Many guides have spoken about the abundant rain we had at the beginning of the year. However, the rain has continued, albeit more irregularly, throughout the winter months. This has ensured that even the smallest wallows and pools of water remain full. As a result, the animals have been distributed throughout the reserve rather than concentrating around the Sand River.
Today’s TWIP will be a little different. I’ve been playing around with the Canon 300mm fixed lens, as well as the Canon 200–400mm with the 1.4x teleconverter. These lenses have really only allowed me to take most of my photos in portrait orientation.
I’ve also been experimenting with light for a while now. Many of the photos were taken in very unique lighting conditions, which I think has helped create something a little different.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
Early morning light with the Ntsevu pride on a giraffe kill.
This was the first time for me capturing a leopard crossing the runway. The Xinkova Female looking left and right to make sure it was safe to cross the airstrip.
A curious dwarf mongoose being the only brave one to see what was happening around. The Low angle was a result of me lying flat several yards away.
Light peeping through the leave of a Jackal berry tree onto the beautiful Ngungwe Female leopard. I enjoyed the black and white in this photo. However, later we will see the more natural light of the scene.
A large herd of buffalo approaching water at dusk.
It has been a tough few months for the two Kambula lionesses, who originally had 6 cubs, are left with 4 subadults. Saying this, the subadults are learning how to hunt and will hopefully soon be able to assist their mothers. This young female is practising the art of killing, which will be her asset in the near future.
This bull hippo was having a roll as he was getting ready to get out the water to feed for the night. The light was beautiful, however, I did cut his foot off due to being too close with the fixed 300mm lens.
Piercing light on the Ngungwe female leopard.
A spotted buffalo, this was a first for me. Although it was covered in spots a form of leucism, this animal was in superb condition.
After a considerable amount of time, beautiful golden light glittered on the Ngungwe female leopard.
A mother and calf rhino having a drink in the morning light. This rhino is not older than 4-5 months. A still morning like this truly brings out the reflection.
A further black and white image of these two rhinos. This image for me truly brings out the reflection of these prehistoric creatures.
A Verroux’s Eagle Owl perched at sunset, awaiting the hunting advantages the night brings.
For me, the most beautiful pattern.
This is a wider angle of the Hlambela Male leopard, highlighting the change in shape and size of a leopard’s rosettes.
A new addition to one of the hyena dens on Londolozi. This small hyena is no older than a couple weeks. We often determine the age of these smaller hyenas based on their colour and darkness.
Two hippos running into a waterhole to submerge themselves for the day.
The wide eyed look of a leopard that is either highly intrigued by something or terrified, in this case, the Xinkhova Female was intrigued.
Not something you get to see every day,
Thanks for a great TWIP Dean. My favourite this week is the colour image of Ngungwe in the tree, as the light on her is just gorgeous.
Light is all! A superb gallery, Dean. An absolute pleasure. All pictures deserve praise, I’ll pick up the ones of the Ngungwe female. Besides her beauty, she’s incredibly expressive, and both black and white and colours suit her magnificently!
Hi LGR. Thank you so much, as usual for putting up another fascinating load of some very well taken and clear photos of what you’ve seen there in the last 7 days. Although the Xinkhova female was seen a couple of times during the week, I do know that she’s been seen mating with a very nervous and shy male leooard who you have never managed to identify, but even though he is a nervous boy, do you think he could possibly be the offspring of another leopard that you know, or is he a brand new boy on the block? While it is easy to see that he’s not comfortable around game drive vehicles, but if you do see him again anymore times, I’m so very sure he’ll soon slowly relax down and become just as relaxed as a lot of the other leopards there are right now.
Despite the very sad event a couple of months ago that saw both of her very first litter of two tiny cubs killed at only about seven weeks old, I hope she’ll soon produce another new litter and be a lot more successful in raising them. I know for sure that her aging mum, who’s got two brand new cubs of her own to worry about, wouldn’t want to have the very unnecessary pressure of having a litter of grandcubs to feed and look after, as it will undoubtedly take it’s toll on her. But I hope the Xinkhova female will be a lot more fortunate and successful in raising them to very hard independence there.
