This week we have a diverse yet spectacular selection of images to showcase. From a stunning shot of the Tsalala Female hunting on the airstrip to a number of large elephants going about their business. Birdlife features strongly with a number of different but beautiful birds being seen all over the reserve.
The Ximungwe Duo are doing incredibly well with the young male gaining confidence with every sighting we have of him, venturing off and exploring a bit more by himself when he is left alone by his mother while she goes hunting. The Senegal Bush Male has not been as prolific as he usually is, I think we could probably put that down to him having expanded his territory drastically, now being seen north of the Sand River all the way south into Dudley. A great sighting of the Flat Rock Male in the north as he moved around on a territorial patrol.
The Sand River is a haven of activity at the moment, bringing so much life to Londolozi. A female Giant Kingfisher. perches along the banks overhead to a Nile Crocodile, both waiting for an unsuspecting fish to get washed down by the flow of the river into the jaws of the Crocodile or swim too close to the surface and get snapped up by the Kingfisher. And a stunning photo of a pale white Foam Nest Frog as it rests on a palm frond attempting to retain as much water as possible.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The remaining Tsalala Female stops to observe a panicked herd of impala fleeing ahead of her. This young female has so far exceeded anyone’s expectations and seems to be thriving. Hopefully, she can continue to stay out of the way of the myriad pockets of lions that are roaming the surroundings.
With summer in full swing at the moment, the warm humid weather has resulted in an abundance of insects out in the bush, some of which are flies that frustrate many animals out here. A large female elephant does her best to rid herself of the flies by spraying sand all over with her trunk.
The Flat Rock Male glances up at a marula tree in passing. One wonders if he’s thinking of how perfect a tree that would be to hoist a kill in!
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
A backlit male impala stands out as the inflorescence of the grass is illuminated by the golden light from the setting sun.
Female Saddle-billed Stork takes flight, presumably in search of a nearby waterhole to find its next meal, after perching in the sun.
A Ntsevu Sub-adult male stares deep into the lens.
The Sand River brings an abundance of life to Londolozi, some of that comes in the form of many different species of fish. Here a crocodile awaits any unsuspecting fish to get washed down by the flow of the river into its jaws.
Frogs are incredibly sensitive to losing moisture through their skin. As a result, a few species have some interesting adaptations to reduce this moisture loss. By turning their skin white and adopting a huddled up posture to reduce the surface area exposed to the air they can reduce the amount of moisture they lose.
The Ximungwe Female and her cub, almost a year old now, drink from a small pan. A more still day may have resulted in a better reflection but conditions can’t always be optimal.
I love the feeling of being surrounded by a herd of elephants as they meander along slowly. This docile female fed quietly off to the side of the vehicle and allowed us to spend an intimate moment with her.
This summer we have seen a large number of cuckoos, here a Great Spotted Cuckoo rests on a fallen tree before being chased off by a Burchell’s Starling. The Great Spotted Cuckoo is a brood parasite of the Starling and the reason behind the aggression shown towards this bird.
A female kudu listens attentively. Kudus spend a lot of their time in thick areas and they rely on their large ears to listen out for danger up ahead.
With a diet consisting of aquatic and terrestrial insects, worms, molluscs, fish and frogs, Wood Sandpipers are often found along the edge of small waterholes and pans as they search for their next meal.
The Senegal Bush Male rests in a large marula tree with a very full belly.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
A female Giant Kingfisher with her rufous belly, perches in a small matumi tree on the edge of the Sand River, scanning for her next victim.
Hyena cubs are very inquisitive. This little hyena was hesitant to approach the vehicle at first, as time passed though, he grew bolder and ended up giving us a close inspection.
A group of female Ostriches moves through the open grasslands as the sun approached the horizon, highlighting the hair on their necks along with the long grass surrounding them.
Yellow-throated longclaws are very unique birds. At first, when viewed from behind they blend into the grass but as they turn around they reveal their magnificent golden throat and chest.
Some stunning shots – well done team !!
Thank you so much, Mike.
Great pictures selection Sean! Animals life comes out of them. Great bird selection- have you seen the former lone ostrich female? I never saw a frog like that, stunning. It’s always a pleasure to see the Tsalala female and the Ximungwe duo! The subadult lion, the Flat Rock male and the kudu female have very intense expressions. The female elephant is touching. Thank you
Thank you so much, Francesca. It is difficult to identify the individual ostriches, so we are not too sure if any one of the females that we have been seeing is in fact her. It would be so great if we were able to track her movements and know where she has been.
Love all the photos! Especially the close up of the elephant, so much texture! Brilliant shot! The hyena cub was super cute as well!
Thank you so much, Debra. Elephants are great to photograph. There is so much detail and texture.
