Over the past week, winter has definitely started showing its teeth, and it’s getting us all very excited. Winters at Londolozi always offer something different, and photographically, you can’t compare.
This week in pictures showcases numerous different leopards, some interesting shots in the open areas of Londolozi and the newest additions of the Kambula Pride, all while showing off the early morning and late afternoon glow that is accompanied by winter.
The Leopards of Londolozi continue to deliver. The Ximungwe Female’s cub has relaxed over the past weeks, and she is allowing us to view him more freely. We spent the morning with the Xinkhova Female as she hunted on the crests close to our camps to no avail, unfortunately. The Three River Female and her Cub continue to provide incredible sightings. Although the Cub is well over a year old now, they still have an incredible bond.
The open areas in our South Western parts certainly showed off this week. We had some incredible Rhino sightings while watching the sunset over the grasslands. The Ostrich family are thriving in the area, viewing a group of about 10 adults all together. An Elephant Bull spent the whole afternoon feeding in and around a marula tree, allowing gusto get shots at different angles. Giraffes and zebras have been plentiful and have created some good laughs on the vehicle.
The Kambula Prides’ newest members showed themselves in all their glory a couple of mornings ago, as we watched them move through a clearing into the safety of a drainage line. They are starting to go to kills with their mother now, allowing us to view them in different areas of the reserve.
Amazing rainbows, a cheeky Hyena cub and some courting Hammerkops made up the rest of the collection.
The changing of seasons is here and is allowing for some incredible viewing and photographic opportunities.
Let us know your favourites in the comments below.
Enjoy The Week in Pictures…
The Ximungwe Young Male pauses for a moment to stare us down before heading back to harass his mother.
A very relaxed Elephant Bull reaches for marula branches above him.
Later that afternoon, we saw the same Elephant Bull in the exact same position while the sun was setting behind him.
A Hyena Cub watching its sibling approach our car. The inquisitive nature of these young hyenas always humours me.
A Mother and Calf Giraffe watching us roll by in the clearings as the storm clouds in the background start to build.
I love how the branches frame the Xinkhova Female as the morning light hits her face. Shortly after this, we watched her descend the tree and start to hunt some impala.
Watching her carefully approach the impala from a distance before they noticed her and she moved off.
This rainbow appeared behind this Leadwood while we were having a drink.
A pair of Hammerkops displaying some courtship behaviour in the Sand River.
Sunsets in the open areas of Londolozi will never get old.
The Three Rivers Young Females grooms her mother as The Three Rivers Female notices some impala in the clearings in the distance.
We followed her as she left her cub and tried to hunt the impala before a herd of Wildebeest noticed her, giving up on the hunt.
Two male Ostrich trailing some females.
A Zebra Yawning. Catching these moments always makes me laugh.
Leaving early in search of the Kambula Lioness and her 4 cubs was well worth it as we were treated with this site as we moved into the area where they were seen the night before.
Trailing their mother in the thickets, this was our next site.
We followed them down to the drainage line where she had been keeping them. Once in the drainage, they felt totally safe and played around the vehicle for the next our or so.
It was a truly memorable morning. Stay tuned for my next blog where I give a blow by blow of the morning with these little ones.
Beautiful pictures.
Great TWIP Patrick, thanks. Watching the Kambula cubs playing around your vehicle must have been incredibly special, they are beyond cute at that age. Lots of wonderful leopard images, but my favourite this week is the elephant bull with the magnificent sunset.
Favorites are: Ximungwe Young Male, Kambula cubs and yawning zebra.
The leopards and tiny lion cubs are so beautiful! I love all the photos of them. The one of the zebra yawning also mad me laugh; the zebra seems to be laughing, too. The colors of the photo of the two ostriches are amazing.
Thanks for all these wonderful photos of Londolozi.
As I always say: it’s so great that we can follow the development of all these beautiful animals even from a distance of several thousand miles.
Ba the way: My own African home comers arrived this week at my place as an Easter surprise: barn swallows.
The photos of the Kambula cubs are my favourite. Looking forward to your next blog Patrick!
All cubs are superbly caught, their funny or curious and innocent expressions are a real treat! The Ximungwe young male is so sweet, his large ears and the beautiful eyes that characterised the sunset Bend leopards… all pictures are great but the Three Rivers female and her daughter are emotionally touching me, since the beginning I noticed the dependency of the cub from her mother. At her turn, her mother lost hers so soon, so they do have that special bond that is reflected in their eyes. The ostrich look like dancers! Elegant and spectacular! The giraffe calf is so sweet, behind it’s mum looking curiously and cautiously at you. The zebra seems to laugh! The elephant bulls are always imposing and if matched to a maarula tree well what a picture! The Xinkova female is a real beauty, she hasn’t still no cub… her sister had two and lost one, spent some company with the Flat Rock Male , I think he looked for some company more exactly, she had adventures with a lot of large and dangerous animals…. incredibile! The elephant and the rhino were peaceful next to her. I don’t know what happened with wild dogs. But she still is OK with her lovely cub and the beautiful Piccadilly has two…. you got her a while ago. Thank you for this fantastic cub series!
LOVE the giraffe/calf pic!! And the b/w of the lion cub is precious! Happy Weekend 🙂
Fun blog! That Ximungwe Young Male is such a cutie! Is it just me or are his ears bigger than those of most cubs? Adorable!
Dear Patrick, wonderful TWIP, many favorites of that beautiful leopards, first of all the three rivers young females. Great shots.
A wonderful TWIP Patrick. Each picture is special but of course I have a few favorites: Ximungwe’s male cub, his large ears and paws leading me to believe he will grow into a large leopards like his half brothers; the male ostriches trotting alongside one another; the Kambula cubs that are ever cuter than they were a few weeks ago; the yawning/laughing zebra; the blue hour with the rainbow and lastly the mating ritual of the hammerkops. I’ll be looking forward to more of your Kambula cubs images!
Hi Patrick, my favorite this week is the Ximungwe young male leopard looking very pleased with himself. Secondly the Kambula 4 cubs, gorgeous little bundles of energy. I also loved the Three Rivers female and her cub lying on the fallen tree. Giraffe and little one is a good photo and not to talk about the Zebra yawning.
Lovely pictures , especially the ostrich . I remember the amazement when they and (around the same time) the cheetahs turned up.
We haven’t seen any trail cam for a while , perhaps we could have some pictures from that region.