And here we are at the beginning of February, can you believe it? The tide of time rolls ever onward, and this is a reminder to everybody to make the most of our brief stint on this incredibly rich and diverse planet we call home. Get into the wilderness at every opportunity, in whatever way is available to you, because out there is where we find food for the soul, nourishment for the spirit and mana for the mind.
A personal highlight for me was finding a young pink elephant with the most incredible blue eyes, something I’ve not seen the like of in all my years in the bush. The rain was sleeting down fairly hard and I did not want to expose my camera to the elements for too long other than to try and grab two quick snaps.
There have been three different packs of wild dogs showing up at odd intervals and causing all sorts of havoc over the last couple of months which has been a treat. The Ntsevu Pride continues to thrive and is successfully raising a litter of 12, three of which are only around four-five months old and are an absolute delight as they cavort with their older, and much bigger, cousins, collapsing on their mothers and aunts after running out of energy.
Two stallions playfully fight in the rising sun’s rays whilst a buffalo cow stares us down as it sets. A beautiful Martial Eagle shows off its massive talons and a Hamerkop shows off its fishing prowess as it nabs an African-clawed toad from the surface of a waterhole. And of course, the week would not be complete without the Ndhzenga Males putting on a spectacular show, roaring their dominance over the land and crossing the formidable Sand River.
Let me know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week in Pictures…
A young pink elephant calf, likely leucistic, with very rare blue eyes, was the highlight of my week.
I’ll be doing more research into what’s caused these two traits in this young calf.
Watching vultures pass by.
A predatory smile.
A dream shot, although the light could have been better.
A very special moment with the pride.
A massive rock monitor lizard explores my garden, scenting the air with his forked toungue.
Fierce looking beast once you get up close.
The size difference between the year old cubs and their tiny 4 month old cousins is staggering. Play can be very difficult for these little ones and they are sure to grow up to be 3 very tough adults.
Mock fighting in two young stallions.
This kind of play will prepare the two for the much more serious fights to come.
A vehicle shuddering roar.
The Xinkhova Female ascends to survey her surroundings.
A stunning young female with a very similar spot pattern to her mother, the Nkoveni Female. Litter still completely intact March 2022.
Look at the talons!
Take off.
A Ndhzenga male scents the air in the middle of the Sand River.
Gold on green.
Peak-a-boo.
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
Hamerkop are much more agile than they appear! This bird had just snagged a frog from the surface of thew water mid-flight!
Staring as one of his progeny pass by.
A fine sunset with a herd of buffalo.
I love the lioness gazing upward and the Three Rivers Female peek-a-booing shots the best this week. There was such a wonderful glow in so many of your images and I love the complimentary colors of golden coats against the greenery. I seem to remember another leucistic elephant calf that had been spotted a couple years ago? I wonder if they are related somehow. Here’s hoping it finds lots of mud to wallow in to protect its delicate skin.
Is the baby pink elephant blind?
Your photos are great as always, Kyle, haven’t seen you do TWIP for quite a while! For a combination of one my favourite leopards and a great action shot, my vote this week goes to Xinkhova climbing the tree.
Although zebras are my favorite. the young pink ellie calf is my favorite. So precious looking.
Kyle, great pictures this week. I can not pick a favorite with the pink elephant calf, the close up views of the lions faces and the birds. Simply spectacular week.
Awesome photos Kyle!! Hope you see the little elephant again.
Hi Kyle, your foto’s are stunning and I absolutely loved your Martial Eagle and my goodness those talons are huge. The take off image is spectacular. Cute little pink calf and please let us know why it is pink with blue eyes. Stallions teeth could seriously damage each other.
I ❤️ the Peek~a~Boo shot!
But the Baby Pink Elephant… wow!
A once in a lifetime… DNA is an amazing thing…
Thanks again for sharing
Hello, I think it’s not the first time a leucistic elephant calf is born, but how exciting to see it personally! It will be interesting to see how its skin and eye react to the sunlight, as pale skin and blue eyes evolved in nordic regions with few hours of light and colder temperature. I love the peak-a-boo! All the cats are great, the older lion cub looks at his younger relative with a funny expression and squint like all cats. Zebras are beautiful and dangerous, stallions are very strong animals and can kill each other when adult. The sunset and the buffalo are intertwined symbols of power, as the lions roaring and looking at their offspring….
Kyle, your photos are wonderful!
Love that peak-a-boo and the female leopard ascending the tree, her back plus tale look a little like a snake moving up the tree. The zebras are fabulous, the light is fantastic. In one word, just every picture is “picture perfect”. Thanks for sharing.
Kyle: My top favorite photo is the Xinkhova vertical shot on a Amarula tree (because so many leopard photos have them stretched horizontally on a branch), followed by the two zebras tussling. But the entire array is intriguing, including the leucistic elephant.
It’s SOOOOO green in all your shots! Fabulous week! You caught some great close ups! That little ellie sure is special! Look forward to hearing what you find out about him. Love the smiling wild dog and the peek-a-boo leopard!
Super images this week, Kyle! The little pinky is indeed amazing but your headline shot of the two zebra stallions fighting is the winner of the week for me!
Kyle, first of all your image of the martial eagle is stunning – best I’ve seen in a long time. A couple more favorites include the leucistic baby elephant and the “peek-a-boo” leopard shot. My understanding of something born with Leucism, is that it’s genetic and quite rare, but not as much as albinism. Skin is usually pigmented and the eyes not the considered normal color but usually bluish. I’ve only seen a leucistic elephant once before and that photo appeared in Nat Geo. What a special sighting that was and you captured the shot!!
Has anybody else been having issues with photos loading? I’ve tried on multiple devices and browsers and get about 50% of them loading in recent weeks.
All great photos but my favorite is the close up of the zebras fighting. Love the stripe pattern under the chin and the wrinkled nose on the one on the left. Also, the bokeh brings the image right to the front. Definitely went into my favorites.
Super photos , when I get “TWIP” I look to see if there are photos I wish I had taken – and this week’s email delivers
Great photos, especially the Zebs. I wanted to ask how, or if the herd will try to protect the little leucistic ele and what the life expectancy might be of such a vulnerable specimen.
Yet another brilliant set of prose with beautiful pictures. Once again, you have outdone yourself man! Love the zebra picture in particular but they are all superb. BRAVO! Can’t wait to see you and H and P soon!
BRILLIANT PROSE ONLY TO ALMOST BE TOPPED BY BRILLIANT PHOTOS! Especially like the zebras but your depiction of the lion looking out into the distance and the leopard peeking out from behind the tree are masterpieces too. Can’t wait to see you guys soon. All the best AND KEEP THE BRILLIANCE COMING!