In this week’s magnificent spectacle, the collective managed to capture some sensational imagery. Firstly, we could put it down to the variety of sightings that one is able to see at Londolozi over the summer months. Secondly, the lighting and scenery have been something to marvel at. And thirdly, predators were basically falling out of trees. Lions, leopards, wild dogs and cheetahs fill up most of this week’s selection making it a wonderfully predator-dense week.
On the lion front, the Ndhzenga Male and a few Ntsevu Lionesses manage to catch a late morning bite to eat as they are left in one place and when the rangers went to find them later on, they had moved, caught a young wildebeest and were enjoying their spoils. The Tsalala Female is thriving and making friends with a large rhino bull in the Manyeleti River. And the Nkuhuma Pride pop in for a quick visit.
The Leopards see the Three Rivers Female being rather ambitious in a stalk of a kudu, the Ntomi Male in a marula tree with incredible light, the Flat Rock Male on a territorial patrol leading along the Sand River again, the Nhlanguleni Female checking in with the wild dogs on the airstrip and the Nkoveni Female walking straight down the road with a heavy milk pouch.
A young male cheetah has been lurking in the eastern parts of the reserve and making a name for himself. Hopefully, he sticks around for a while. The pack of eight wild dogs turn up and spend some time at the airstrip and then dance off into the rising full moon.
Let’s not forget some other magical sightings of a few elephants and Southern Ground Hornbills and a buffalo.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
The Nkoveni Female walks up the road with a very prominent milk pouch and wet teats. We believe she is denning cubs somewhere on the reserve.
Front row seats to a gorgeous sighting of a cheetah and the large granite outcrops beyond the Sand River.
Still up in the limbs of a marula tree after sunset, the sky turning purple, the Ntomi Male gazes over the surrounding area keeping a close look out for any prey.
A buffalo cow turns her nose up to investigate us a little closer in an attempt to keep her young calf safe.
The Three Rivers Female settled in this dry riverbed to groom herself after finishing the rest of her kill. Something caught her attention and a large kudu bull arrived. She lay motionless and as flat as possible to remain undected.
One of the Sub-adult Male Lions from the Nkuhuma Pride makes use of a fallen tree to scan up ahead.
The ever-impressive Nkuhuma Pride are a pride that we do not see regularly but when we do it is often one that we get very excited about.
Arriving at a feisty scene of the Ndzhenga Male feasting on a young wildebeest with a Ntsevu Lioness.
The last bits of the wildebeest carcass being finished off by a Ndzhenga Male.
An elephant covers itself in mud on a warm summer’s day. We watched it for 30 minutes drinking and splashing about.
As the sun begins to set the wild dogs greet each other on the airstrip. We positioned just below the airstrip to watch them at eye level. This is how the afternoon wild dog sighting started.
Having the wild dogs around the airstrip again caused so much excitement that who ever was off for a brief period in the afternoon dashed out to go see them quickly.
Moments before they began their afternoon’s mission.
Upon following the wild dogs as the sunset, I had completely forgotten that it was full moon and was wonderfully surprised to be greeted by this scene as we emerged from the thicker vegetation.
And this is how it ended.
While following the wild dogs on the airstrip, all of a sudden the Nhlanguleni Female popped up out of nowhere.
One of the Ntsevu Lionesses pauses for a brief moment, fixated in the direction of a distant herd of impala alarm-calling.
With the dew on the grass in the morning this young male cheetah used a log to scan his surroundings.
Photography is all about perspective and the photographer’s eye. Turn it portrait, Black and White and voila a very different image.
Elephant bull quenches his thirst from one of the smaller pans in the north.
Two members of the herd walk across the road in front of our vehicle as they saunter towards a waterhole.
A Ndzhenga Male peers across toward another lioness from the Ntsevu Pride
Sean Zeederberg
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