The past few weeks at Londolozi have brought a wonderful mix of weather, with refreshing rains interspersed between beautifully warm summer days. The combination has breathed new life into the landscape, painting the bush in vibrant greens and energising wildlife across the reserve. Recent downpours have filled seasonal wallows and waterholes and have swelled the Sand River. At the same time, the sunshine in between has created those perfect conditions that make every game drive feel alive with possibility. This dynamic weather has brought the bush to life in spectacular fashion, and nowhere is this more evident than with the lions. The Gijima Males continue to assert their dominance across Londolozi, spending considerable time in the central regions of the reserve. They have certainly made their presence felt as their deep roars echo through the night, a powerful reminder of the captivating shift in lion dynamics.
The photographic opportunities have been exceptional as the bush has been teeming with life. The ever-changing weather has gifted us with a stunning variety of light – soft, diffused tones on overcast days, and those glorious moments when the sun breaks through dramatic storm clouds, bathing the landscape in golden morning and afternoon light. We have been particularly spoilt with an increase in sightings of the Maxim’s Male, whose elusive nature makes each encounter all the more special. A tender moment with the young male cub of the Nkuwa Female reminded us of the next generation coming through, while two elephant bulls jostling for dominance provided a powerful display of strength and behaviour. Adding to the week’s highlights was a very unique sighting of an African Scops Owl during the day—a rare treat that had everyone reaching for their cameras.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week in Pictures…
The Gijima Males have ironically taken a particular liking to Carcass Clearing, a preferred spot of the former dominant coalition of the Ndzhenga Males.
Poetry in motion. The Nkoveni Female, perfectly poised, crawls through a clearing looking to capitalise on the vulnerability of the newest impala lamb arrivals.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
A special moment spent with the Nkuwa Young Male as he patiently waits his turn for his mother to finish feeding on their Impala ram carcass.
A very unique sighting of an African Scops Owl during the early hours of the afternoon. After this little owl began to call rather early on in the afternoon, we took an extra couple of moments to try and pinpoint exactly where the calls were coming from, turns out it was hiding in plain sight!
The Nkoveni Female, pauses for a moment before returning to feed on her kill.
As the light broke through the clouds, we had a very brief window to capture the Dark-maned Gijima Male before the clouds consumed the golden morning light once more.
The newly named Shingi Male began to yawn and stretch before descending a perfectly suited marula tree and disappearing into the thickets of a nearby drainage line.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
Ranger Kate and Tracker Equaliser, taking advantage of the warm summer afternoons to do some birding at the causeway with their guests.
Perhaps my favourite shot of the week! The lighter-maned Gijima Male posed perfectly in the early morning light after tracker Geshom pulled off an unbelievable track and find!
Although I am very fond of trying to capture animals in their environment as I believe it adds to the storytelling aspect of photography, there is certainly always place for a regal portrait shot of a male Lion. Colour or Black & White?
Dappled light pears through a Tamboti tree grove, casting light onto a very full-bellied Maxim’s Male. I love the light of this shot as I feel it adds a degree of mystery to this large Tom, perfectly complementing his secretive and elusive nature.
Dominant since 2019. Once skittish Kruger-born giant now rules vast territory, transforming from elusive presence to formidable force.
Two large elephant bulls throw their weight around as they establish a dominance hierarchy between them.
A male cheetah scans his surroundings atop a fallen marula tree. A perfect setting to implement a high-key edit.
An overcast and rainy afternoon provided a moody backdrop to the Mhangeni Pride patrolling the open grasslands of the reserve.
A somewhat pregnant-looking Ximungwe Female takes a moment to rest atop a termite mount. It won’t be long now before we hopefully welcome the newest additions to the Leopards of Londolozi.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
Á dwarf mongoose pup curiously investigates the vehicle as we pause to watch the antics of the rest of the business roaming around their burrows.
A very relaxed Verreaux’s Eagle Owl turns its attention to a slight rustle in the grass below it before flying off to its next perch.
