As winter deepens and the bushveld begins to thin out, sightings have remained as vibrant as ever. This past week delivered an exciting blend of the expected and unexpected.
Leopards were a constant feature, as always. The Nkoveni Female has been separated from her cub for most of this week, both being seen alone but doing well. The recently injured Ximungwe Female is hanging in there, being spotted climbing onto a fallen marula tree, which is a promising prospect, showing that her paw is showing signs of slightly healing. And a trip into the deep south gave us the opportunity to spend a morning following the Ndzanzeni Female too.
On the lion front, the Styx Male, Ntsevu Pride, Ndzhenga Males and the Kambula sub-adults have also been around. The Kambula sub-adults, along with one of the older Kambula Lionesses, moved north of the sand river only to return a few days later.
To top off the week, a male cheetah has made himself at home in the open grasslands for the past few days.
Let us know some of your favourite images in the comments below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The Ximungwe Female manages to find a vantage point upon a fallen marula as the sun sets behind her. With her injured paw, she took this time to rest before climbing down and calling for her cub.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
Moving around to the other side of the fallen marula tree allowed us to catch the beautiful Ximungwe Female in some perfect light.
Two buffalo bulls lock horns in a battle for domination. An example of the raw power these animals possess, and a sighting that sticks with you for a while.
An Ntsevu lioness meets up with her cubs after leaving them to go out hunting. Although she was unsuccessful, the cubs greeted her with much enthusiasm.
One of the Kambula brothers crosses the Sand River, following the scent of his two brothers after getting separated the night before.
After following the Nkoveni Young Male, he scaled a jackalberry tree just high enough to catch the morning sun. One of my favourite images from this last week.
After not being seen with her cub for a few days, the Nkoveni Female was spotted contact calling repeatedly in the hope of finding her son after some time apart.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Winter sunsets are in full swing at the moment, and some afternoon cloud cover and a bit of dust in the air create the perfect opportunities to get some amazing sunset shots.
The Styx male walks directly towards our vehicle as he tries to find some cover while hunting a herd of zebra with the young Kambula lioness.
A red-billed oxpecker dives deep into the ear of a rhino in search of some ectoparasites to fill its hunger.
The Hyena den site continues to be one of the highlights this week, as two more cubs have appeared. Nothing brightens up a quiet drive like a few hyena cubs playing around their termite mound.
The Ximungwe Young Male peers over a fallen marula tree as he stalks his mom between playful bouts.
My favourite edit this week. A close-up encounter with a Zebra allowed for some creativity in the photographic studio.
An Ndzhenga male on an early morning patrol.
A morning drive into the deep south east never fails to surprise me. After a relatively slow morning, the Ndzanzeni Female made an appearance as she climbed to the top of a termite mound, posing between the Plume Chloris grasses, creating a cinematic look to this image.
Royal descendant of Mother Leopard lineage. Remarkable single cub success story who overcame injury to continue the royal bloodline.
A martial eagle glides through the canopy, offering up a single opportunity to get this beautiful shot.
The causeway never disappoints. A Goliath heron feeds on the head of a catfish that looked like the remains of an otter kill…
Giraffes and sunsets are one of the ultimate duos, and when a red-billed oxpecker is added to the equation, it gets even more iconic.
After a report that a male cheetah had been spotted wandering through the open grasslands in the early hours of the morning, we arrived just in time to see him go sprinting after a steenbok. After losing him for a few moments, we came around a little shrub to find that his hunt was a success.
Wow, wow, wow. What a brilliant assortment of spectacular photographs. Breathtaking Bryce.
For me the absolute standouts are 1) the Kambula lion crossing the river, 2) that phenomenal winter sunset, 3) the Styx male and last but not least 4) the martial eagle. An honourable mention must go to the Ximungwe male cub peering over the fallen stump.
I love your image of the Ximungwe female in the tree–the lighting is so dreamy! I also loved the heron and agree that the zebra edit turned out perfectly.
Wonderful shots. Loving the silhouettes. Can’t wait to be back soon.
