising how special this scene was.
Hi Sean these foto’s are stunning especially the leopards ones. That young Ximungwe male cub with the spec in his eye, is really a stunning leopard. Loved the foto’s of the three lions cub, so gorgeous indeed. My goodness 14 little ostrich chick’s, that is so cute. Ntsevu male sub-adult is going to be a majestic lion when fully grown.
Thank you, Valmai.
Wonderful TWIP!!! Fantastic photos. Loved the cheetah cubs, lion cubs and the leopard cubs. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Darlene.
Amazing photos! All of them. Thanks!
I love the oxpecker.
And obviously, it’s baby-time at Londolozi. Aren’t they cute, the little cheetah cubs, the young lions, the ostrich chicks and the Ximungwe Female’s adorable young male cub? His gaze is indeed special and he is such a good-looking cub.
I wish I was there to see them all again, adults and youngsters, lions and leopards and elephants and birds and….
It is indeed seeming like it is baby-time here. There is so much young life around, and probably more to come in the near future too. Hopefully, you will be back again soon Christa.
I can’t believe the beauty and variety of this week in pictures! So many big cats and cubs… and beautiful birds included ostriches that are among my favourite. Great elephant eye and landscapes shots. The big cats pictures have something special especially the ceetah cub… a real treat!
Thank you, Francesca. The variety this week was great to see with so many youngsters around at the moment.
What a fantastic display of photos this week team Londolozi! Ostrich chicks, so good to see again, and fingers crossed they make it to adulthood. The photos of the cheetah and leopard cubs were especially good to see , but I must say I was most taken by Jess’s elephant image, that soft, gentle light framing her gaze into the unknown. Elephants are expressive and this photo proves it in my humble opinion. Thanks everyone for sharing!
Thank you, Denise. It is indeed a great selection this week. Jess’s elephant shot is fantastic.
Looks like Canon is dominating the photography scene with some great shots! And also the mirrorless Canons are beginning to be prolific! Nice Kingfisher Kyle and we are ever so hopeful that the Ostrich family chicks survive!
Bob and Lucy, yes Canon seems to be the ranger’s choice out here at the moment. Mirrorless is certainly going to be the way to go soon if not already.
Wow, great week in pictures . Catching the cheetahs was super special, thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, William. It was super special indeed.
Lots of cats and many younguns Sean. Beautiful shots of all of the wildlife seen on the drive. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Leonie. This week was filled with cats. Many of which all have cubs of varying ages now.
Beautiful. My favorite this week would definitely be the cheetah and her beautiful cubs (and the graceful looking elephant).
Thanks, Carly those are some good choices. Cheetah cubs are the cutest.
Another fantastic TWIP- with special cheetah cubs, amazing. And the leopard cubs seems to do it very well- Ximungwe young male is so exciting. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Jutta.
Sean, we agree with you that the Ranger team is elevating their game with these incredible images. It’s very exciting to hear about the ostrich chicks. We remember when there was just one lonely ostrich on the whole Londolozi property! Our favorite shot is the last one of the Ntsevu Sub-adult male at the watering hole. Beautiful lighting and perfect timing Jess!
Thank you so much, Michael and Terri. The Ostrich chicks are very exciting we will try our best to put a story out on them soon.
Love that little cheetah! Great news about the ostrich family…
It is such great news all around.
Hi Sean, I loved all of these photos, they are just fabulous. My favourite is the mother elephant, she really touched my heart. Thanks to you all.
Thank you, Barbara. The mother elephant is a great choice, she is a favourite of mine too.
I’m a little behind on the blog, but boy was it worth waiting till I could spend time enjoying this week in pictures.
Incredible photos and congrats to you all. Spectacular leopard shots, particularly of the Ximungwe female and her very handsome cub! Can’t pick a favorite as they are all tops but just wonderful to see the baby ostriches and the cheetah cubs. Very special indeed. Thanks you all 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you so much, Cally. It was indeed a great photographic week had by all. Glad it was a good way for you to get back into the blogs.
What a terrific bunch of photos this week! Each one better than the last. So glad to see cheetah cubbies! And is there any possibility that Nweti male is related to Nyelethi male? His legacy seems to be those jaguar-like spotted rosettes!