Before we dive in, a quick answer to last week’s What Bird Is This? #34. The mystery bird was a scarce and elegant visitor, and well done to those who got it right.
The image we provided you.
And the ANSWER IS…
A Montagu’s Harrier!
Right, back to the task at hand. So, in prepping for this Week In Pictures, it was firmly brought to my attention that I need to dedicate more time and focus while out there to capture a lot more still frames. The catch is that I spend most of my time behind a video camera, which means my still photography takes a back seat. So what follows in this week’s episode is a random grab of frames from the last little while, nothing polished, nothing particularly curated.
The rains have not entirely packed up and left yet. We are still catching the odd sprinkle here and there, enough to keep the bush thick and green, though the grass is beginning to show the first hints of winter with that slow shift from lush green to a dry, golden brown that tells you the chillier months are on their way. The pans and waterholes are still full, the Sand River is running with enough conviction to have a mind of its own, and occasionally cuts off our access to the north.
It has been a rich few weeks of sightings. The Mhangeni Pride is in good shape, the Nkumati Males are holding things together, and the pride is feeding well. The Msuthlu Lionesses have also been around, as alert and unapologetic as ever. A male cheetah has been making regular appearances in the southwestern grasslands. A crocodile offered up a close look at some ancient, solar-panel engineering. Vultures perched up in dead knobthorns at sunset. And the albino zebra foal continues to move with its dazzle, doing remarkably well.
On the leopard front, the Nkoveni Female was hunting, the Ximungwe Female’s cubs are wide-eyed and sharp, and the sighting of the week, perhaps of the week, was the Hlambela Male turning up on Ximpalapala Koppie. A cause for both celebration and a certain quiet anxiety, for reasons those who know that territory will understand. Stay tuned for more on this soon.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
This was the first sighting I had of the foal, and you can see just how pale it was and the stripes still being visible here.
The ever-so-stunning Nkoveni Female, utilisies a fallen marula to scan for anything to hunt.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Not an award-winning photo, but it is great to see that this young zebra’s face has recovered and more intriguingly to see the stripes on its skin.
One of the only shots I got of the curious and particularly alert cubs of the Ximungwe Female. I love how they are fixated in my direction.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
While zooming out to try search a new leopard den, this was a stunning scene that I had to stop for a few seconds to try capture. I am glad it turned out ok.
The Mhangeni Pride feeding on that wildebeest drew in a number of vultures that perched up in a dead knobthorn tree in the distance as the sun was setting, allowing for another sunset and silhouette shot.
The Swainson’s Spurfowl is often a vocal bird, but I came to realise the other day that I have very few photos of them and so snapped a sequence of this chap in a tree shouting his lungs out.
An intense stare from this younger Msuthlu LIoness showing her displeasure with me trying to sneak past her and her siblings as I was trying to get across to the wild dogs a few weeks ago.
Now at first glance, this is a pretty bang-average image, but what impressed me was the size of that massive green fly on the eyelid of this Mhangeni Lioness as she was feeding.
The Mhangeni Pride has been through a lot of late, but now with four young cubs and the Nkumati Males controlling them, they are bounding back and doing very well.
Sunsets and silhouettes are a great way to add a few filler shots to a selection of images.
The male cheetah has been showing up a fair amount in the southwestern grasslands and here, this fallen marula was the perfect vantage point for him to scan for any unsuspecting victims to become his breakfast.
Still a great perspective, but I feel the B&W version had so much more gravitas to it.
This was a quiet moment to celebrate yet in the same breath, panic. The celebration stems from being able to have a proper sighting of this male leopard, the Hlambela Male. The panic stirred up from where he happened to be resting.
An impressive male, appearing as a rising force in the north. Making a name for himself by pushing other males out.
Ancient textures of a crocodile. Each one of these little nodes, acts as a little hyper-efficient solar panel helping to warm this cold blooded crocodile up on a cool day. They carefully orientate themselves to the sun depending on how much power they need to hit the panels.
The same was just tweaked into a black and white image for the dramatic effect.
Quite a contrast between the mother and its foal. It is impressive firstly, how far these zebras have moved but secondly, how well this youngster is doing.
