Without a doubt this week has seen some great sightings of the large cats, where the Ndzhenga Males and Ntsevu Females have dominated the lion sightings. Having firmly moved in, the Ndzhenga Males are laying claim to the females and have apparently been seen mating with at least one female. If this is the case we could probably begin to expect some more lion cubs to be born in roughly four months.
The Three Rivers Female and her young male cub have also been seen a few times and provided great photographic opportunities. The cub is growing rapidly and its adventurous spirit makes the sightings that much more worthwhile.
The birdlife has also been a treat this week, from White-backed Vultures, Lilac-breasted Rollers to the Yellow-throated Longclaw, Marsh Owl and Wahlberg’s Eagle.
To top off the large cat sightings we enjoy a magnificent scene of a large male cheetah resting on a fallen marula tree.
The Summer greenery is still showing up strong and creating a fantastic green bouquet in most of the pictures.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
Now that they have claimed the territory, the Ndhzenga Males are infiltrating the Ntsevu Pride with the hopes of siring their own cubs in the coming months.
With the arrival of the new males in town, the Ntsevu Lionesses have taken a little bit of time adjusting to their presence, and now this one female has been seen alongside a male for the last ten days or so. Here she is lying in the long grass in a large clearing about 40m from the male.
The stunning colours of the Lilac-breasted Roller will never get boring.
Shortly after chasing a squirrel up this branch of a dead tree, the young male paused to sniff the branches of the tree.
Returning to South Africa in order to breed, the Wahlberg’s Eagle will often re-use the same nesting site for successive years.
A herd of impala run past the vehicle in a hurry to get to the top of the crest before settling down for the evening.
With all of the rain that we have had over the last couple of months, there are plenty of temporary waterholes that have filled up around the reserve. These have been welcomed by all animals big and small but especially larger species. This bull enjoyed the latter hours of the afternoon wallowing in an attempt to cool off.
The striking colouration of the Three Rivers Female amongst the lush green grass made for some stunning scenes.
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
The Three Rivers Female’s Cub has grown in curiosity, as it moved around ahead of its mother exploring.
After a beautiful drinks stop in the southwestern grasslands, we were lucky enough to come across numerous marsh owls flying around looking for rodents that were active after a day of rain. This one stopped on the road for a quick drink which was a unique sighting and a first for me.
Not letting her out of his sight, a Ndhzenga Male, followed the female as though he was her shadow for a good majority of the morning.
A very large herd of elephants casually moves through a large clearing feeding as they go.
We were lucky enough to join a sighting of this male cheetah holding a regal pose on a fallen marula just before he descended and began stalking a wildebeest calf that he had seen from this vantage point. Unfortunately for him the herd of wildebeest saw him from a distance away and he was unsuccessful in his endeavour.
Leading its mother down the road the Three Rivers Cub licks his lips and the bright pink tongue adds a new dynamic of colour to this picture.
In amongst bouts of rain, the sun would appear between the clouds, allowing this vulture an opportunity to dry off its wings.
Sniffing out a spot that a squirrel had been perched on just moments before this cub launched into the tree.
Now with a firm grip on a portion of Londolozi as their territory, the Ndhzenga Males scent-mark profusely as they move around, advertising that they are now in control.
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Fabulous photo of the owl, Rob!
It is such an amazing photo with the reflection.
Simply stunning, thank you!
Thank you so much, Francesca.
Sean, TWIP is again a wonderful recap of the beginnings of summer at Londolozi. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, William.
The owl drinking sounds like an interesting sight. I didn’t realize they drank water. I just assumed they got hydration from the blood of their meals, but glad to learn otherwise.
It must have been a very interesting sighting to watch. They can get most of their hydration from the fluids of the prey that they eat, but when there is abundant water around they are known to supplement this.
A very large herd of elephants is a masterpiece of understatement! I don’t think I have ever seen that many! What fun! I also loved seeing the rhino dozing in the cool mud. Of all the animals we see at Londolozi I don’t remember seeing very many rhinos. I know they are fairly solitary. The lilac breasted roller is my favorite of all birds. The colors on the leopards is quite bright, and the cub sticking out his tongue is marvelous ! Thank you for another week in pictures, we are expecting snow here this weekend. Thanks again. Victoria
The herd of elephants is such an amazing scene. Along with a lot of the other sightings. It is such contrasting weather here it is so hot at the moment.
