Pets
The Week in Pictures #645 – Londolozi Blog
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What makes this time of year so appealing to so many? Well, a few things are at play. The warm summer temperatures have dropped to a point that in the early mornings, a fleeced jacket is essential while, in the evenings, a roaring fire in the centre of the boma draws the different groups of people to its warmth. The summer rains, for the most part, are a thing of the past, yet the landscape still holds a lush, green vibrancy that complements the long rays of the sun at dusk and dawn. Birdlife is plentiful as the migrants fatten themselves up for the long journey back north while the lambs and calves of the plains game are growing fast into young adolescents. With all the abundance that the rainy season brings, it certainly has its discomforts which slowly fall away as we dip into winter; the classical safari season.
This past week was filled with phenomenal sightings. On the predator front, lions seemed to dominate my viewings as the Kambula Pride flexed their hunting prowess by successfully bringing down a wildebeest one evening, followed by two impalas the following night and a zebra the following morning! With 18 mouths to feed, this illustrates both their opportunism and need to hunt so frequently. The Ntsevu Males also made the news when they were shaken up by a visit from the dominant Plains Camp Males in the west. This group of 4 young males and their sister continue to grow in confidence and stature but also need experiences like this to learn from.
On the leopard front, the cubs of both the Nkoveni Female and Ximungwe Female are still the main attraction and have been providing some of the best leopard cubs viewing in all my years at Londolozi – long may it last. A strong birding theme runs through this week’s images too with a fantastic sighting of a flock of White Fronted Bee-eaters dust bathing, ever-present oxpeckers and a hunting egret.
Let us know which is your favourite in the comments below…
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
Two Zebra quench their thirst alongside one another. I really liked the colour version of this shot too but chose the black white as my favourite in end.
The Bee-eaters would gradually gather in numbers until one bird flushed, then they all took for the skies.
The Kambula Pride had a very successful couple of days of hunting, bringing down two impala, a wildebeest and a zebra in the space of 48 hours. Here, two lionesses eye out some impala albeit with little intent to actually hunt these ones.
Cheetah viewing has recently taken a bit of dip over the last month or more. However, we managed to find this male cheetah in the open plains a few days ago. He was moving between termite mounds searching for prey.
A collection of vultures silhouetted by the setting sun. The one at the apex is a Lappet Faced Vulture; the largest of the vulture family in in the region.
Driving out from Varty Camp this African Darter is often seen perched on the dead branches.
One lioness feassts on the spoils from a successful hunt.
A pair of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers take a break on the back of a zebra.
The Ntsevu males continue to impose their presence across northern and western parts Londolozi. A few nights after this photo was taken, they appeared to have had a run in with the Plains Camp Males and have been separated since that night. Only one seems to be significantly injured but he should heal quickly.
After a run in with the Plains Camp Coalition, this young Ntsevu Male has been nursing his in juries close to the Londolozi camps. As is usually the case when lions fight, the majority of his injuries are around his hind quarters.
A rather recognisable hyena with a large portion of her upper lip missing, gnaws at the remains of a giraffe carcass. White the hyenas canines are not the largest in relation to other predators in the area, they pack the strongest bite force overall.
An African Openbill Stork is not a common bird seen at Londolozi, so this was a great tick.
After a long hard search one afternoon, we eventually found the Nkoveni Female and her three cubs with an impala kill. At first we didn’t see the cubs. We had been viewing the mother until tracker Geshom spotted the three cubs in tree off to our left. Here, two are pictured in the right half of the frame, hiding in the branches of a Tamboti.
A gorgeous female who is found to the east of camp. Easily recognised by her 2:2 spot pattern she is often to be found in Marula trees.
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A Great Egret has taken up residence at our camp waterhole. Here, he sits motionless on a branch suspended just above the water’s surface, waiting for an unsuspecting fish or frog to present itself.
A gloomy sunrise in the open plains of Londolozi, shared with a small group of Ostrich in the foreground.
One of the highlights of the week for me was seeing the Kambula Pride feeding on a zebra they’d caught the night before. Here, their attention is pulled away from the meal by the approach of three hyena.
An elephant bull slowly feeds his way across one of the open crests in eastern Londolozi.
The Ximungwe Female leads her one cub past one of our vehicles. There aren’t many places in the world that one can have such intimate sightings of these elusive cats.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
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Chris Taylor
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