First of all I loved the picture of the Leopard you call the Senegal Bush Male. He will always be Kunyuma to me. He was just a baby with his brother Quarantine Male with mom Karula, when I first watching the Safari’s. My question today is the photo of Ntsevu Sub-adult male, is that a blind that I see in his eye?
Thank you so much, Mary. We only know him as the Senegal Bush Male, as that was the information we were given by Panthera, who do all the record-keeping of the large cats within the Sabi Sand Wildtuin when we first started seeing him here. No that is a reflection of the vehicle in the Ntsevu Sub-adult’s eye.
Excellent TWIP today! Love to see both the Flat Rock and Senegal Bush males – it seems that it’s been awhile since they’ve been pictured. And the Yellow-throated longclaw and Giant Kingfisher are pretty amazing. Looking forward to seeing them both in April!
Thank you so much, Mary. It was great to see the Flat Rock Male and Senegal Bush Male. They have been fairly scarce and so haven’t featured as a result of that.
Beautiful photos!
Thank you so much, Lisa.
Sean, another great TWIP, that captures the many different species of Londolozi. Thanks for this update.
Thank you so much, William. there really are so many amazing things to take photos of here.
Always happy to see the Tsala female alive and well, and good to see the mother cub and her cub. I love the variety of kingfishers you have. I mostly remember the one that hangs att tu kind the hippo pool near the camp, but the variety is simply marvelous. I know I have never see the yellow throated bird, we don’t always pay attention to the birds. Next visit I will pay attention. The crocodiles terrify me and I am always nervous crossing the sand river, but it great to see the summer arriving! We on the other are in the midst of winter and snow in a state that has no idea what todo with it! Thank you for btt try brightening up my day. Victoria
It is great to see just how well the Tsalala Female is doing. We do have a number of different Kingfishers that are all stunning. We are loving the summer at the moment, everything is looking beautiful.
Magnificent pictures. Love the one of the saddle-billed stork.
Thank you so much, Christa. That photo of the Saddle-billed Stork is great.
Sean, We are loving the artistic chances you and your team are taking! The b&w closeups of the Ntsevu Sub-adult male and the Kudu are exceptional. We also enjoyed Dean’s on-point Crocodile – the markings would make an incredible print for a shirt! And it looked like we could see the reflection of Nick’s vehicle in the eyes of the young Hyena! Great shots for sure!
Thank you so much, Michael and Terri. It is so great to try a few different editing styles and techniques. Some work and others don’t, but you will never know unless you try.
You’re right Sean, it’s a week of varied and fantastic images. I loved seeing “ my favorite girl”, Tsalala looking so well on the airstrip. As long as she keeps her head down, she’ll hopefully avoid danger. Since she’s close to mating age, which male could be a good candidate for her?
Loved Dean’s photo of the Croc in the causeway and your Senegal Bush male relaxing with a full belly.
I’m looking forward to Sunday’s virtual safari-see you then.
Indeed a varied week, so many different subjects and styles being used. The Tsalala Female is doing so well, and as long as she avoids the other lions I am sure she will be fine.
She is still at least six months away from mating so a lot could change in that time. Right now she will probably try to mate with the Northern Avoca Males as well as the new Ndhzenga Males. I wouldn’t be surprised f she even tried to mate with the Plains Camp Males.
Hi Sean, no exception this week in the diverse animals on showcase today. Magnificent foto’s of the leopards, the Flat rock male ,Senegal Bush male and Ximungwe duo are my favorites. Tsalala female is coping extremely well all on her own. Cute pic of the hyena cub. The adaptation that some frogs make to keep the moisture in their body is very interesting. Also how they change colour. Great pic of the Ntsevu male lion’s half face and that eye that stares right at you, in very intense.
Thank you so much, Valmai.
Some super photos – and great to see the ostriches
Thank you so much, Ian. The ostriches are great to spend time with and amazing that there are a fair few around now considering a few years ago there was only one.
Wonderful post! Did anyone else notice that the photo of the yellow throated long claw looks as though she is sitting on a carved profile of perhaps some mythical cat?
Super photos Sean and the Londo team! Loved the close up of the Eli but particularly the birds this week. Can’t say I have ever seen a Yellow Throated long claw..what a wonderful bright yellow breast. By the way how did the ostrich chicks fair this year..did many make it to adulthood. Thank you all for a great Selection
Thank you so much, Cally. The birds were spectacular this week. The Long-claw is a stunning bird but often goes unnoticed.
Beautiful birds, and interesting about the frogs turning themselves white.
Brilliant TWIP Sean and team! Continually amazed by your passion and skill!!
Thank you, Paul. It is such a privilege to be able to spend so much time out here and enjoy every second of it.