After celebrating The Week in Pictures #500 last week and all that went into it, we are so grateful that this week we can share with you another amazing photographic week. Having a number of entries to choose from with the rangers competing to get their pictures featured, the wildlife has made the photographers’ lives easier but ours more difficult.
From the Birmingham Males roaming the reserve and the sounds of rival males roars throughout the nights, an interesting time for the lion dynamics is soon upon us.
The Picadilly Female and her elusive youngster spent some time along the Sand River opposite Tree camp with an impala kill, having hoisted it into one of those trees that every ranger wishes to see a leopard in. A beautiful Jackalberry tree with the most stunning horizontal branches, providing the perfect place to rest throughout the day.
Let’s not forget the wild dogs and their pups, as they continue to grow rapidly in size and adventurous spirits along with a variety of other pictures portraying this spectacular time of the year.
Enjoy this Week in Pictures…
Resting up in the most spectacular Jackalberry tree, the Picadilly Female and her cub had an impala carcass stached. She was taking the time to rest on the most ideal horizontal branch and survey the surroundings.
Late one afternoon as we were sitting at the causeway a flock of Guinea Fowl came trotting down for a drink.
The older-looking Birmingham Male’s condition is definitely on the decline however he is still an impressive-looking male.
The Picadilly female casually keeping an eye on us as she rests throughout the middle part of the day.
After a successful hunt, the wild dogs were on their way back to the den with this male leading the way.
As we now approach the peak of the dry season the vegetation has become a lot more fibrous which prompts the herbivores to drink more often. In this particular case, we spotted a small herd of zebra making a bee-line for a watering hole and decided to sit and wait for them to approach us. Our patience paid off when three from the herd lined up beautifully with their reflections in the water.
The wild dog pups, now nearly sporting their full adult coloration are growing in confidence. They have such a pleasure to watch and we look forward to the next adventure alongside them.
A mother rhino, with a spectacular front horn, lifts her head into the afternoon light for a brief moment while feeding. Her calf, who was just less than a year old, was off to her right. It often is the case that female rhinos have a longer, but more slender horns than males.
An impressive Kudu bull seen out in the open is an unusual sight as they are often found in the thicker vegetation. With the setting sun in the background, this made for an ideal photographic opportunity as the sunlight illuminates his mane and accentuates the spiraled horns.
A lone zebra quenches his thirst in the late afternoon.
The late afternoon is a great time to sit at Rhino Dam – a small watering hole in the centre of the reserve which plays home to this magnificent hippo bull. As the temperatures begin to drop later in the day he starts to get restless in water and there’s a good chance you may see him in full display like this if you sit and wait for long enough.
During the wintertime, the aloes are in full bloom around camp. Providing great opportunities to capture some of the smaller life around camp. The bees during the winter period certainly take full advantage of these flowering aloes, collecting as much pollen as possible.
We came across a large rhino bull who stood still in the middle of the road with his head hung low to the ground. On closer inspection, we saw two oxpeckers near the nostril of the rhino. These two creatures have a symbiotic relationship as the oxpecker eats ticks and parasites out of the nostrils and other areas of the body while the rhino gets a free clean.
It started off as a cold and overcast morning as we made our way down into the deep southwestern grasslands of the reserve. A break in the clouds let the rays of light from the rising sun illuminate the eastern skyline creating this magnificent scene.
Well enjoying a fantastic Londolozi sundowner, we were kindly joined by a pack of wild dogs who were out and about on an evening hunt. We promptly packed everything away and followed the wild dogs for a while.
Sean, pictures this week are awesome. Thanks
Thank you, Andrew and Daniel.
Gorgeous pictures! I particularly love the blooming aloe with the bee but of course big cats and rhino, hippo, zebra and rhino are all spectacular, the kudu bull is fantastic. I love guineafowls too they also are funny animals. I can’t help admiring the Birmingham male. Do you know if he is twin to the other or older?
Thank you, Francesca. I believe they are different ages, this one was born in 2010 and the other in 2011, so would therefore actually correctly be termed littermates rather than brothers.
Beautiful pictures. The winter light is wonderful.
Thank you, Christa. The winter light is stunning.
Great shots Sean ! Particularly the Rhinos this week 🙏🏻❤️. Thanks to everyone who shared them with us this week !
Thank you so much Cally.
Starting this week with No 501 is inspiring for us and I’m sure for you as well Sean, as with all the photographers. The Picadilly female is still a young leopard and absolutely beautiful. Loved the foto’s of the rhinos. Your shot of the Kudu bull is stunning with sun behind him. The wild dogs puppies are so cute and growing by the day. I feel sorry for the Birmingham male lion that is injured. Beautiful Foto’s thanks Sean.
Thank you so much Valmai.
You are right. what a great week in pictures! I ave always thought that the male kudu with his majestic horns is the most gorgeous of the grass eaters!It was lovely to see him I the open. The colors were gorgeous! Thank you for a great experience in the bush. Victoria
The winter colours are making photography such a pleasure, it can be tricky but if you get it right then the results are worth it. Thank you for all your support.
Great shots Sean and team! Nice job on the Zebras at the reflecting water hole. We are sure the Rhino bull was saying thank you too!
Thank you, Michael and Terri.
I love the picture of the kudu bull. I remember well when I was at Londolozi, the sighting of a kudu bull, mostly hidden in thick vegetation, just as you said, Sean!
Thank you, Michael, yes the kudu males are impressive and so the whole scene was amazing with the kudu in the open and the setting sun behind.
Bravo to all of you brilliant rangers/photographers for submitting such fabulous images this week! I’m thinking Ms Piccadilly leopard and the thirsty trio zebra are slight favorites. Thank you as always.
Thank you, Denise.
Thank you Sean, another spectacular set of photos to enjoy- appreciate them every week.
Thank you, Jane. This week was amazing with the winter light.
I love all of the pictures you chose for this week, but to me the money shot was the three zebras drinking. The reflection just adds to that to it.
Thank you Linda, that Zebra shot of Chris’s is spectacular.
Great photos Sean! Has the Piccadilly Female’s cub relaxed at all? Also, are both Birmingham Males looking in declining condition or is just condition related to age? Thanks so much again!
Thank you, Michael, It has relaxed but is still a little nervous. The one Birmingham Male is on the decline but I think it is age-related. The other Birmingham Male still appears to be in good condition.
The second photo of the picadilly leopard is awesome.
Thank you Al, I hope you are well.
The image of the Kudu is gorgeous. Great gallery of pictures this week!
Thank you for the all the wonderful photos this week Sean. I especially enjoyed Guy’s photo of the oxpecker and rhino. It made me realize how much I am appreciating the smaller species after following the blogs.
Some really fantastic shots this week – hard to pick a favourite. An excellent job done by all. Thanks for sharing,enjoyed looking and reading.
Sorry I am late watching the week in pictures! we had 3 grandkids visiting! As always wonderful pictures, my favorite always the wild dogs! Thankyou for the beautiful photos of the Kudu
make Victoria
Thank you, Victoria. Hope you had a lovely time with the grandchildren.