And just like that, we’re into the last month of 2022. Summer is in full swing, bringing with it dramatic afternoon skies, lush green vegetation, vibrant wild flowers and plenty of young animals. There can be a stigma attached to summertime safaris that suggests you’ll see less and be plagued with insects, heat and rain. I tend to disagree though. This time of year is humming with activity and new life to the point where you can even feel the energy of it all as you drive out of camp.
The sightings this past week have been nothing short of spectacular and I found myself spoilt for choice when deciding where to take my game drives. Arguably one of the largest herds of buffalo I have seen on Londolozi passed through the open areas a few days ago while another visit from the Birmingham Coalition on a stormy afternoon filled the earlier parts of the week. Then with the flush of new impala lambs and warthog piglets, the leopards have been capitalising on the easy prey with no less than seven different leopards being found with fresh kills since last week. The highlight for me though was seeing three leopards that I haven’t been able to find for quite some time; the Flat Rock Male was seen patrolling along our northern regions, the Thamba Male was found again with a hoisted impala, and the Xinzele Female, along with her female cub, also made a long-awaited appearance.
Enjoy this week in pictures…
Let us know your favourite image in the comments below.
Clash of the titans! Two buffalo bulls throw their weight around in the open areas of western Londolozi. The sheer force with which they collide with one another is incredible. These two were bringing up the rear of a herd of what we estimated to be well over a thousand buffalo.
The exquisite Purple Crested Turaco catches the sunlight on its crest. Photographing these beautiful birds is not an easy task as they tend to hide themselves in the tops of the denser trees. This one had just finished drinking from a small puddle which allowed us a fantastic view as it jumped up onto a low, open branch.
A mother elephant and her newborn calf. Ageing elephants can sometimes be a challenge but there was no doubt that this calf was just a couple of days old, at the most. Still a bit unsteady on its feet, the calf often propped itself up against the mother as they slowly moved over the open crest.
The Ximungwe Female yawns from the cover of the long grass. She had an interesting interaction with the Ntomi Male this week where she in fact led him back to a kill despite the two seemingly having been separated for the last two months or so now. They proceeded to catch another two warthog piglets and an impala lamb in the same area.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
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An early afternoon thunderstorm this last week left behind the most incredible light as it passed. We happened to find ourselves with the Birmingham Male under this golden sky accompanied by a glowing rainbow. I wonder what the future holds for this stalwart male lion?
Compared to years gone by, the Flat Rock Male has been seen a lot less recently. It seems that he has shifted his entire territory north of the Sand River and continues to expand in that direction, beyond Londolozi’s borders. The pressures of the Senegal Bush Male from the south will no doubt be a factor in this move.
A dominant male leopard over the majority of the north. He originally took over the 4:4 Male's territory when he died.
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A Vervet Monkey gets comfortable on a horizontal branch at the entrance to Varty Camp. While the monkeys in camp can cause a bit of trouble from time to time, they sure are fascinating to watch for a while as they dart between the trees and forage on the ground below.
A journey to the west gave us the opportunity to see the Thamba Male again. The last time I saw this leopard was towards the end of 2019 and since then, he has grown into a strong and dominant male.
From this image, it is quite evident where the ‘saddle’ part of the Saddle Billed Stork comes from. I have always enjoyed seeing these birds and as we start to dip deeper into the rainy season, they seem to be appearing more and more often.
We spent a phenomenal morning with the Xinzele Female and her young female cub recently. It was only the third time I have seen this cub and it was great to see how relaxed she has become around us and the vehicles in the last month or so.
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
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The facial markings of the Bearded Scrub Robin are quite beautiful and I’ve tried, over the last couple of weeks to get this exact photo; a square-on portrait. We have a pair that are nesting on our veranda in the staff village and I have now spent quite a few hours watching and photographing them as they move to and from the nest.
An impressive buffalo bull, one that has featured in previous TWIP’s in fact, made an appearance again this past week. He is quite unmistakable purely for his size and holds quite an intimidating gaze when he wants to.
A large elephant bull marches his way down to the Sand River. Although it had clouded over by this time, it had been an incredibly hot day and he had likely travelled quite a distance to get to the river for a drink and wallow.
The Xinzele Female scans her surroundings from a termite mound. The young cub was busy investigating where her mother had just scent marked on the low-hanging branches of an African Wattle.
The Three Rivers female poses perfectly for a drink, leaving a crisp reflection in the water below. She was accompanied by the young male that she is raising at the moment and, while we didn’t know it at this point, they were leading us back to a tree where they had two impala lambs stashed away.
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
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Too difficult to choose one as they are all so good. However the photograph of the Bearded Scrub Robin does it for me. Beautiful markings. Patience paid off.
As it so often does, patience did indeed pay off. Thanks Babs.
Chris, I love the photo of the two buffalo having a go at each other. Would probably been amazing just listening to them at that stage.
You’re right Gawie. The clash of their horns echoed across the grassland!
Wow, fantastic photos, Chris! We enjoyed every one! But, because I have watched and followed the Three Rivers female since she was a tiny cub, I have to pick the beautiful portrait and reflection of her. Stunning indeed!
Thank you Darlene. I was very happy to be in the right place at the right time!
Excellent stuff…keep it up.
Thank you, Jim.
Good foto’s this week in FWIP. My favorite foto is the Three River’s female drink water with her reflexion in the water.. Baby elephant calf is so cute walking with Mom.
Thank you, Valmai.
Hi Chris, your photos are as fantastic as always. I especially love the close up ones of the birds, but also the one with the beautiful rainbow and the lion. And of course, the wonderful photos of the buffalos and my favorites, the leopards.
