This is now the time of year that the regrowth of the bush escalates. We have had some rain and now with the warm humid weather the grass shoots up the bare twigs and branches of the trees are weighed down by all the new leaves. So it becomes harder for predators to see as clearly. In particular, leopards struggle to see above the grass to scan for any prey or dangers that lurk ahead. The solitary leopards manage to handle this pretty well and settle in in the branches of large trees. This calls for perfect opportunities to bring out the cameras and get the perfect shot of leopards in a Jackalberry, Marula, and even if you are lucky a dead Leadwood tree.
In this Week in Pictures, we celebrate just that with only a handful of different sightings but many incredible opportunities. As well as turning the corner and finding that the lion dynamics are shifting as more and more lions are moving through Londolozi. The sightings that we have seen at the start of this summer season have been too good to not take photos that even tracker Advice Ngwenya has been using his new camera to capture these moments. Myself and Advice were editing our photos together in the photo studio and decided we would do a combined TWIP.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The morning started with fresh tracks of the Ntsevu Breakaway Pride. The tracks had covered a large distance and led us straight to the Sand River where ranger Keagan had found them lying on the banks of the river. There were only three of the four males with the female found. We assumed that they might have separated during a chase as the Nkhuhuma Male and the Skorro Male were close by which could mean that they chased these younger lions the night before. Here one of the Ntsevu Males lies on the soft sand sun bathing after a long adventurous night. In a way, I really can see the Birmingham genes coming through in his face.
After a while ranger Nick called in on the radio that he had found the missing male. He was trailing the scent of the rest of them. I found it so amazing that he used the exact path that the tracks of the rest of the males and female used. It always seems so clear to them and so invisible to us if it was not for us to visibly see the tracks. As he approached this male, the oldest and biggest of them stood up to see who was approaching.
The older male got up and walked towards the approaching male in a way that his body language suggested a bit of aggression. Here the second male walks side by side with him towards the approaching male.
The missing male now moves into the frame as the two males come to greet him. The aggressive body language starts to soften as they get closer.
After brushing heads together and a brief greeting ceremony, they sniffed each other’s scent. The one male still stares in the direction that the missing male came from as if to check no danger follows him.
A short period of rest for them before they got up and walked towards the banks of the flowing Sand River.
Advice captures this moment as the Ntsevu Males walk through the Sand River. He managed to also get a wider lens to get Ranger Alfie and his guests in the background.
The older male leads the way into the northern parts of the reserve.
Advice zooms in more for this shot to show the tracks of the third male. Being a tracker, Advice really wanted to show the story of what the tracks lead to in this photo.
The last Ntsevu male to cross over the Sand River. Although still young, these males are growing into very. impressive male lions and will be a formidable force in the future.
The Ntsevu Female was the last to cross and races to catch up with her brothers. My favourite part of this photo is the lioness’s tail.
There is a certain look of intent in her eyes, almost as though she was in full pursuit of her next meal.
Advice took this image of the Ntsevu Breakways as they rest in the shade after crossing the Sand River. You can still see that they were still watching if any other lions were following them as they were staring in the direction they had just come from.
Ranger Ross Cheshire was following a Ntsevu Lioness and noticed a change in her body movement as she began to stalk he patiently parked the vehicle behind her waiting to see what she was stalking. In a flash, he spotted a leopard dash up a tree. Not just any tree but this dead deadwood tree. The Plaque Rock female had just killed an impala which she had to sacrifice for her life to the lioness and escape up this tree.
Advice also managed to get a shot in that golden moment but he took a wider angle. I love how we both think alike and capture similar ideas but still, we had our own little twist to each image.
The exposure was hard to work with as the sky was bright and cloudy but this just gets your creative juices flowing as you can turn the high exposure into a black-and-white piece. I just love how the Plaque Rock female is hidden amongst the sticks of the dead leadwood tree.
The Ntsevu lioness took a while to finish eating the fully grown impala that the Plaque Rock female had just killed. This meant that the Plaque Rock female had to stay up in the tree for a while to escape the jaws of the lioness that was right below the tree. This also meant we had the opportunity to try different angles to capture this magical sighting.
Advice captured this final moment of the Plaque Rock female grooming herself as the sun was starting to set and the clouds started to part exposing the blue sky behind.
Ranger Alfred found the Nkuwa Female while she was patrolling looking for any prey to hunt during the heat of the day. This is unusual as most predators prefer to rest during the heat of the day and rather move around when it is cooler and the light is fading. However, the Nkuwa Female has the added pressure to hunt not only for herself but for her two young male cubs that are still dependent on her. While she was moving through the thickets checking clearings for any impalas she got to a very dense part that was hard for her to see in the distance which then caused her to climb this Jackalberry and try to scan from above the dense bush. The sun was still at its brightest which allowed us to create a golden background.
The Skorro Male watches vultures soar in the skies in the distance. Over the last few weeks, this young male has been seen with the Nkhuhuma Male. It is still far too early to consider these two in a permanent coalition, but that would drastically improve their chances of survival in this incredibly competitive battle among the male lions for territory and dominance.
The Xinkhova Female rests on the branch of a marula tree. Her ears face forward as her eyes spot prey in the distance. She keeps a watchful eye from above waiting for her perfect opportunity to hunt.
Advice played a bit with his exposure here and created a brighter photo. The light hitting her eyes is his favourite part of this picture.
The Nkhuhuma Male stands on top of a termite mound to watch the Skorro Male as he walks off towards a herd of impala. I have noticed that the Nkuhuma Male has been the less dominant male of the two and is often following the Skorro Male.
Jess Shillaw
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