First time spotting the Nottens (4:4) Male in the deep southern parts of Londolozi. A beautiful young, relaxed male. We were lucky to be able to keep up with him as he weaved through a lush, thick area before popping out at a nearby water hole to settle down.

While on the move, I tried my best to take any opportunity we had to try get a few close up images of his face and spot pattern.

The Nottens Male poses for us before settling on the bank of a water hole for the morning. I cannot help but look at this image and see the resemblance to his father, the Nweti Male… I see a lot of similarity in their facial features! Like father, like son…

One of the Ntsevu Cubs, still restless and full of energy, leaves the sleeping pride to seek out a nearby trunk to sharpen his claws.

Even when we may find ourselves surrounded by hundreds of African Cape Buffalo, I cannot help but hone my focus onto the smaller creatures that never leave their side… here, two red-billed oxpeckers bask in the afternoon sunlight as they catch a ride on a cow’s back, taking a moment’s break from the never ending feast this herd provides for these birds.

Intrigued! While sitting with the Nkuhuma Male on a buffalo kill out in open grasslands, I spotted an interesting looking nest on a nearby branch of a dead sicklebush. Being able to identity tiny reddish eight-legged creatures, I knew it was some sort of spiders nest. Turns out, it is a hatched Golden Orb’s Spider’s nest – one of the most popular types of spiders we see during the summer months here at Londolozi (no need to worry, they are harmless to humans).

With a recent bout of consecutive rainy days, we came across the Ntsevu pride laying out in the open, and got to enjoy the playfulness and social interactions amongst the cubs. Pure entertainment that made us completely forget it was even raining.

Given the recent hot, humid summer evenings, and a lot of recent rain, I was struck with admiration for a recent evening’s sunset and a glimpse of blue sky amidst all the pink and purple hues. A white-backed vulture perched on a dead knobthorn created a great silhouette in the foreground.

Water holes are full (some virtually overflowing) and the hive of activity around these areas is endless! The usual docile hippos are outwardly excited about the high water levels too and they have provided a lot of entertainment of recent.

In the hope that she might lead us back to her cubs (which was unsuccessful), we nonetheless got to have a great sighting of the Ximungwe Female drinking.

As Robbie described in a recent blog regarding Xinkhova’s potential territory, we have been fortunate to have had a number of sightings with this leopard very close to camp! On this particular afternoon, we found her resting in a marula. Not one bit phased with our presence, she posed perfectly as my guests enjoyed their first ever leopard sighting!

African Green Pigeons providing a pop of colour on the road up ahead as they too enjoy the abundance of water around the reserve at the moment.

If its not for water to drink, its to eat the termites! At this time of year, it is not unusual to spot much larger birds of prey on the ground or atop termite mounts feeding on erupting alates. I really enjoyed this particular sighting of a Wahlberg’s eagle (approx. 1-1.3kg) and a juvenile Bateleur (approx 2-2.2kg) competing for the same food. Having both birds next to each other (although not particularly clear in the image I managed to capture here) I was taken aback by just how much bigger the Bateleur was relative to the Wahlberg’s eagle.

There is simply nothing better than a golden sunset in the open grasslands while we watch hundreds of buffalo approach and engulf our vehicle as they gather at a water hole for a final day’s cool down and drink. I enjoyed this image as the back light catches the flies surrounding this cow as she stares in our direction. Although it looks like water droplets, they are in fact the many many flies incessantly following her around.

Summer is a time to celebrate new life, and conditions are ideal for many species to prioritize birthing and raising and protecting new offspring. Trying to keep up with the rest of the herd as they traverse across a vast open clearing towards water, this cow and calf walk briskly determined not to be left behind at the back of the herd.

A successful monogamous pair of Egyptian Gooses navigate across the water protecting their latest brood of chicks. Male upfront, and slightly smaller female protecting them from the back. Aging the chicks to be roughly between 5-6 weeks old, these chicks will have to spend the next while focusing on evading predation.

We recently came across the formidable Senegal Bush Male on an early evening patrol of the central part of his territory. What made this sighting particularly unique was the incessant chorus of barking that came from the by-standing herd of impala that could not take their eyes off of him.

It was mesmerizing watching this herd in complete synchronicity as they followed the Senegal Bush Male a good 150m along the road, persistently barking in chorus, and not taking their gaze off of him.

Nothing beats time with elephants, but what particularly drew me to this image was the contrast of colour. After a day of rain, washing this elephant bull’s tusks pearly clean, the weather offered a moment of tranquility for our afternoon drive, even though we knew the ominous clouds in the background were looming. The dark and light contrast surrounded by the deep greens of the vegetation was striking.

It may not be a leopard in a tree with a kill, but it is not every day we come across a Martial Eagle in action! A juvenile martial eagle, crop already full, finishes feeding on a water monitor kill. It takes between 5-7 years for a this eagle to reach adult plumage.

A relaxed Maxims Male. Spotted weaving his way through a dense block of vegetation, he provided a moment of relief for the photographers in the vehicle as he stopped to briefly groom his paws atop a termite mound. Something suddenly caught his attention beyond our vehicle in the distance, and I could not have been more excited to capture my first sharp portrait image of this impressive male leopard.

A southern red-billed hornbill overlooks our afternoon drinks stop, while simultaneously soaking up the warmth of the golden evening light.

Given the recent rains, there has been a period where we have not been able to drive in the northern parts of our reserve given the water levels of the Sand River. There’s that saying that goes, “you only miss it when its gone”, and being ‘allowed’ to cross the river again and explore the north is never disappointing, and reminded me of the incredible vastness and diversity that this reserve offers!

Two playful elephant bulls cause a traffic jam on one of the main roads out of camp early one morning. But hey, who’s complaining… I’ll sit in this kind of traffic any day hehe.

One of the Ndzenga Males jumps to attention as he hears one of the Ntsevu lioness’s calls in the distance.

A prominent (and noticeable) feature flying around Londolozi in the summer months is the ‘comb’ on the bill of a male Knob-Billed Duck. As part of the breeding plumage, a male’s bill grows to show off his strength and stamina as he tries to attract potential mates.

This image was taken prior the recent bout of heavy rainfall, prior to the water levels of the Sand River rising substantially. It was one of those perfect moments when, driving back to camp, it reminded me of that simple notion of being in the right place at the right time. We stopped midway across the river crossing and sat in silence as we watched this young elephant bull splash water with his ankles as he waded across the river.