Thank you Christa. I’ve always enjoyed bird photography and managed to get few unique images that past week. I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Great collection of photos Chris! Great job! Was wondering where in the north of Londolozi did you find the Xinzele Female and her cub? I am attempting to map her territory using sightins posted by the various lodges and properties that see her and her Londolozi portion still needs some work. Thanks so much in advance!
Hi Michael. The Xinzele female’s territory sits very central across the northern boundary line and extends about 2km to central Marthly. I will try see if the media team can send you a highlighted map sometime in the near future.
Thank you so very much for the response Chris! If it is not an inconvenience that would be awesome and much appreciated regarding the map. No rush of course as I know you all have guests and other business needing prioritizing.
It’s a difficult choice, but my favourite has to be the Three Rivers female drinking, with her perfect reflection.
(I’ve just been looking at my photos of her – and others – that you edited for me in the studio a few weeks ago. Really pleased with them, thank you).
Thank you Suzanne. It was a pleasure to have you back at the photo studio again. I’m glad that you like the photos we touched up.
Fantastic images and stories this week Chris, making the selection of just one photo impossible. That being said, I’ve narrowed my choice down to two: the Birmingham male framed by that golden light and rainbow and your Bearded Scrub Robin. The former illustrates being in the right place at the right time and the latter, patience to get the “shot” pays off.
Thanks Denise. It’s always rewarding for me to hear that picking one of your best is a difficult choice! I was very lucky to get both photos.
Lpved all the pics and hard to choose just one, but I especially liked the Bearded Scrub Robin – my favourite North American bird. Also heartwarming was the ellie Mum and cub. Thanks very much for sharing with us.
Thanks Leonie. It’s refreshing to see that so many people are enjoying the bird photos and not just the big cats!
Saddle Billed Stork photo was terrific!
I never thought the remaining Birmingham Male would survive after we saw his condition summer 2021.
Thanks Vin. Yes, we all wrote him off too early and he is in fact in terrific condition at the moment, considering what he’s been through.
Chris, thanks for the wonderful picture in TWIP’s. They are great as always. My favorite this week is the Bearded Scrub Robin, it is just a fabulous shot showing a great expression on the birds face with great detail on it’s feathers.
Thanks William. As I mentioned in one of the earlier comments, its so refreshing to see how many people are enjoying the bird photos as opposed to the big cats!
Center stage this week Chris! Well done! Love the ellies always but the yawning Ximungwe Female and Three Rivers female mirror image are pretty awesome!
Thanks Anita. I’m glad you enjoyed the collection of images. The leopard do often steal the show – they sure are beautiful!
Great TWIP Chris! Hard to choose, as all are excellent. But the shots of the birds are all spectacular!!
Thanks Paul. Glad to see that you enjoyed them!
For me this week’s favoured image is the Saddle Billed Stork because of its strong and bright colors as well as its straight look at the camera (though I am not sure if it can see straight like this or has it to turn its head in order to see the camera?)
Thanks Ulrike. I also thought it was quite a unique image. Being a predatory bird, they will definitely be able to see straight in front of them as they need to be able to use their large bill with perfect accuracy.
Gosh Chris, a very difficult task to pick a winner here..fabulous photos ! As much as it was wonderful to see the more elusive leopards again, I think the photo of Ximungwe is superb with the greenery and fresh flowers 👌🏻💗
Thanks Cally. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed that image. The sighting was a rather slow going one so its always rewarding to be able to get a good photo out of a when the animals are not doing all that much.
A great selection of images this week, Chris! It is hard to name to name a favorite but the Purple Crested Turaco has got to be my #1. I’ve never seen one and this may be the closest I ever get!
Who is the Thamba male? I’m not familiar with him…
Thank you Mary Beth. The colours of the Turaco are quite special. The best place to find one is actually around the Londolozi camps, so keep a look out on your next visit.
The Thamba Male is dominant leopard to the west of Londolozi. His mother was the Thandi female and he was born in 2016.
I feel a sense of attitude from the bearded scrub robin, but it could just be the perspective. Its so rare to see birds straight on from a one point perspective, so I quite enjoyed that (and the stork for the same reason).
I see what you mean by the facial expression expression of the robin! Thanks Chelsea.
Chris, What a great update! How exciting to hear about all the leopard activity! We loved your image of the Three Rivers female – our favorite this week!
Thanks Michael and Terri. Very lucky to get such a clean reflection on the water.
All wonderful! The buffalo is really impressive! But the most special to my sister and I is the old Birmingham male in the golden light with the rainbow. It encompasses the strength of this incredible lion and yet his frailty enhanced by the rainbow, due to his age and uncertain future. Then the black-and -white Thamba male, like a ghost jumping from branch to branch, whereas he is a strong and gorgeous young male instead… poetry
Thanks Francesca. Both those images, particularly the one of the Birmingham Male, can hold quite a bit of meaning if you look deeper. Great interpretations.
Wow guys, each week this just gets harder and harder to choose! The creativity of these shots is wonderful. I think my fave is the vervet monkey, followed by the Scrub Robin and the mother elephant and her calf. They’re all so wonderful – well done!
That’s an interesting selection, Carly. I’m happy to see that the monkey got some recognition too. Thank you.
I never ever tire of beautiful photos, and especially ones of gorgeous leopards! Xinzele is doing so well with this little cubbie and I hope for its safety and survival! Flat Rock is one of my favorite males, too….and Thamba. He will always be a favorite of fellow WildEarth fans and is doing so so well as a dominant boy!
Wow – I am hard pressed to choose a favourite! The Leopards though for me and the purple crested Turaco if I had to chose 🙂