Over the past week, we have seen some spectacular sightings. Many of which have a dramatic blanket of clouds to intensify the scene. With a fair amount of rain falling, the bushveld is looking stunning. The intense hues of green and gold shine through adding a splash of colour to each image.
A handful of leopards go about their daily lives and are merely caught in the act, starting with the Ximungwe Female as she strolls down a fallen tree in the Maxabeni Riverbed. She is later captured quenching her thirst from a small rock pool. Lastly, on the leopard front is the Three Rivers Female making use of a fallen tree too, in order to scan her surroundings.
Many a game drive has seen a fabulous number of elephants cruising through the clearings gorging themselves on the dense carpet of grass and along with the monkeys, enjoying the odd snack of marula fruit.
And lastly, this week we see a great selection of lion images as the sightings of the Ntsevu Pride and Ndhzenga Males, the Tsalala Female and the Talamati Pride have been great.
Let us know your favourite image in the comments section below.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
The upper gulleys of a dry riverbed called the Maxabene which bisects the Ximungwe Females territory make for ideal leopard habitat. Here, she struts down the fallen trunk of a tree to make a graceful entrance into the sandy riverbed.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
Two young calves in-sync while quenching their thirst.
Ranger Chris Taylor ensures his guests get a front row seat to a continuous stream of lions on a mission.
This monkey found the perfect spot in the fork of the Marula tree to enjoy the fruits.
One of the Ndzhenga Males strides through the grass in pursuit of the six Ntsevu Females.
This small breeding herd of elephants huddle closely as they move through the open area
The Ximungwe female lapping up fresh rainwater from a puddle amongst an area of large granite boulders
This giraffe seemed to have briefly dozed off in the heat of the morning, with a great view of Stwise Koppie in the background.
lions greeting
A herd of elephants amble their way across the Sand River. The landscape is looking lush and green after all the rains we received after New Years.
Juvenile Tawny eagles take approximately 4-5 years to reach full adult plumage. Here a juvenile (warmer brown plumage and darker eye, on the left) is perched next to a typical ‘tawny’ coloured adult.
Six of the Ntsevu females and a trailing Ndhzenga male freeze for a second as they hear something in the distance. Notice all their ears and heads pointing in the same direction.
With many of the Ntsevu females now with noticeable suckle marks, two of the Ndzenga males have been seen with the pride regularly. Here these two lions greet each other with their tails curled.
![Talamati Lioness Stalking [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/16101736/Talamati-Lioness-stalking-RCB-1065x1598.jpg)
A lioness from the Talamati pride stalks a journey of giraffe that was behind our vehicle. Unfortunately for her, the rest of her pride wasn’t as intent on hunting as she was and so her efforts bore no fruit (or giraffes for that matter…)
![Tsalala Female Walking In Sand River [rcb]](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/16101937/Tsalala-female-walking-in-Sand-River-RCB-1598x1066.jpg)
The Tsalala lioness walks towards the setting sun in the Sand River
A Pin-tailed Whydah in full breeding plumage with its tail length reaching up to 20cm.
Three Rivers
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
So sad the tsalala female is always alone, heartbreaking really
Agreed. Her Tsalala mom was always alone and run off by the Kambula pride. Now she seems to have the same fate. If only she could join up with a couple of break-away lions to give her a better chance at hunting and raising cubs successfully.
What a fantastic week you all experienced, photographing so many iconic animals and birds. Choosing one image is so difficult at this stage and I wish we could select a 1st and 2nd…. but considering you want us to choose just one favorite image, it is Kirst’s elephant family. I chose this because I liked the forbidding clouds that contrast with the lush green grass and trees, and how the family have gathered so closely together as they make their way across the open area. Thank you Sean for giving us such a wonderful glimpse into summer within Londolozi.
“Two young calves in-sync while quenching their thirst.” I think this is a great photo. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with young elephant calves whenever I visit a game reserve. They keep me amused for ages. All the photographs are great – as they are every week.
That’s a great pic of the Talamati girl stalking and I’m glad to see the Tsalala lioness is in good shape.
hi any signs that the Tsalala may be pregnant yet please
My favoured this week are the greeting lions and the elefant’s silhouette
If there is a lovelier courtship picture than the one that begins this week, I have not seen it!
Amazing photos again this week. Thanks.
Kelsey’s whydah is my choice. An amazing job to compose the photo so the whole, loong tail is included.
The lion couple greeting wins for me this week 🙂 and the two ellies in sync next! Happy Weekend crew!
This week is a full lions choice for me. The Tsalala lioness in gold is just perfect, and the lioness and lion greeting looks like they were dancing together, each one perfect synchronised with the other in pure gold too. The three rivers female is gorgeous, all leopards are fantastic and all pictures are great as usual
Hi Sean, so many beautiful foto’s and it is getting harder to choose just one favorite. For my this week will be the Tsalala female, as she is my favorite lionesses. After all the odds being against here, she is still surviving perfectly well and she is looking exceptional well.
Thanks for the pictures Sean. My favorite this week is the elephant silhouette at either sunset or sunrise. I couldn’t quite tell which.
Its so good to see Tsalala!!!
Hello, Sean. Please, is there any news on the movement of the young lioness Tsalala? The last reports are about a month old and the photo on this blog is from September 2022. Thank you.
The shot of the Tsalala lioness s my favorite. We still have a soft spot for the Tsalala lioness lineage. Thanks for all the lovely shots.
I love the image of the Talamati lioness stalking. Glad to see the Tsalala female is in great condition and that there are new lion cubs on the block!
Sean, I love the elephant silhouette photo and the lioness having the focused gaze. i always love the focused stare of the pantera Leo and pardus!
Hi Sean! Wishing you all a Happy New Year and thanks for all the amazing photographs ❤️. Love the light on Ximungwe drinking …stunning. The Eli silhouetted against the setting sun is beautiful too. Lovely to see Tsalala doing well. Has she found a mate or a family yet?
Kirst’s photo of the Ndzhenga Male captures many of the beautiful elements of nature during this season.
Difficult one! On balance the lone elephant because his grey against the stunning sky is fabulous.
All great images, but any sighting/photo of the Tsalala lioness has to be a favorite!
Loved all of the Lions and Leopards
Good to see the Ndzhenga males are still around. Was wondering, what would happen with the younger coalition that came out of Kruger. Any word on the last Birmingham/Gowrie’s condition?