Life, and an abundance of it!
After another downpour of rain, the animals, both big and small, have been thriving on the reserve. From the young wildebeest calves and impala lambs frolicking in the morning sunshine, to thousands of reproductive alates emerging from termitaries causing a feeding frenzy; life has been abundant at Londolozi.
The Sand River has been in flood, meaning that animals such as wild dogs who would usually attempt to cross the river at times, have been stuck on one side for a few days whilst the torrent flows. Territorial animals such as the various leopards on the reserve have been out and about scent marking after the rain washed away previous messages left behind and elephants have been searching for marula fruits after a year of patiently waiting for these delicious fruits.
An array of animals feature in this weeks TWIP, highlighting the variety of species that are in the spotlight at this time of year, with beautiful green hues in the background and at times moody clouds in the sky. The Ntomi male yet again features; how much longer will he be around his mothers territory? The Xinzele female’s cub features too – one of only two cubs on the reserve who are still very much dependent on their mothers.
Enjoy this week in pictures…
A Southern Ground Hornbill soars from a dead knobthorn tree to the rest of his flock who were foraging in the grass down below.
The Xinzele female raises her tail whilst walking, the white tip of which resembles a white flag of surrender. Leopards will often do this once they have been spotted by birds or animals in the area who have sounded the alarm at their presence. The idea is that she acknowledges that she has been seen and there is no need for the animals to continue alarm calling as she is not attempting to hunt them.
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
Summer is a time of plenty, most of the female wildebeest have given birth to young. Here, a large herd of them cautiously scan the area for any potential danger
An aggressive face-off between two zebra stallions. Biting is one method of aggression that Zebra stallions will use to fight one another. You can see a clear bite mark under the right eye of the stallion on the left.
Three hungry hyena cubs doze off as they patiently await the return of their mother, or another adult from their clan, who will hopefully bring back some scraps off food for them.
A young hippo bull fixes his gaze on us in the late afternoon. With the river rapidly rising from heavy rains and then steadily subsiding, the movement of hippos in the river has been fairly erratic.
A yellow-billed oxpecker lets off its harsh chirp whilst perched on the neck of a Cape Buffalo
The Ntomi male lies comfortably in the branches of a Marula tree. Since becoming independent, he hasn’t ventured too far out of his mother’s original territory, however it’s a matter of time before she, or his father; the Senegal Bush Male, tolerate his presence any longer.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
A Giraffe takes shelter from the warm sun under a beautiful Marula Tree in the open grasslands.
The Xinzele female’s cub glances down at her mother from the fork of a marula tree in which she herself (the young cub) had hoisted a steenbok kill (that had been made by her mom).
Often overlooked, the greater blue eared starling is one of the more common birds on the reserve. If light from the sun hits the feathers just right, a beautiful turquoise iridescent shine is given off.
The Three Rivers Female and her now sizeable cub ‘playfully’ fighting on top of a fallen over Marula tree.
A large elephant bull pauses temporarily whilst walking across an open clearing in search of fruits from the Marula tree. The late afternoon cloud build-up adds quite a dramatic effect.
An Ntsevu lioness fixes her gaze upon a herd of wildebeest in the distance, but luckily for the wildebeest she had feasted the night before and therefore chose to rather see out the rest of the day in the shade.
A pack of wild dogs stake out a route to try and cross the Sand River. They had run all the way along the Northern bank looking for points to cross but eventually decided that the risk wasn’t worth the potential reward.
A yellow-billed stork and a young elephant, a not-so-unlikely duo. The two species will often be seen feeding in and around riverbeds, catering for their respective diets.
The distress call of a zebra had caught the attention of five members of the Talamati pride. The future of this pride remains uncertain and their movements continue to be erratic
A Yellow-billed Kite joins in on the feeding activity at a termite emergence along with eagles, swallows and an array of other birds and animals.
Some fantastic photos by you and the others! My heart belongs to the Three Rivers female since I saw her as a tiny cub with her mama and brother. And that boy of hers is one big dude for his age! So I pick that photo as my favorite! Thanks for sharing!
The Xinzele female cub is a real character, so expressive! She’s my favourite pick for the week. All excellent pictures, all leopards, birds, zebra, wildebeest, the hippo and lions especially the male of the Talmati pride is superb! My second choice.
Grand photos this week, Robbie. Thanks. Greetings to all the fine staff at Londolozi.
Thanks for the beautiful photos. I love all of them and my favorite is the one of the elephant with the stork.
That’s such a nice combination.
The greater blue eared starling is totally gorgeous!
super photos, as always
Thanks Robert for this week’s collection of terrific photos. If I need to choose a favorite, it’s Barry’s capture of the Three Rivers female and her cub play-fighting. Seeing how big he is, it looks like he is well on his journey to independence.
Great group of photos this week. Especially 💗 the birds! I’m inspired to get out take some of my own when the rains here in NorCal let up. Thanks!
Robert, Thanks for an AMAZING set of photos this week! It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but we will go with Barry’s Three Rivers Female and her cub!
Matt’s hyena cubs!!!! Hands down fave this week tho SO many spectacular photos. Ntomi male such a stunner; love all pics of him. Thanks all 🙂
All wonderful again, but this week Barry gets my vote for the all-action shot of 3 Rivers and her son playfighting.
Wow, bright blue starlings, I never knew such a thing existed. Beautiful!
I know that DM Avoca laid claim to the Talamatis before his death, I’m not sure if they associate with Mohawk Avoca?
The new Black Dam Males have been scent marking in Djuma, I think they will be wanting some attention from the Talamati girls in the not too distant future.
The landscape photos of the elephant and the giraffe is remarkable.
Robert, great pictures for TWIP. My favorite this week is the Yellow-billed Kite. Impressive shot of the bird in flight. Honorable mention must also go to the Southern Ground Hornbill.
A lovely week in pictures – I love the drama the clouds are adding to the pictures. So much activity at this time of year!
Would loved to have seen the Xinzele female’s cub hoisting the steenbok into the tree–impressive!
Love the yellow-billed kite and the wildebeest calves. Also, props to the Xinzele females cub for hoisting a kill! I bet that was something to witness. She still looks so young.
Such beautiful foto’s once again this week. The Ntomi leopard really stands out for me. The wildebeest calves are so precious as are the hyena pups. Talamati pride looking so intensely in the distance makes a stunning foto.
Great pics guys! My fave is the giraffe with that magnificent tree, followed by the hippo and the starling.
May I please ask how recent the Talamati Pride was on Londolozi ? I know they were there 2 weeks ago. Just trying to get a point on their whereabouts please.
Great TWIP Robert! All amazing images, but I think the birds take it this week!
Xinzele’s cubbie, the hyena cubbies and the young Ntomi win for me this week!