The Xinkhova Female pauses whilst crossing the airstrip as the distant alarm calls of a herd of wildebeest catch her attention.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
A moody black & white edit of the Three Rivers Female pausing from the safety of a weeping boer bean tree after narrowly escaping a group of charging hyenas.
Forced into early independence at 11 months. Despite her small size, she's proven resilient, currently raising a cub in SE Londolozi.
A low-angle shot of the Dark-maned Gijima Male patrolling during the golden morning light in search of his brother.
A nyala bull in a dominance display using ‘pilo-erection’ to posture against a rival bull.
A crash of White Rhino ushered one of the four Nwasitshaka Males away from the edge of Makhotini Dam.
Beautiful, beautiful photos Reece! Thank you for sharing. I adooooore the dwarf mongoose pup 🥹😍. Enjoy Londolozi for me, and happy Holidays to you and your loved ones 🧡
Hi Reece, honestly, this is a gallery with no rival. The opening picture kept me in awe. Then, the Nkoveni Female is a special leopard, her hard life mixes with her pure stunning beauty, the black-and-white picture stops a winning queen for a time. All leopards are incredible, the picture of the Maxim male is a masterpiece indeed. I love the Nkuwa son and of course the Sihngi male, Xinkova, Three Rivers female… the Gjima male photo should drape on a wall ! I never saw nyala bulls like that, so beautifully striking. Owls are main characters among birds here, I do miss Scops owls, once one made a nest in my chimney! Rhinos and elephants always welcome. The Gjima dark male is a stunner, still not like the Othawa male but a very handsome lion. Are there too many hyenas in comparison to other predators? I read an article about hunting predators and the dwindling number of lions affecting hyenas population in number. But I see there are strong male lions in Londolozi, so all should be in balance. Fantastic gallery!
Thank you Reece. I love your Gijima male image….it has to be colour for me every time, especially with those beautiful amber eyes. But my favourite is the Shingi male in the tree, you can’t beat a good yawn!
Fabulous week!!! I agree with your favorite shot but definitely in FULL color!!! So regal 🙂 The anyala bull also very impressive…don’t think I’ve ever seen one…similar to a kudu? Cheers to the weekend!
Oh my goodness, the bulging eyes on that dwarf mongoose pup! Beautiful portraits this week. I don’t recall ever having seen a Nyala bull displaying like that—so interesting. I’m relieved the Three Rivers Female didn’t have an altercation with the hyenas.
Hi Reece it is hard to pick just one favorite as all of your images are winners. Your B/W images are stunning as well. I worked in the dark room 28 years ago and my job was to do produce the B/W photos from the film strip. The Shingi male and new Ngungwe male cub would be my favorites for this week. Just this week the Nyala bull that visits us regularly for 3 years now brought his son to meet us. Not long another older Nyala bull tried to come closer to us, and the bull that we now also had this dominance display until the other bull left. So good to see the Scops owl again. Good to hear the Ximungwe female is pregnant and we can we looking forward to new cubs.
Dear Reece, a wonderful collection of pics in TWIP. Love the leopards.
Beautiful photos, Reece. You have really caught the character of the animals in the photos.
I love that little scops owl, though I love all of your photos. They are really great.
It looks like summer is full on in Sabi Sand with the intermittent rain and sunny warm days. The light makes for wonderful photos and you captured some great images this week. Definitely a favorite is your portrait of the lighter maned Gijima male in color. I chose this for the rich tones in his mane as well as the light in his eyes. The b/w is special but the colored version popped. Additionally other favorites include: Nkuwa’s male cub, hopefully a pregnant Ximungwe, the dwarf mongoose, the male Nyala in his dominance posture, the elephant’s sparring, and the b/w of the Three Rivers female. Btw, wonderful angle and shot of Kate and guests on the causeway.
Great shots Reece! Lots of leopards! We love the close-up of the Gijima Male, and are voting for the color one because you got the beautiful color of his eyes!