South Africa 2021
A group of 17 avid photographers braved the risk of Covid-19 to fly to South Africa and visit two wildlife game reserves. These are the photos I captured from the trip along with the videos Julie took. Look for the video icon in the lower left of the opening scene for the videos.
Landing at the Londolozi airstrip and being transported to the lodge in the Landrovers we used for the game drives.
Look closely to see the leopard in the tree. She had killed an impala and dragged it up in the tree. Note the hyena down below looking for scraps to eat.
Here are some of our fellow photographers capturing the image of the leopard high up in the tree.
A hyaena on the prowl. Rather than kill other animals for their food, they like to steal the food other animals have killed.
Impala -- a beautiful animal and a common food source for leopards and lions.
An impala on the run. Their speed is their survival advantage.
Attractive male impala.
Impala drinking with one watching for predators.
This antelope is a Kudu, much bigger than an impala.
A kudu posing nicely for me.
You can recognize kudus by their prominent ears and the stripes on their sides.
This animal looks a little like a kudu with the stripes on the side, but it is a Nyala, another variety of antelope.
When seen together you can see considerable difference between the two -- kudu on the left, Nyala on the right.
Now you know this is a kudu. See the birds on its side. They are oxpeckers. They live symbiotically with a variety of animals keeping ticks and other annoying insects off of them.
Is this a Kudu or a Nyala? Neither -- it's a waterbuck.
This little fellow, about a third the size of a kudu, is called a steenbok.
. Our photo group had 6 Landrovers with a driver and tracker provided by the lodge. The tracker sat precariously on the jump seat out front looking for tracks. When we were near lions or leopards he would come inside the vehicle -- wisely.
Life is fairly rough out here in the bush. After a hard day of chasing lions or wild dogs, or watching elephants stomp through the brush, the lodge forced us to attend a "sundowner" where they served us wine, beer, and snacks.
With the sun down, we began driving back to the lodge when we saw this gorgeous leopard walking along the road. We followed him.
Our tracker kept his light on the leopard, who seemed not to be fazed by the light or attention.
Checking to see if it was safe, the leopard was preparing to drink at the waterhole.
Drinking, but always with a wary eye.
Up before dawn, we piled into our Landrovers to catch the sun rising behind a dead tree.
The pool at the Landolozi Lodge, an appealing place to spend a week.
Julie happy to be boarding the Landrover as we pushed on to see more wildlife.
It was early in the morning, the temperature a bit frosty, when we saw this elder male lion lying out in the open.
He repeartedly bellowed with such volume that the entire river valley could here his call. And when he did the hot air from his lungs created a sizeable cloud .
And this is his brother who was about a half mile away calling back.
Our 6 Landrovers were out looking for lions. Here you see our fellow photographers following this female who casually wandered down the road.
She led us to this site. Nine female lions had killed this cape buffalo and were feasting on it. Although it is hard to see a scene like this, we understand this is how animals survive or not in the wild.
One of the female lions left the feeding and 30 minutes later returned with these 7 cubs.
This is one of my favorite shots from our week at Londolozi.
After the adults lionesses ate, the young cubs were brought to the kill for them to eat.
Next came papa lion smelling the food and wanting to eat.
But the lionesses kept him away about which he was not too happy.
On another occasion I discovered this lioness with 4 little cubs down in the river valley. I was 50 yards up on a bluff when I saw this mother in a tender moment with 2 of her cubs.
After another sundowner on our return to the lodge we saw this elder statesman along the edge of the road.
Remember about the oxpeckers living symbiotically with other animals. Here is a flock of them enjoying a meal on the back of a cape buffalo who is happy to be rid of the fleas.
And check this out. The oxpeckers will get in the eyes, ears, and nose to forage for food.
This herd of cape buffalo made a trek to this water hole at the end of each day. We sat in a blind across the way to photograph them while sipping a glass of wine. I told you this was hard work!
A beautiful leopard in exquisite light.
A mother with her growing cub. The cubs typically stay with their mothers for about two years.
