This leopard was called Piva on Londolozi, and he was an incredibly impressive animal. At 7, he held a great territory and was one of the largest leopards in the area. When I was there in May, on our first game drive we found him having a territory stand-off with another male; and it was so interesting to watch the dynamics of the two animals.
Sadly, I read that this leopard was killed by a pride of lions over the weekend. The circle of life and the battle for space and resources can oftentimes be a cruel one to watch.
The Piva leopard of Londolozi, May 2017. 1/640 sec, f6.3, ISO 500.
On one of the morning drives while staying at Phinda Vlei Lodge, we came across a male cheetah lounging on top of a small termite mound. I loved this view of him gazing off into the distance; I can only imagine what he was able to see through the mist.
Cheetah on a misty morning. Phinda Vlei, May 2017. 1/500sec, f 6.3, ISO 560
You can find this image, and others like, available over on my website.
I wish I had an extra couple hours in each day; then I would have the free time to figure out how to extract the audio from some clips I have of this lion and his brother roaring into the night. Our vehicle was parked between the two, and being amongst lions roaring in surround sound is a heart-stopping experience. Even the cubs playing nearby stopped in their tracks! But alas, video isn’t something I’ve invested time in, so you’ll just have to make due with an image instead. But it’s a pretty nice image, if I do say so myself.
I had the best of intentions this weekend to get back on track with the WordPress photo challenges and get lots of editing done, but somehow I got sidetracked by the sunshine and warm weather. Hopefully I can get myself organized this week and start sharing some images and stories from my recent travels.
I know I ended last week with elephants, but they seem like a good way to start the week as well. Especially since I am still in a bit of denial that I can’t just walk out my door and just see them. (Note to self, time to start planning the next adventure).
I returned home from an amazing holiday a few days ago and have only just managed to get all my photos loaded into Lightroom, so it will be a little while before I will be able to post photos from my recent adventures. If you’ve followed me over on Facebook or Instagram though, you already have some hints as to where I have been and what I have been seeing 🙂
Good thing I still have a stock of photos from my last trip, edited and ready to share, like these elephants from Amboseli National Park in Kenya. The elephant sightings were amazing there, and I think I can safely say, were even more amazing on this most recent trip. So stay tuned for some stories on interesting elephants encounters (and some non-elephant encounters too). Until then, have a great day!
It seems a bit strange to pre-schedule posts so far in advance. As I type this, it is still April, and when this gets uploaded, I’ll be on my last week of holidays in Africa. I know I will be coming home with lots of images and stories to share.
This week’s selection is another mixed bag from my time in Kenya.
I hope you enjoy, and have a wonderful week.
One of the zebra herd briefly checked out our vehicle before returning to grazing.An egret gets a free ride on the back of an elephant in Amboseli.A wildebeest appears to be on high alert (but honestly, with wildebeest, you never quite know).