Bryce, Thanks for the great update!! We just came back from a week at Founders! The game viewing was spectacular. We love the shots you presented and saw the Nkoveni Young Male. Terri came up with a great name for him with Joy: Tsakani – means “brings happiness” in Shangaan. Just thought we would through it into the mix!
Thank you Bryce, leopards in trees always make me happy! – your photos of Ximungwe and the Nkoveni young male are wonderful. And it’s great to see Ndzanzeni again, it’s been a long time.
Hello Bryce, firstly I thought “the Ximungwe female in the rosy light, perfect!” But really all pictures are fantastic! The special lights and the shades and violent clash of colours, like in the winter sunset, the lions and leopards and cheetah in their golden glory, I’m contrast to the very delicate ones of the Ximungwe female and the Ndzanzeni female, that make superb portraits of them. The zebra looks like a perfect canvas. So fantastic the Ximungwe cub peeping! And the buffalo clashing has something, like you said, that hypnotises for long. Considering all details, I’d picked up the Ximungwe female and the Ndzanzeni female as very delicate and perfect rendering portraits. The Ximungwe cub wins too.
Splendid TWIP Bryce, thank you. Can never choose a favourite but three of my favourites have to be: the zebra because of the splendid edit; the oxpecker deep in the ear of the rhino because of the curiosity appeal (never seen that before!) and finally the Ximungwe female in the fallen Marula tree because of our ongoing concern for her welfare, one of our current favourite leopardesses.
I LOVE the photo of the giraffe with what looks like a nose ring!
Superb, with many photos highlighting the benefits of highlighting the benefits of focusing on the eyes
Great photos, Bryce!
It’s good to know that the Ximungwe Female and her cub are fine. It’s such a cute photo the cub looking at something from behind the fallen tree.
I love the Goliath Heron with the leftovers of a catfish in its beak. The causeway is a really fantastic spot for bird photos. And of course, I love all the other photos as well.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a conservation ranger for Londolozi! – Although you people see the animals on a daily basis, it still must be exhilarating when you see them. Not to mention, seeing the variety of “Cats” and their unique personalities and beauty.
This weeks pictures are EXCEPTIONAL! They have brought me to tears. Thank you!
That sunset!!😍
You’ve made it very difficult to select a few favorites as each photo posted can be a favorite. However there are a few standouts: Ximungwe draped over the Marula tree in that perfect light, the two buffalo bulls locking horns, Nkoveni young male framed in the jackal berry tree, the fiery sunset, the rhino ear with the hungry oxpecker, and the stunning b/w portrait of the zebra. Truly special was seeing your image of Ndzanzeni female, a stunning leopard I’ve not viewed in a while so it’s good to know she’s still around and looking well. Thanks Bryce for this week’s TWIP.
Breathtaking shots – every one of them! Thank you!
Hi Bryce, such stunning images this week in TWIP. My favorite this week would be the Ximungwe female in a tree allowing her sore leg and paw hanging down. It seems as if she is getting better and stronger everyday. Her young son is also my favorite with Nkoveni’s young son as well. Wow just looking at those two bull buffalo’s looking horns is amazing and scarry at the same time. Sunset image is absolutely stunning.
Sooo happy to see the Ximungwe female still doing well with her healing leg injury.
A really awesome collection of images this week, Bryce! Such good news about the Ximungwe female; what strength and courage that mother has! I think my favorite is the shot of the Nkoveni Young Male looking so alert and handsome.
Regarding the Ntsevu lioness , it is rare to see a lioness with antlers! 😉
Thankyou Bryce! What a magnificent assortment of photos! I love all of them. I am especially thankful to see Ximungwe in a tree, and her young cub still alive. It looks like she has her injured left leg carefully positioned, hopefully it is healing. I thought she looked slightly less lame in the last video I saw. Being a life long professional sport horse trainer I notice these details immediately!
All of the images are beautiful! I really can’t pick a favorite. What a fabulous week. I can’t wait to get back to see these gorgeous animals in person. In the meantime your pictures and videos are so beautiful.
Wonderful pics with phenomenal lights-thanks
Excellent once again – Love the Goliath Heron photo and 2 buffalo Bulls thumping each other. RAW unfiltered power.