As we see some of the last of the cold misty mornings, the daytime temperatures are on the rise providing us with spectacular clear blue skies. This week we see a few images that illustrate that exactly, the fluffed-up impala and African Green Pigeons trying to keep warm. The misty sunrises across the Sand River. Or the warm golden afternoon light as a herd of elephants cross through the river or the Ximungwe Young Male looks up into a marula tree.
We see a fantastically diverse week with many different subjects all portrayed in a stunning way.
Let us know your favourite image in the comments section below.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
A female Bateleur took off just as I got my camera ready. The thin black band on along the trailing edge of her winges differentiates her from her male counterpart.
I always find it amusing when giraffes drink. From what appear to be the most graceful animals as they stride through the bushveld, they quickly become these lanky awkward giants as they spread their legs in order to bend down to slurp up a few mouthfuls of water.
The Ximungwe Female rest in the branches of a marula tree as the sun was setting in the background casting a stunning golden light onto her face.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
The sun rising over the Sand river on a frosty winter morning is always breathtaking.
Lying a few meters apart, we are still seeing the Ximungwe Young Male and his mother together every now and then.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
And when we do see them together it is all fun and games as they wrestle and play.
the particularly large buffalo had a certain debt collector look about him as the rest moved around quenching their thirst at a nearby waterhole.
As the sun was nearing the horizon the Nkoveni Female glanced over her shoulder at a herd of impala.
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.
Recognizing an opportunity to hunt, she dropped her head and flattened her ears all while fixating her gaze on the impala.
A herd of impala gathered together to alarm at the Nkoveni female as she walked by giving off a rasping territorial call shortly after sunrise.
As the last of the aloes finish flowering the sunbirds and insects will need to move on to find other sources of sustenance.
While enjoying a leisurely afternoon down by the river, not having to venture too far from camp, a herd of elephants gracefully waded through the water and surrounded our vehicle.
Lowering her trunk in anticipation of a drink the gorgeous afternoon light highlighted this female perfectly.
While we are on the bee train, this was a different perspective of a bee in flight. I lay down on the ground and got a shot of the bee from underneath as it was approaching the aloe flowers.
The Ximungwe Young Male plans his next move on his ascent up a Marula tree where his mother was feeding on an impala kill.
These two African Green Pigeons were perched on a branch, warming up in the morning sun. These birds are almost entirely frugivorous (fruit-eating) and in turn an important seed dispersers. These pigeons differ from the other seed-eating pigeons as they lack a muscular gizzard which means they can’t break down the seeds. Therefore the seeds from the fruit remain almost entirely intact as it passes through their digestive system.
The mother cheetah and her cub have been a relatively regular sighting over the last little while and have provided some unbelievable photographic sightings when they have been found.
Great selection of photos as always! Particularly the ones of the Nkoveni Female and bateleur. One thing, though on the photograph captioned as the Mashaba Female, it looks to me like it may be the Ximungwe Female. Any sightings of the Mashaba Female’s cubs lately?
Thank you so much, Michael. You are indeed correct. That was the Ximungwe Female. The Mashaba cubs have not been seen for a while but there have been signs of at least one that is still alive.
Favorite is Ximungwe Young Male plans his next move on his ascent up a Marula
Thank you so much, Sandra.
It’s just impossible to say which photo I like best. They are all so fantastic! The birds, the little bee, the beautiful leopards, the elephants crossing the river, the impalas in the morning light, the buffalos, the giraffe bending down to drink – the cheetah mum and cub… Thanks for sharing to all the photographers of these beautiful photos.
Thank you so much, Christa. I am glad you like them all.
Sean, wonderful pictures of the leopards of Londolozi this week.
Thank you so much, William.
Kyle’s beautiful cheetah photo wins it for me this week. 😍
Thank you so much, Marcia.
Favorite photo is the cheetah family. But best description is the buffalo with a “certain debt collector look about him.” Perfect
Thank you so much, Willa. Buffalo do have that almost debt collector look about them.
Loved the cheetah photo. They are always turning their heads and looking.
Cheetah are always wary of their surroundings and constantly on the look out.
Kyle, you superstar, you knocked it out of the park with the cheetah and leopards! But I really wish I had taken a picture like the one of the impala harem because it tells a real life story … you can almost feel the leopard silently slinking its way through the grass toward them!
Sean the female bateleur is my favorite for this week. It is certainly a fantastic foto as she takes to the sky. Thanks for pointing out the difference between male and female, for us it is difficult to differentiate between male and female of the birds. All other foto’s are absolutely stunning and deserve to be framed.
Thank you so much, Valmai. I am glad that this caption of the Bateleur will help you identify the different genders going forward.
Thanks to this week’s image contributors for all of the terrific photos, once again adding to the difficulty of choosing a favorite. After reviewing a couple of times, my favorite image this week is Kyle’s mother and son cheetahs, posing on the branch. The bee is my second favorite.
Thank you so much, Denise. That is a good choice.
Hello, all wonderful, if I had to choose I’d pick the buffalo and the cheetah this week for different reasons. I love black and white pictures and that buffalo does tell a story of mighty battles. Cheetah were the perfect posers for a perfect – or purrfect-picture
Thank you so much, Francesca. I also enjoy Black and White images, this buffalo looks great and looks as though he has been through a lot.
Thanks for a great set of images! Our favorite is Kyle’s shot of the two Cheetah! Also loved his sunrise image on the Sand River!
Thank you so much, Michael and Terri.
My vote is for Kyle Gordon this week. His quizzical up looking leopard definitely caught my eye, the cheetah cub sprawled like hanging on a clothesline was fun, but the Ximungwe young male with Mother playing not so nice is my Pic of the week!!!!
Thank you so much, Camille. Kyle has been taking some great shots lately.
Would love to be there right now! Amazing pics but my 3 faves are – starting with my favourite pic this week – the last pic of mum cheetah and her cub on the fallen tree followed closely by the stunning pic of the African Green Pigeons and the Ximungwe young male looking up the tree! The Bateleur taking off is also beautiful!! Great shots this week!!
Thank you so much, Carly. Those are three great choices.
The eyes of the Ximungwe Young Male captivated me as he glanced up the tree plotting his next move. Is the mother cheetah and cub the one that had a pair of cubs, and one was lost, or has this pair just been the two of them that we know of?
Thanks so much, Chelsea. This cheetah and her cub is the same pair that did have the two cubs originally.
The incredibly diverse and beautiful bird life in Africa continues to fascinate me. I have 2 New World parrots myself that I enjoy very much. The photos are stunning and I always learn something.
So many great photos!! Really love the sunbird photo for its colours and perspective. Thank you for all the photos!
Amazing compilation of photos! I find it very difficult choosing only one favourite!
Thank you so much Gawie. It can often be a difficult task to just choose one.
Another awesome TWIP set this week Sean. Starting off very strong with the stunning Bateleur capture, and ending with my favorites of late, the cheetah mother and her young male. Really wonderful!!