This Week In Pictures takes us to all four corners of Londolozi. The southwestern parts of the reserve brought us much excitement this week, as it was home to the already very well-known white zebra foal. The open grasslands in this area allowed for some awesome sunset photography to take place. A zebra foal posed elegantly for us, and one sundowner presented an orange haze that would have been immoral to not take a photo of.
The birdlife has never been better this summer. This week, a Whiskered Tern decided to make an appearance, normally seen more frequently in the southeastern parts of Mozambique and along the coastline into the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The causeway produced a beautiful opportunity to photograph a Giant Kingfisher as well as a Cape Clawless Otter (my first ever here at Londolozi) and a Swainson’s Spurfowl perched on a dead branch, posed perfectly in some contrasting light.
On the lion front, we had a long-lost friend return looking stronger than when I last saw him, the Southern Black Dam Male. He spent a little bit of time around our airstrip before the roars of the Gijima Males sent him back north. The Msuthlu Pride have been ever so successful on their nightly hunts. Also hanging around relatively close to camp, often seen either very full or finishing the remains of a kill. The Plains Camp Males were back in the northern parts of the reserve, and they too had a run-in with the Southern Black Dam Male; no actual harm was done to any parties before the Southern Black Dam Male thought it was best to run.
But yet again the leopards took centre stage this week. Numerous sightings of the Xinkhova Female have resulted in some great opportunities to get some amazing pictures of her. The Tinxiya Female, daughter of the Three Rivers Female, has firmly grounded herself on the western side of her mother’s territory. The fact that we have seen her scent marking tells us she is here to stay. The Shingi Male has finally shown signs that he is moving on from his mother, the Nkoveni Female. He is now being seen scattered across the southeastern parts of Londolozi, venturing further and further away from his mother’s territory but still confining himself to his father’s territory, the Maxims Male. The Ngungwe Female and her female cub are doing well. Two kills this week have meant they have both been well fed, and for a first-time mother, Ngungwe Female can be proud of herself.
To top it all off, the pack of two wild dogs has called Lonodlozi their home this week. Popping up all over the southern parts of the reserve, and a quick visit to our airstrip allowed me to get probably my favourite photo of the week.
Let me know in the comments which one is your favourite.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The Tinxiya Female takes a rest high up in a marula tree. Accompanied with some amazing light, her green eyes stand out perfectly. Certainly one of my favourite pictures from the week.
A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.
A zebra foal looks back over its shoulder as the sun starts to set over the horizon.
The recent heavy rains we experienced at the start of January brought in many bird species we do not often see in this region. One of those species was the Whiskered Tern. A special one for many birders to tick off.
The Xinkhova Female has been a hot commodity this week. With some exciting news on the horizon for this fierce female leopard, the prospect of seeing her a lot more often is thrilling.
Born 2021, daughter of Nkoveni. Young dynamo actively claiming territory near camps, showing promise as next generation's dominant female.
Hard to say this is not my favourite photo of the week because it is undoubtedly a special one. While watching the pack of two wild dogs on a hunt, the smaller female decided to split the airstrip in two and take a stroll right down the middle, creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grab this shot.
As mentioned before, the Xinkhova Female has been a common dominator on the leopard front this week. In this case, she had killed an impala lamb relatively close to camp, and it was nothing short of amazing. Driving out of camp and within the first five minutes, we stumbled upon her, high up in this Jackalberry tree, with her kill.
The Swainsons Spurfowl, getting its name from the prominent spurs you can see on its legs. This often overlooked bird species can sometimes be a photographer’s dream, regularly perching itself on termite mounds and fallen trees at dawn and dusk to announce their presence before they bed down for the night or starts its day foraging.
The ever more impressive Shingi Male. Now completely independent, he is starting to roam further and further from his mother’s territory, the Nkoveni Female. Although his future is uncertain, he sure has a good start to life. It is now up to him to state his name and build on his legacy.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
A sunset in the south-western parts of the reserve is nearly unbeatable. Open grasslands and some dead trees create an incredible environment for some amazing sunset shots.
This was a very special moment for me. My first ever cape-clawless otter at Londolozi. Nearly three years down the line, and finally. Watching this otter move around between the reed beds, looking for small crustaceans and freshwater mussels, was a highlight of my week. Here, it found a small crab and called it breakfast. What a moment.
The Southern Black Dam male has made his return to Londolozi. As mentioned, he has been seen frequently with a few of the younger male lions at Londolozi. Is he looking for a partner in crime? Time will tell but for now he has been hanging around and looking better than ever.
The wink of death. The Shingi Male has always loved resting on a fallen-over marula tree, but he doesn’t normally wink at you while posing at the same time.
The two Plains Camp Males returned to our northern parts of the reserve recently. They show no signs of weakness. Still, probably the biggest pair of lions in the Sabi Sands, they hold strong to their territory.
A hard-earned photo. After a whole morning of tracking and chasing, we finally found this pack of wild dogs, resting in the Manyelethi River in the north.
Another leopard that is not shy of a big jackalberry tree. The Ngungwe female.
Born 2020 during lockdown to Piccadilly Female. Once skittish, now confident mother denning her first litter in Marthly's rocky terrain.
Although lions are incredibly social cats and show a lot of affection to each other, when it comes to feeding time, you could swear the world was about to end. One of the smaller Msuthlu cubs catches the claws of his older cousin while feeding on a wildebeest they caught mid-morning.
Another favourite image of the week. A Giant Kingfisher up close and focused. The causeway is always a great spot to capture some birds on film, but seldom do they pose so close that you can get a portrait where every detail of each feather can be seen.
As you can see, birds have been a common focus for me lately. Here, two Brown-Headed Parrots sit on the trunk of a dead marula tree.
A ghost amongst the herd. As many of you know the birth of a zebra without stripes has taken over the attention of many at Londolozi. I could not help myself but include one photo of this rare phenomenon.
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on The Week In Pictures #746