Thanks to everybody who added photos to this blog. They are all great.
Thank you, Christa.
Great photo of the Roller! Love the positioning in the frame and the subtle softness of the edges. Almost looks like a painting. The marsh eagle with it’s reflection is another great capture. And of course that cheetah! Thanks.
Thank you so much, Marcia. Rollers are such stunning birds.
Gorgeous photos, as always……love that young cub of Three Rivers!
Thank you so much, Lisa. The Three Rivers Cub is so playful it was amazing to watch.
Lovely TWIP again (Tristan Cooke is a new name for me).
I think the 3 Rivers female is a granddaughter of the Sunset Bend female, which I guess accounts for her colouration? Roughly how old is her cub?
Thank you so much, Suzanne. Yes, that is correct in that she is of the Sunsetbend Lineage. Her cub is about six months old.
Hello Suzanne, yes I am new to the scene and will be part of the Londolozi Creative Hub. You’ll be seeing more of me in TWIP and the blogs and I look forward to meeting you soon 🙂
Loved TWIP Sean, you all just keep capturing the best of the bush.
So now that the Ndhzengas have infiltrated Londolozi, have they left the ladies of the Southern Pride and Styx in the property to the south? If so, then will another group of males fill the void? Sorry for all the questions but I find this movement fascinating…
Thank you so much, Denise.
It is an interesting one because one of the males has stayed further south and the males keep moving through there every now and then. If they stay away from there for long periods then it is inevitable that new males will detect that and likely move in to claim that territory and the females that come with it.
Hi Sean, such stunning foto’s this week of the leopards, lions, elephants and birds. Loved the leopards and the foto of the Three Rivers female in the green grass. Her cub is so beautiful. Always good to see elephants and there was a small one as well. Good to know that the Ndhzenga male lions are interested in the Ntsevu females and infiltrating there.
Thank you so much, Valmai.
I am worried about the young lion cubs already born to the Ntsevu lionesses! That could be a real issue soon if not already. Love the photos of my favorite living leopard, the Three Rivers female and her cub! He is adorable! Terrific TWIP again! Kudos, Sean Zeederberg and crew!
Thank you so much, Darlene. It could be an issue for the females that still have cubs. The hope is that they are able to keep them away from the males for the time being while trying to mate with the new males hoping to confuse them into believing that the cubs could actually be theirs.
Beautiful pics! Absolutely love the cheetah sitting on the fallen tree, and the male lion lying in the grass. Amazing!
Must have been fantastic to see those marsh owls!!
So many wonderful photos this week Sean! The first one of the lion in the grass really caught my attention. He looks so content and the grass so calming. And the owl photo…priceless. But all are beautiful. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Barbara. There were some great images this week.
Thanks for the TWIP, lovely again! Has the last remaining Birmingham male been seen recently? It sounds like a rather bloodless take over, which I quite like……..
Thank you so much, Irene. He was last seen about a week ago, and apparently looking in very good condition still. It has been a pretty blood event, thankfully.
Another bumper week Sean with stunning photos of the Three Rivers female and her gorgeous cub, the cheetah and the Rhino. The lush green grass certainly brings out all the beautifully markings and details. Still, I think the birds you have captured this week are magnificent..particularly the owl. What luck that was. Thanks to everyone and welcome to Tristan 🙏🏻❤️
Thank you so much, Cally. The colours at this time of year make photography amazing. The vibrance is stunning.
Great collection of photos Londolozi team! The Three Rivers Female shows she is a member of the Sunsetbend lineage for sure! Any idea who might be potential fathers of her cub? I know she was seen mating with the Maxims Male but has also been seen before with the Senegal Bush Male as well. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, Michael. The Three Rivers Female has that typical Sunsetbend Lineage colouration, the striking golden coat. We presume that it is the Maxim’s Male, he is the most likely. Hopefully, we can get a scat sample from the cub and from that we can confirm who the father is.
Sean, Great set of images (as always!). While we loved seeing the leopards and lions, the Marsh Owl with it’s reflection is super cool!
It was a great selection of images this week. The rangers are turning out some amazing images.
Cracking photo of the Three Rivers Cub