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The Week In Pictures #635 – Londolozi Blog

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This week in pictures epitomises summer for me. The bush has never been thicker – and a wash of abundant green fills every nook and cranny, adding a gorgeous bokeh to the images. Contrast this with some golden coats and it is a wildlife photographer’s dream. I guess you could say the theme this week is water, with almost every photo either taken at or near water (the summer heat is taking its toll!).

There has been a sheer abundance of elephants, and in particular large bulls on the reserve of late. With grazing at its peak, the abundance of general game never ceases to amaze me, with giraffe, impala and wildebeest taking centre stage. Add into the mix some beautiful, and highly prized birds!

Male lions feature prominently, with both a Ndzhenga Males and a Black Dam Male quenching their thirst in the late afternoon light. Not to forget a memorial sighting of the ever-impressive Plains Camp Males. The pack of three Wild Dogs have been sighted randomly around the reserve, and with the abundance of impala lambs, been providing some exciting sightings!

No Week In Pictures would be complete with some beauty provided by the contrasting golden coats of leopards with the green colour pallet. The Senegal Bush Male holds strong around the airstrip, the Nkuwa Female wanders the thickets surrounding the Sand River, and the Ntomi Male provides the perfect opportunity for an arty composition.

Perhaps my favourite sightings this week come from hippo – one at the causeway, and another rather unusual sighting of a hippo feeding out of the water.

Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.

Enjoy This Week in Pictures…

After spending some time lying on a termite mound, much to the guests and my enjoyment, The Senegal Bush male strolls across the airstrip at sunset – bringing the end to yet another magical day. A special scene indeed.

Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019

The eagle eyed amongst you would see no fewer than three high profile species is this photo! Leaving camp early one morning, Ranger Robyn Morrison found the full complement of the Nsevu Pride in a clearing. We on the other hand, found the Pack of 3 Wild dogs. Now imagine the excitement when the wild dogs started running straight towards the pride of lions (assumedly unbeknownst to them!) Add a massive rhino bull into the mix and it was truly a incredible moment.

The Nkuwa female, a beautiful leopard at the best of times, walked directly towards our vehicle, through the dappled golden light along the Sand River: resulting in one of my favourite leopard photos I’ve taken.

One of two sisters born to the Nhlanguleni Female, both of whom made it to independence, the first intact litter to do so in 7 years.

The young Ngungwe female has been coming into her own over the last couple of months, and this week we had an incredible sighting of her during the so-called ‘blue hour’ just after sunset. Add to this a lazy yawn, and the green riches of summer!

And shortly after that yawn, she was up and off. Leaving us with this focused stare etched into our memories.

Young inquisitive beautiful female, bordering on independence as of November 2021

The Ndzhenga males continue their reign of dominance, and with the heat of summer in its’ height, we often find these males quenching their thirst at sunset before setting off on their evening territorial patrols.

Contrast the previous image taken during the golden hour, to this other blue hour photo. I really have been enjoying the challenge of photographing during this time, and summer provides ample opportunity for it. Here, one of the Black Dam males follows in the Ndzhenga males’ footsteps (not literally!) and laps up so much-needed water.

A rare sight in summer! A large hippo feeding during the late afternoon gave us a begrudging opportunity at a unique photo. Hippo, not only fix you with a menacing glare but look even better in black and white!

Quintessential summer: A large breeding herd of elephants heading down to the Sand River!

Possibly the largest and most impressive lion we currently view on Londolozi: The Plains Camp males. Early one morning, after spotting this male walking the crests in front of camp we raced off from coffee on the deck of Varty Camp to find him! Listening intently to a distant roar, he lifted his head before shortly answering (laying the challenge) right back.

Through the grass. A challenge of photography in summer is the tall grass, but in this instance, I quite enjoy the added depth it provides. This large elephant bull drinking provided the perfect backdrop!

A beautifully dark male giraffe, a perfectly warm summer afternoon, and an open crest. What more could you ask for?

A small herd of elephant keep close as they make their way up from the river. This is the exact spot (almost to the meter) of the photo I took of the Plains Camp male, only facing the other direction. Perhaps his smell still lingered and had the elephants on edge?

With quite literally thousands of impala around currently, they should be easy subjects to photograph right? Well not quite (at least for me!) I spent a good 45 minutes with one herd and finally managed to snap this shot.

A shot I have almost wanted! Although not exactly what I had imagined, this large hippo popped up in exactly the right spot, and cleared his nostrils, sending beads of water flying into the golden background.

The sun breaks through the clouds, sending beautiful rays of light onto this herd of elephants close to camp.

Plume Chloris (Chloris virgata) grass is prolific in summer (especially on termite mounds). Although doing his best, it still wasn’t quite enough to hide the Senegal Bush male from view.

Through the trees. The Tsalala female was found rather far from camp (far outside of her usual territory) and by our best guess, had stolen an impala kill from a leopard. The Tamboti grove provided the perfect scene for this to all play out in.

The pack of three wild dogs has been provided endless entertainment over the last few weeks, often popping up randomly on the reserve! Fresh from a kill, this male stares back at the obligatory hyena following the pack.

Two male Wildebeest take a momentary pause from their territorial dispute, and pose perfectly for a photo.

Sunsets and Zebras! While stopped for a much-needed refreshing Gin and Tonic, a dazzle slowly fed their way across the sunset.

Hunting can be challenging for Wild dogs at this time of year, as the long grass often towers above them. However, the abundance of young impala certainly balances the scaled.

As Sean Zeederberg mentioned in a blog earlier this week – we as rangers are undertaking ‘a big birding year!’. This Grey-headed kingfisher is a big tick for me to add to the list, only the 3rd one I have seen at Londolozi.

The art of balance.

A single cub of the Ximungwe Female’s second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.

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Keagan Chasenski

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The Week In Pictures #635 – Londolozi Blog