The rain came in full force last night with a good 20mm soaking the reserve. This is nowhere near what we can get in one downpour, but it certainly gives us a nice run-in to the wet season. Ironically it was the first day we welcomed guests, but we are so thrilled to be operational again, spirits couldn’t be dampened. A huge thunderstorm at midnight kept everyone awake, and the bush is greening almost before our very eyes.
You will certainly start seeing a changing backdrop to our photos in the coming weeks, with the dull browns and open vistas being replaced by verdant hillsides and much thicker bush. Smaller things are going to start emerging and the birthing season for impalas, wildebeest and warthogs is rapidly approaching.
For now though the landscape is still open and we don’t have to worry too much about so much vegetation blocking our photos.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
One of the Avoca males in north-central Londolozi. Will this coalition ultimately prove to be the undoing of the Tsalala female? They are pushing further and further into her territory, and we are seeing her less and less…
The big buffalo herds generally confine their movements to the South-west of Londolozi, but a large group of them was seen drinking from the Sand River in front of the Londolozi camps earlier this week.
A hyena gazes forlornly up to where the Plaque Rock female had stashed a kill in the boughs of a Saffron tree.
The local guineafowl flocks can be seen at dawn and dusk every day at their favourite watering spots. A few flocks choose the Causeway to drink from, and the large riparian trees in the area offer relatively safe roosting spots.
A young elephant calf lags behind after its herd had crossed the Manyelethi Riverbed.
Although the rainy season is here with a vengeance, we have still had a couple of clear days this week. A young waterbuck soaks up the sun in one of the only dry periods it will have for a while.
There are few things more exhilarating than spending time at a waterhole that is truly buzzing. As well as the species pictured here, this waterhole had zebra, warthogs and wildebeest all coming in to drink as well. An impala is truly dwarfed by two giraffes as it bends to the water’s edge.
Sunbirds are intricate nest builders, using spiderweb to weave grass together, before attempting to camouflage the nest with an assortment of things like seeds and leaves. Female sunbirds are a lot harder to identify than the males of the species, and this one was only poking her face and beak out of the hole, but we think she is a Marico Sunbird. We’ll go back and wait for the male to come along to confirm.
The perils of the Sand River. Trying to position the vehicle in the best spot to film elephants mud-bathing can lead to the tractor being radioed. Note to self: keep the revs up!
A southern white-faced owl looks like it is glaring at the camera. In actual fact, this expression is probably more to cover its highly visible orange eyes, reducing the unwanted attention they may draw to it. But the glare certainly looks intimidating, so I guess it serves a double purpose.
The Piccadilly female was seen only about 50m from the den of the Makomsava female. We have recorded cases of female infanticide before, although it is rare, so our hearts were in our mouths for a while. Fortunately the bigger Piccadilly female moved off and both cubs are safe.
Elephants are fussy drinkers, usually disdaining long-standing, stagnant water in favour of cleaner sources. The flowing Sand River is generally their preferred option if they are near enough, but now that the rains are upon us they are going to have far more options to choose from.
One of the big stories this week is the Ostrich chicks that have been seen on a few occasions in the south-west of the reserve. There are 18 all told, and on the cold day pictured here many of them were sheltering under the wings of their father (adult male ostriches are black while females are dull brown).
I’m cheating here as this was actually from last week, but I overlooked it in the archives. One of the Makomsava cubs peers out from its former den. Those of you who follow our weekly Virtual Safaris might have seen the episode in which a hyena went right up into this small cave, but fortunately was unable to grab the cubs.
A large elephant bull moves out of the last of the sun as the day draws to a close. We will be bidding farewell to the golden hues of winter in the coming months, with lush green already starting to sprout all over the place.
The Makomsava cubs at their new den. It’s slightly trickier to access, and you have to be lucky to get a good view of them, but obviously the first priority for us (and them of course) is the den’s integrity as a safe spot for the cubs to hide. So far, so good.
Amazing elephant pics this week.
Congrats on the reopening!
Fantastic, serene image of the impala drinking between the giraffes!
Hope we get some video of the vehicle rescue!
The photo of the two vehicles in the river starts me wondering is there is a “pink pouch” is someone’s future. 😉
There may well be…
Happy re-opening and best wishes to you all. Desperate not to be with you…
Lovely pictures! Good to hear about the rain and that th leopard cubs are still safe. I hope that the Tslala lioness and her cub will be safe too in the future. She seems to be such a brave animal!
Love that hyena face and that of the southern white faced owl!
Beautiful …I enjoyed looking at your photos right now. It is my safe place to fall and it is calming and serene as well. Thank you so much and I look forward to tomorrow.
Love the landscape transition from gold to green with the mists……and always love seeing the tiny leopard cubbies!
Mud! Mud! Glorious mud! Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.
So, follow me, follow, down to the hollow,
And there let us wallow in glorious mud.
(with apologies to Flanders and Swann)
So wish I could be there. It will be a sad day when the Tsalala female is no more. Just from the stories pictures and words describing her life against the odds, she is one special cat. What ever happened to her last cub
James, I saved the Lion, the trucks in the river, southern white faced owl, the ostrich chicks, cubs, elephant bull🤗
Fabulous week in pictures!!! Such special ones this week, which is saying something since they are all amazing-the ostrich chicks!! The leopard cubs!! Elephants as always🥰🥰🥰
Great pics this week – I really enjoyed the Owl – I’ve never seen that one before.
Well James, you’ve outdone yourself with the photos you’ve shared this week. The hyena image is fantastic, capturing the most amazing expression. The cubs are little heart warmers- you can’t look at them without smiling. Thank you for keeping us up to date on what’s happening within Londolozi!
James, do you think the Avocas would try to mate with the Tsalala lioness or harm her and or her cub? Hope she and her girl stays safe, uugh.
Hi Trish,
I think for the most part she’d be safe but they’d try to kill the cub. In which case the Tsalala female might be in trouble if she tries to defend it…
Beautiful pics as always! Love the guinea fowl and the beautiful sunbird in her nest. Absolutely love the magnificent elephant pic and of course the baby leopard cubs, too cute!
Hi James! I look forward to TWIP every Friday. Do you suspect the Tsalala females are moving east or west off the reserve to avoid the Avoca males?
Hi Chris, as far as we can tell she’s just keeping a very low profile between the Sand and Manyelethi Rivers…
Another bumper week of stunning photos👌! Feeling the pressure for the Tsalala lioness and her cub 😳. Fascinating fact re Sunbird using spiders webs to weave their nest. James it seems that pink purse is yours to keep…for now😊..you may have to lay a trap soon. 🙏💓
Thanks James! What a great set of images. We are so excited to hear that you have guests on site! Yay!
Great pics this week!
Since I was on vacation in August and in September came new challenges… I was about 15 days late with daily Londolozi’s tales from the wildlife. And I’ll catch up with you soon😁.
During my time growing up, we had a guineafowl flocks in the yard. (We call them Perlinka, or officially Biserka (from the croatian word Biser=eng. Pearl). I’ve always adored them, and I have to admit that photographs of them in natural surroundings, in the wild, always warm my heart