A tender moment between this foal and its mother. The best part about having this foal around is seeing that the dazzle/herd have accepted it and that it is gracefully moving about with all of them.
A full moon rising over the Sabi Sand. That deep amber colour only lasts a few minutes before it bleaches out , Before you know it the moon has risen and the entire scene is transformed.
A bank of clouds drifted across the rising moon and turned the bush sky into something straight out of a werewolf film.
Hi LGR. As always, thank you so much for putting up some great and very interesting pictures of the lions and leopards as well as what they’ve been upto in the last 7 days since the last TWIP. Although one of the 3 adult lionesses of the Mhangeni pride has got 4 young cubs, who I hope you’ll soon be able to sex as I’m interested to know what they are, do you know if any of the other 2 lionesses are either pregnant or coming into heat with the Nkuhuma and Talamati males around to control the pride and mate with the lionesses and rebuild their old former numbers back up a fair bit to what they once were before? The four young playful cubs are either 4 boys, 4 girls, 3 boys and 1 girl, 3 girls and 1 boy or 2 of each as far as I’m concerned. It’ll be good when and if you can update me on them there very soon one day.
As for the two very sweet, tiny and healthy cubs of the experienced Ximungwe female, well despite the fact that you’ve told me that they’re a bit to young for you to see what gender they are whilst they’re about 10 to 12 weeks old, I bet it’ll be at least another couple of weeks to a month or so before you can get a good, clear and close enough view of their rear ends to see what they are.
I know you have got a lot faith in her due to her excellent and impressive skills as a highly devoted and protective mother and been successful at hunting to provide food for her and the cubs, but it’ll be so nice to see her hopefully add the tiny twosome to her very small short list of successfully raised offspring. I’ve got no idea at all as to how her two older young, hamdsome and elusive well raised single male offspring from her first and second litters are both doing and faring for themselves over there so far right now at the moment currently.
I know she isn’t the oldest female leopard on your property, but as she is definitely one of the more successful mothers on your land, it is fingers crossed that she will get both of her cubs raised successfully together. But as she hasn’t managed to raise two cubs together, this could well be the first time for her if all goes well and providing they don’t get found and killed by any other leopards or any other rival predators. However, I think we know they’ve both got a very long way to go ahead of them, as they are far less than a year old currently.
But if the nearly 11 year old Ximungwe female can get both of her 2 current cubs all the way to hard independence, then I think she’ll feel so pleased with herself and so will we. It is also clear that she’ll need considerable skill and very good fortune to raise both cubs very well. As I think she knows what she’s doing and has to do, we will leave it to her, but the cubs densites will need shifting every few days in their mother’s territory to try and keep them undiscovered, alive and well. If she is very able to do that, then we will definitely leave it to her.
As for the beautiful and stunning Nkoveni female, well as it seems that at long last that her large 27 month old son, the Shingi male is finally independent and has cut himself loose from his mum’s apron strings, she knows that she can just have a little break and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet before considering mating again with the Maxim’s male or whichever male leopard she comes across when she starts contact calling. At nearly 14 years old, I don’t think age will ever stop her from attempting to raise a fresh new brood of cubs before her time is up, it’s to late, and she becomes infertile completely. She’s raised 3 offspring to independence and 2 of them to very hard adulthood, and she’s fairly recently got rid of a third one and forced him to go it alone at long last. Hasn’t she?
If she does decide to mate again and have another litter of cubs, then at her age, I’ve just got a feeling that it’ll be her last ever litter before she’s to old.
She is one very special old leopard who has done very well to get to 4 months short of her 14th birthday. The Nkoveni female is certainly one of a lot of people’s favourites to come across and watch, due to her calm, relaxed and good nature and demener. It’s also good to see and watch her hunting or at least trying to hunt some prey. That will get the indrenaline of everyone watching her going 12 to the dozen with excitement as she goes through the very tall grass all the way towards her prey.
But though the Tsalala lioness hasn’t been mentioned in a TWIP for a long time, I’ve been looking her up a bit recently, and it said that it is likely that she has still got her cubs. But the last time I saw anything mentioning her, she had apparently moved her cubs onto Singita. If that is the case, then can you try and find out for ne, then let me know as soon as possible please? I’m also keen to know how many unseen cubs she’s got and is busy raising in her third litter as well.
