Thunderstorms, swarms of insect activity, rolling clouds, the big, the small, the fierce and the docile, this week shows it all.
The first nod is to the next generation of nine ostrich chicks, the seventh generation since the initial female found love after three years alone. And to see last year’s clutch thriving with at least five still alive.
The summer migrants are back, and the elephants and giraffes and thriving with the new leaves bursting through. and the predators are living up to their name with the leopards featuring in a few amazing sightings.
The Senegal Bush Male and Nkuwa Female mating, the Ntomi Male seemingly doing well. The Nkoveni Young Females are about to be renamed and the Three Rivers Young Male growing into a fine young male leopard.
Enjoy this week in Pictures…
Let us know your favourite image in the comments below.
Now known as the Ntomi Male, This young male has been spending time in central Londolozi where he has been chancing his luck at hunting impala. In this particular sighting, he had just had a go at a large herd and missed causing an eruption of alarm calls, which is how we found him.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
Just five minutes after leaving camp we bumped into this young elephant bull who was trailing behind the rest of the herd at sunrise. Keagan and his guests sat there enjoying the elephants and the sunrise – what a way to start the day!
The newest additions to the ostrich lineage cruise through the open grasslands with the adults shepherding them along.
The Nkuwa Female strolls across the Londolozi airstrip in the late afternoon light.
One of two sisters born to the Nhlanguleni Female, both of whom made it to independence, the first intact litter to do so in 7 years.
After a warm humid day, storm clouds building on the horizon, a large male giraffe filled his belly with the new fresh succulent leaves of a marula.
As the afternoon light turned gold, the Nkuwa Female, in the company of the Senegal Bush Male, stood up and began to entice him into mating.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
Five young ostriches from last year’s clutch traipse through the grasslands backlit by the setting sun.
A young elephant calf nursing from his/her mother while she feeds. The bond between a mother elephant and her calf is so strong, with the youngster seldom leaving her side for the first few months of its life.
Wood Sandpipers are just one of the many species of migratory birds that have returned to a stunning Londolozi.
The Three Rivers Young Male is rapidly growing into a fine young male leopard.
Somewhat skittish after becoming independent, he is an impressive young male with a rich golden coat.
A large male elephant found an interest in us as he roamed the clearings while feeding in the morning.
The Senegal Bush Male was recently found having caught a zebra foal.
The long-standing hyena den site fairly close to the Londolozi Camps has been a banker sighting for some time now. The curiosity of the little ones keep us entertained for a while!
A buffalo bull with an impressive set of horns was somewhat of a roadblock as he was on his way to a nearby waterhole.
One of the Nkoveni Female’s cubs, who will soon be named, managed to kill a banded mongoose and carried it up onto a fallen marula tree.
A stunning young female with a very similar spot pattern to her mother, the Nkoveni Female. Litter still completely intact March 2022.
A Southern Ground Hornbill takes flight to catch up with the rest of the family feeding ahead of it.
A rather abstract view of a myriad of game paths left by the numerous animals moving through the area. Try and find the elephant…
We’ve had some fantastic sightings of a pack of eight wild dogs in all corners of the reserve recently. The high tempo these predators operate at, keeps us on our toes and often comes with a fair amount of action.
Finding a chameleon on the ground can be a delight to a photographer. These complex and detailed animals thankfully ramin fairly still allowing us to get out the macro lens and get a little closer look.
The highly detailed skin, packed with chromatophores or colour-changing cells is designed to help the chameleon blend into its environment, regulate temperature, and express mood as opposed to mimicking its surroundings.
The eyes of a chameleon fascinate me, operating independently the chameleon has a field of view nearly as wide as 360 degrees (180 degrees horizontally and +/-90 degrees vertically), due to unique eye anatomy and an ability to transition between monocular and binocular vision.
October TWIP Photographer Winner…
Thank you to all of you who voted for your favourite images throughout the month of October on our blog and as well as Instagram – we have a winner… Our TWIP Photography competition happens over the course of every month and relies on your votes – our blog and social media followers. The winner of every month gets to draw a prize/voucher out of a hat for all the energy, patience, skill and passion they needed in order to get “the shot”. We are thrilled to keep sharing some amazing photographic content with you every week. Make sure to vote every week for your favourite picture.
Now onto the winner for October – Congratulations to Kate Arthur for this stunning image…
Probably my favourite photograph from the afternoon. The way she gracefully positioned herself on the fallen branch made me think that she may have used this tree for a rest before…
Where are all the lions? 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed the range of photos again this week, especially seeing how well the resident leopards are doing. It will be great when the Nkoveni girls finally have names. Rumor has it that one will receive a name based on a place in Londolozi and the other from MalaMala.
So my favorite image this week is the chameleon – especially the eye close-up, but the little elephant in the midst of suckling from mom was a close runner-up. Terrific images everyone!
All so very beautiful and very difficult to choose. However the giraffe with the stunning storm clouds in the background is my first choice and then the close-ups of the chameleon. Nothing like my Africa.
Thank you so much, Babs. The colours on the clouds behind the giraffe and the overall scene were stunning. I loved photographing the chameleon, being that close and seeing all the details were fascinating.
