This week in pictures embarks on a journey through the ever-changing landscapes of summer. As we slowly begin to witness how the relentless heat of the season has begun to sculpt the wilderness anew, we celebrate the diversity of colour during the summer. A combination of bountiful greens nurtured by the summer rains and the golden hues of the sun-drenched grasslands.
Having been treated to some spectacular sightings, join me as I provide a closer look into my first contribution to The Week in Pictures.
Elephant sightings have continued to take centre stage with countless sightings of impressive elephant bulls and many playful moments of calves amongst breathtaking breeding herds. In addition, bird life never ceases to deliver during the peak of the summer months, making it a photographer’s playground for artisic compositions. A female cheetah takes us by surprise and pops up in an area where we would not expect to find her; nonetheless, she takes advantage of great hunting conditions to secure herself a prized meal. It would not be possible to celebrate the diversity of the colours of summer without capturing the encapsulating giraffes that roam this timeless landscape.
Several different leopards feature with frequent sightings of our two favourite nomadic males (the Ntomi Male and the Kangela Male) stealing the show! Thanks to Tracker Geshom, we were lucky enough to witness both of them in the same sighting! The curious Kangela male provided a tense and exhilarating spectacle by carefully calculating an approach on the Imbali pack of Wild Dogs that were finishing off their morning meal. Let’s not forget about the stunning leopardesses. The Xinhova Female continues to provide spectacular viewing as she has started settling in her new territory close to camp, and the Three Rivers Female patrols the northern reaches of territory along the magical banks of the Maxabene riverbed.
On the lion front, sightings of the Ntsevu pride and the Ndzengha Males continue to be a major talking point around the Boma fires with incredible sightings and potentially my favourite one of them yet. It is not every day we get to witness lions climbing trees however, when they do, it makes for the most incredible photographic opportunities. With the Ntsevu Males and their sister spending more and more time in the northern reaches of Londolozi, we were treated to one of the males and the female marching their way through a small pool of water in the Manyeleti River bed on the way to rejoin the rest of their siblings.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week in Pictures…
This is the first of a series of three pictures that showcase different perspectives in the bush. Here The Kangela Male is seen peering through a Tamboti thicket, investigating the commotion taking place ahead of him.
A supremely relaxed male leopard, roaming a nomadic journey for the time being.
Secondly, The Kangela Male strides towards a scene of the Imbali Pack of Wild Dogs having reclaimed their prized meal after it had been stolen from a clan of Hyenas.
Thirdly, The Imbali pack of Wild Dogs waste no time in devouring their prized meal.
A Brown Snake Eagle provides the perfect opportunity to play with around with a slightly more artistic edit. Make sure to watch out for raptors perched atop dead trees with a clear background to try out a ‘high key’ style of edit.
Two male giraffes, seize the opportunity to rest their lanky limbs on a slightly cooler morning game drive.
Taken completely by surprise, this Female Cheetah appeared in the least expected of places on the reserve – just next to the Maxabene river bed! This sighting epitomizes the saying ‘You never know what you might find around the next corner’. With plenty of Impala lambs roaming around predator activity has been at an all-time high.
Do we see lions climbing trees? Although not nearly as elegant as the Leopards of Londolozi, The Ntsevu Pride provided us with over an hour of entertainment. A classic example of ‘Monkey see, Monkey do’, as the Ntsevu cubs followed the lead of one of the females.
An inquisitive Bearded Scrub Robin explores the vegetation just outside my room in the Londolozi Village.
The Female Ntsevu Breakaway marches through the Manyelethi riverbed as she crosses Martly Pools during the early morning light.
A tender moment shared between two elephant calves.
Two young elephant bulls are seen sparring in the open grasslands of Londolozi. A true spectacle!
A playful cub from the Ntsevu Pride clings onto the low-hanging branches of a fallen marula tree.
Tracker Geshom pulls off an unbelievable spot of the Ntomi Male resting in the bows of a Schotia tree. Upon closer inspection, we could see there was not one but two leopards in the same tree! Here the Ntomi scans his surroundings as he prepares to descend the tree after realizing he has lost his meal to the Kangela Male.
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 magnificent Elephant Bull strolls through Shingi clearing. What a privilege it is to see these giants of the land out and in the open!
The Kangela Male guards the remains of a hoisted impala lamb and snarls down at the Ntomi Male, who lay resting on the ground below.
The larger Ndzhenga Male paces through an open clearing, saliva dripping from his jaws as he was intent on following the scent of an intruder in his territory.
An Elephant Bull feeds beneath a fruit bearing marula tree – a staple for their diet this time of the year.