Like you, I’d love to see her rebuild her decimated birth pride’s existence and former old numbers back up a fair bit to what they once were many years ago. She is also another favourite of many people who’ve watched her all the way from scratch from when she was a tiny cub herself all the way to a large adult lioness at 7 long years old. I hope she’ll have at least three or four cubs in her new litter to help rebuild her pride. That would be a great boost for the dynasty.
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 3.4.26
Thanks so much, Robert. We will let you know as soon as we have any information on the Tsalala Female and any of the other leopards and lions that you mentioned in your comment.
I love the blond white lashes on the Zebra foal. Your photos are so amazing! I look forward to finally getting there in about 5 weeks! Thank you for sharing every day the beauty of Londolozi and the wildlife and your people. 100 years! xoxo
We look forward to having you here in 5 weeks time. And, you are most welcome, we love to share this place with all of you out there.
Hi Sean, as usual very difficult to pick up a picture, although the two young cubs are a first and so long expected, hopefully the Hlambela male will decide about a large turnout…. although very exciting to see him. The mother of the little foal sports a very delicate colour shade, she s definitely an charming mother! In the picture with the foals head, its white eyelids are very visible. The stare of the young lioness tells it all! Very interesting how crocodiles evolution invented their solar panels much earlier then humans, maybe there was an imitation? The cheetah regal solitude is awesome in black and white colour. I like the Swainon’s Spurlfowl a lot! And the landscapes… the last picture is superb! The moon in an embroidered dark canvas… wow!
Thank you so much, Francesca. I am glad you enjoyed so many of the images this week.
Ps the Nkoveni Female is the most regal about all as usual, and acting like her son, perfectly at her ease and never bothered, she earns a winning point!
Thank you Sean, you’ve certainly not lost your touch for stills photography! – though it’s your videos I really look forward to.
Please say the Hlambela male wasn’t resting near Ximungwe’s den?
Thank you so much, Suzanne. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s virtual safari where we explain what the Hlambela Male was up to.
The last moon shot is amazing! Love seeing that little white foal…love the white eyelashes…sure hope he gets to grow old. I also love the Nkoveni Female shot with her giant paws over the edge of the tree. You did good Sean!! 😉
The white zebra foal has been fabulous to have around and has proven to be rather photogenic.
I wish that I had taken the cheetah 🐆 photo.
Wall candy
I really appreciate that, Ian. Thank you.
Hi Sean, so glad you have given us quite a few beautiful stills. The Nkoveni female is a gorgeous female. So very excited to see the two cubs of the Ximungwe female. So very cute and absolutely gorgeous. The Albino foal seems to coping well there in the bush. Sunsets and silhouettes are stunning.
Thanks, Valmai. It is always great seeing the young cubs.
A beautiful collection of this week‘s pictures,Sean.The Harrier Hawk is really a beautiful bird
Thanks so much, Christa. I am glad you enjoyed the pictures.
Terrific TWIP Sean! And whilst you have been experiencing a great deal of rainfall in SabiSand, the same is true for Northern California, and so I am hoping for clear weather there in two weeks when I’ll be there once again. I really enjoyed your detail shots of the croc’s skin – always interesting to learn how temperature control works in the animal world. Favorite shots include the b/w cheetah on the dead branch – tells more of a story. I also like the Msuthlu youngster giving you the stink-eye, the Albino Zebra foal with its developing stripes and nuzzling with its mother, and absolutely Ximungwe with her cubs. Looking forward to hearing more about the Hlambela male – worried that he is in Tsalala’s territory….
Thanks so much, Denise. I hope the weather clears for you when you are here.
As always Sean a wonderful week in pictures and always very informative and love all the updates.This weeks was fascinating for me as i have just returned from a trip to Kenya where we saw a beautiful Montagu Harrier in flight as well as a leaucistc Zebra not an albino but still very white that had fitted into the herd/dazzle very well just like at Londolozi !
Hi Tony, that sounds incredible. I have just seen your email. I hope you enjoyed your time over there. Such incredible things to see.
Sean, for something you just threw together, you did an amazing job. Gorgeous images, and love the contrast between the color and black-and-white ones too! Happy Easter!