Morning Sean! The detail of Chameleon photos is a standout for me, while i love the photos of the 3 rivers young male behind the dead tree & the aerial photo of the game paths in use!
Thank you so much, Gawie. The chameleon was so stunning but I am glad you also liked a few other images.
I like the ‘chilled out’ look on the face of the Three Rivers Young Male and the relaxed form of his body. All the photos are great. Well done.
Thank you so much, Ian.
Hi Sean, my favorite this week is the Three Rivers male leopard. He is a stunning young male and will soon be receiving his own new name. I love the way he puts his right front paw on the log. Lots of gorgeous foto’s this week, thank you so much.
Thank you so much, Valmai. The Three Rivers Young Male is a handsome young male.
The picture I like most is the Southern Ground Hornbill. Capturing a bird in flight is difficult at best but getting the picture in perfect focus is spectacular. Great job, thanks for TWIP Sean.
Thank you so much, William. I agree, capturing a bird in flight is a challenge and the Southern Ground Hornbill shot is great.
Love the chameleon photo as well the superb leopard photography
Thank you so much, Ian. It was great to spend time with the little chameleon.
You put too many great pictures each week! It’s too hard to pick up one. As soon as I read of the ostrich family I was sooo happy for them, and loved their pictures! Also the once leopard cubs that have become gorgeous young adults. The ground hornbill is superb, you see all the complex details of this colourful bird. Also the sandpiper picture has a lovely play of colours and reflections. This time I think I’d choose the Senegal Bush male with its prey. There’s a dramatic contrast between the large predator in all his handsome might and the innocent small young prey lying on the tree trunk, perfectly enhanced by the sunlight like a torch, making it a dramatic scene.
Thank you so much, Francesca. There were some great shots this week.
Fantastic photos! Wow, the details of the chameleon are stunning.
How wonderful that the young ostriches are doing so well. I also love the photo of the ground hornbill. The colors of these birds, especially when you can see the white feathers as so beautiful.
And of course the amazing amount of beautiful leopards: they all look in great shape.
I like the photo of all those animal paths from above and also the beautiful photo of sunrise and the elephant.
The photo of the animal paths seems to show quite a dry landscape. Though I guess that you had a fair amount of rain this year so far?
Thank you so much, Christa. We have had some rain but in some areas more than others and the new growth there is not as evident as elsewhere.
Oh goodness those were all so wonderful. Favorites are the Southern Ground Hornbill in flight and the chameleon – that is just amazing! Nice to see the Ostrich chicks maturing.
Thank you so much, Kara. Those are some great choices. It is a challenge to catch a bird in flight and Kate did so well to get this.
Oh my! Such an incredible array of photos this week. Love all the leopard shots with news that they are thriving. Sean’s chameleon pics made me laugh, but his giraffe standing tall against the beautiful sky wins my favorite vote this week. PS. This kind of voting is so much more pleasant than Midterms in the US!!!
Thank you so much, Camille. The chameleon was entertaining to photograph and I am so glad that some turned out well. I am sure this voting is slightly more pleasant.
Great pics this week. My favourite is the little chameleon walking on the ground.
Thank you so much, Carly. The shots of the chameleon turned out so well.
Thought for sure I’d vote for a leopard pic as they are all so amazing but I have to cast my vote for favorite pic as the chameleon on the ground…how cool is that!!
Thank you so much, Lori. It was so amazing to see the chameleon on the ground and to spend time there trying to get a few decent pics. I was so happy with how some turned out.
Loved the giraffe feeding with the dramatic sky in the background, the chameleon pics and all the leopard photos. Because of my love for the Three Rivers Female, I must pick the beautiful shot of her young son by the fallen tree as my favorite. He is a beautiful specimen and huge for his age!
Thank you so much, Darlene. That is a great shot of the Three Rivers Young Male.
Ntomi male is my fave always…so handsome! Sean’s bull pic is awesome, as is Chris’ mom and baby. Hyena babies also adorable. And love the sky with the giraffe in Sean’s shot. Sadly I cannot find the Ellie in Sean’s arial view…even with my glasses! 🙁 Hopefully you will point him out next week?!
Thank you so much, Anita. Those are some great choices. I’ll give you a hint, the elephant is in the lower left quarter, walking to the left.
Found him! Thanks for the hint!! Have a great week!
Great, I am glad you could find him. Have a lovely week too.
My favoured image is the chameleon’s eye. It is so special and intense. The first chameleon image also is wonderful as it shows the unique way of movement the animal has. And the sleeping leopard on the tree! Leopards sleeping on a tree always look so elegant and relaxed as if they live and enjoy their best life there
Thank you so much, Ulrike. The chameleon was so fun to capture in these photographs.
Loved the macro detail of the chameleon this week. And I found the elephant in the drone image, but I had to zoom in to find it. Reminded me of reading Where’s Waldo? As a kid. Also glad for the ostrich update. At what point will the youngsters from last year disperse and look for mates of their own?
I am so glad you managed to find the elephant; it is pretty tricky. Where possible we will try a few more of those. They should be dispersing soon. The males become sexually mature at three years old and the females at two years old.
I imagine you had much fun with the chameleon sequence!
Just getting uesd to the “Ntomi”male; now preparing to remember the new names for the Nkoveni Young Females, and the Three Rivers Young Male.