As for the two mother lionesses of the Kambula pride who started of last year with six cubs, four born to one lioness and two born to the other lioness, well whilst they did incredibly well to get all six cubs past the one year mark, do you know if the four sub adults left over, are the four older cubs born to one lioness there yet at all? It’s not very clear now. Out of the four cubs one lioness had, she had three boys and one girl. I don’t know if it is those four left over in the group, unless you’re able to tell me exactly.
And from the looks of one photo, it looks like to me that a or one of the young female and the rest of the small group had caught and pulled down a buffalo. I’m just interested to know which of the two sub adults are missing now currently. I know one was killed a couple of months ago, but I don’t know what happened to the other one either fairly recently.
I do hope it wasn’t and isn’t two of the four older cubs that are missing or that have been killed. It’ll be do interesting to see how much longer it will be before the two adult lionesses in the tiny group come back into heat, and are both ready to mate there again eventually. I bet they will mate with the very males who have sired the eight other cubs when ready.
I think one thing is for sure, that if the 2 old Ndhzenga males hadn’t been dethroned and deposed by the 2 younger and larger Gajima males, then maybe the other two sub adults from that group wouldn’t be missing or wouldn’t have been killed in the first place. I bet those remaining sub adults miss their own biological fathers who both sired them. Those four living youngsters are the last offspring the 2 Ndhzenga males sired before they were dethroned and deposed. I don’t know what you think, but would it be possible that the 2 old and aging slawarts would try and regain control of that tiny group of the Kambula pride again at all, if they got to seize the chance and opportunity to try and sire some more new cubs with them at all?
As you’ve now got a brand new formidable coalition in the form of the 4 young N’waswishaka males starting to come onto your property, I think they’ll all make the ideal and perfect breeding partners for both the elusive Tsalala lioness and the Nkuhuma breakaway lioness as well as been more than happy to mate with them both nonstop relentlessly for 4 or 5 days in a row, mating upto a whopping 3,000 times for each of their every cub(s) that survives or outlived yearning stage. It’ll be so interesting to see if and how those 2 unrelated lone lionesses react to the presence of the 4 N’waswishaka males if and when they do come across them all. Especially as it’ll be nice for those 2 lone and unrelated lionesses to have some brand new cubs of their own sired by them all. What do you think the chances will be of that happening over there one day? I know those 2 lionesses don’t know each other, but I think they will stand a much better chance if they formed a good bond with each other and raised some cubs of the of own together as a powerful duo jointly. Wouldn’t they?
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 4.9.26
Beautiful photos, Dean in this mostly golden light. I love all of them.
It is really rare to see a leopard crossing the air strip.
For me the leopards rosettes are also the most wonderful pattern.
Well done on your TWIP Dean – you definitely found success using those two Canon lenses and although you cut off the hippo’s foot, you might be able to recover it in PS. A few favorites this week include the spotted Buffalo, Ngungwe in color, the rhinos with their reflections, the leopard rosettes and lastly, Xinkhova.
Hi Dean, great pics.. 2 of them stood out for me, actually 3. Two of the Xinkhova female a} crossing the runway b) her intrigued look and then the two hippos running into the water.
Hi Dean, you certainly were experimenting with lenses. Lovely images and my favorites would be the Xinkhova female, all her images are beautiful.
Lovely TWIP Dean, and made even more interesting by the “limitations” of the camera lenses you were using! So many great shot to chose from, and great variety of context and composition. But I have to chose the Xinkova’s intrigued portrait! She is a stunning leopard!!
Loved the hippo racing. Did you know that hippo can run faster than a human and can swim faster than a human so your only chance in a triathlon is on the bike? 😉
Wow Dean, those lenses really did their job and your experimentation with light showed some of the animals in a beautiful way. Thank you!
I was not expecting to see an upside-down hippo! The rhino reflections are lovely, as are the leopards. I love how your black and white edits of them in particular emphasized the spots in the environment—wether the skid marks on the airstrip or the leaves of the trees behind them.
Dear Dean, wonderful TWIP, some pics are funny. Leopards on its best , but also the hippos and the lights in the pics. thanks a lot.
Awe-inspiring photos – loved them all