After finally pulling himself up the tree, a warm embrace was shared between one of the youngest cubs within the Ntsevu Pride and his older sibling.
The larger of the two Ndzengha Male’s confidently strides through the open crest to rejoin the females and cubs of the Ntsevu Pride.
The Xinkhova Female poses atop a termite mound as she patrols through the clearings of her newly acquired territory.
A stunning young female with a very similar spot pattern to her mother, the Nkoveni Female. Litter still completely intact March 2022.
With an incredibly full belly, the Ntomi Male rests along the branches of a marula tree in the golden afternoon light. It is amazing to see how well he is doing and how large he is growing with each sighting of him.
One of the Ntsevu Males and his sister make their way through the Northern reaches of Londolozi to go and rejoin the rest of the males laying down in the clearing ahead of them.
The Three Rivers Female strolls along the bank of the Maxabene river bed as she patrols the Northern reaches of her territory.
Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.
Sunsets and Silhouettes! A breathtaking scene to finish off yet another incredible drive in the open grasslands of Londolozi.
I love all your photos, Reece. Such an abundance of leopards and lions, wild dogs, elephants and birds.
Thanks for sharing these great pictures. The most entertaining one is the one with all the lion cubs following one of the females up on the fallen tree
Thank you very much Christa, I am so glad you enjoyed the pictures. That certainly was a spectacular sight.
Reece, my favorite this week is the lioness crossing the Manylethi river.
Thank you William. It was such a fantastic sighting and I’m glad I managed to grab my camera in time to snap a shot!
My favourites are lions in the tree and the 2 ellie calves.. They are all wonderful pictures
Thank you Sandra! I am so glad you enjoyed the pictures.
My goodness Reece, what an amazing TWIP for your 1st one, I’ll look forward to plenty more in the future! You’ve certainly set the bar high. My favourite just has to be all those lions in the tree, amazing.
Hi Suzanne, thank you very much! Very lucky we happened to be in the right places at the right time. I am so glad you enjoyed it. I am very excited for my contributions still to come.
Hi, I noticed i have many points for commenting, that made me smile 😃, my family is eager to tell about what our appreciation of your Blog! To this point we must choose a picture, and unanimously we picked the lion tree. It’s really funny. Then the elephant calves playing, all big cats and the elephant bull, giraffe and so on. Great selection as usual!
Hi Francesca. Well done, hopefully many more points to still come in the future! Thank you very much, I am so thrilled that you and your family enjoyed my week in pictures.
Hi Reece, the images this week are absolutely stunning and such a variety. My favorite is the Ntomi male leopard with his full belly lying on a branch. Loved the lions climbing a tree and then resting in it. Three Rivers female and Xinkhova females are two beauties in their own right. Your image of the sunset with giraffe teering over the trees is awesome.
Thank you for your kind words Valmai, I am so pleased that you enjoyed the pictures. We were very fortunate to have such special sightings.
Lions in a tree!!! What a fun shot! Ntomi male always my fave…love his full belly and legs just hanging over the tree. Looks like you had a great week!
Thank you, Anita. The lions certainly seems to be the winner this week! I am so glad you enjoyed the pictures this week.
A wonderful range of photos, Reece! It’s hard to name a favorite – I love the lions piled in the tree, the Kangela male in the tamboti thicket and the Ntsevu female crossing the river. I’ll vote for all three!
Thank you, Mary Beth. I am so pleased that you enjoyed the pictures. I agree, I also battled to pick my favourites.
Congratulations on your first This Week in Pictures! Similar to your guiding, you did a fantastic job. Wish we were there!
Lorraine & Bob Clark
Thank you so much, Bob and Lorraine. So good to hear from you, hopefully it wont be long before you can visit us again! I am so glad you enjoyed this week in pictures. Keep well.
Congratulations on producing your first TWIP Reece. You’ve included fantastic shots of a good collection of animals + birds. As far as favorites, certainly at the top is the lion family resting in the tree followed by the two young elephants playing in the grasses. Kudos also for the cheetah and giraffe silhouetted in the last light of day. It’s always special to view leopards, especially Ntomi who is growing into being a formidable male, like his father, although it seems he has company that might be looking to invade his space. Thank you!
Hi Denise, thank you so much. I am so glad that you enjoyed my pictures this week. We truly were treated to some special moments with these incredible animals.
Reece, Well done on your first post! Your images are spectacular and we will look forward to seeing more of your work! Our favorite is the Female Ntsevu Breakaway walking right at you!
Thank you very much, Michael and Terri. It was yet another spectacular week at Londolozi and I am just so glad we were in the right place to capture a few moments. I hope you are both keeping well.