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The Birmingham Males
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  (03-16-2018, 05:27 PM)Tshokwane Wrote:(03-16-2018, 04:23 AM)Agerceno Wrote: Who has reported that they were on Nkorho? I have followed the trail of the different posts & worked out the confusion. Pieter Dannhauser (who works at Nkorho Bush Lodge) posted a picture of a young male Lion, he didn't say which Lion it was or where the photo was taken. Someone on Facebook said it was a young Avoca on Nkorho, Pieter Dannhauser was on holiday or working at another lodge who traverses Buffelshoek when the photo was taken.
Yeah, I can see why it might have created confusion. I didn't dismiss it entirely because I know the 3 Avocas are currently living and had some dominance over the former territory of the Thanda Impi males, which is to the north of the Birmingham males, so I could see how they could come down for a scouting visit.
Birmingham Mfumo - Londolozi Game Reserve - 18 Mar 2018
Image by Alex Jordan Observant eyes. A full bellied male lion crouches down to lap up water and quench his thirst.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to James Tyrrell - Londolozi.
The Birmingham males are making more regular forays onto central Londolozi. With the threat of the Majingilane males steadily waning in the west, it seems likely that they will encroach more and more as 2018 goes on.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Lions: 3 of the Gowrie males were with a single lioness from Kambula pride on our airstrip yesterday. Today 5 of the Kambula lionesses were viewed southeast of Rattray’s Camp. The 4 Mantimahle males are back- they were seen on Toulon.
Birmingham Male Lions Push Further Onto Londolozi: By James Tyrrell - Londolozi.
It’s been many, many months since the regular calls of the Majingilane came reverberating down into camp from up at the airstrip. Being serenaded by lions during dinner was a common occurrence, but with the changing of the guard leading into unstable times as far as the male lion dynamics were concerned, no coalition stuck around long enough to be a constant presence on central Londolozi. The Matimba males would vocalise now and then, but without the numbers of the Majingilane, and the fact that they were mostly patrolling together, their inter-coalition communication was nothing close to that of their dominant predecessors. The Matimba males weren’t around long enough to leave any kind of legacy.  *This image is copyright of its original author A large part of the Majingilane’s vocalisations would have simply been one member of the coalition communicating with the others, something you are only ever likely to need as a big coalition that is constantly separated. With the Birmingham males – a group of 4 – that is quite possibly what we can expect as they extend the limits of their territory further and further westward. The Birmingham males have hardly ever been viewed as a full coalition of 4 on Londolozi. *This image is copyright of its original author A recent sighting of three of these males placed them right in the south-western corner of Londolozi, far from their Sand River stronghold in the east. In fact their initial discovery resulted in some confusion, as in the long grass in which they were lying it was hard to get a clear ID, and the males most recently spending time in that area as a group of three was the Majingilane. As soon as they stood up however, the difference was clear. Efforts to find them again that evening were unsuccessful. Only a distant roar was heard while one of the rangers had stopped for drinks, but the endless grasslands and round-leaf teak thickets had effectively swallowed them up come nightfall. The next morning, tracks gave away the direction that two of them had moved in; a huge loop up western Londolozi, eventually making their way back past the Londolozi camps where they were spotted by one of the habitat team (whose name, in a wonderful bit of irony, happens to be Lion) late in the morning. The route of the two males (route unknown between lower and upper red dotted lines. Blue indicates the position of the Mhangeni sub-adults the next morning, who must have come close to – but thankfully missed – where the Birmingham males moved.  *This image is copyright of its original author Seeing two big males moving in bright sun when the temperatures are rising rapidly is unusual, but it may well have just been the two lions’ firm intent to make their way back into more familiar territory. Roars had been heard early in the morning in the direction they had come from, but tracks led down into some reed thickets in the Sand River where following with a vehicle would have been impossible. We are fairly confident that the vocalisations had come from the same pair who eventually ended up near the airstrip. One of the males crosses the clearings at the end of the Londolozi airstrip.  *This image is copyright of its original author A male lion population distributes itself in an almost Brownian motion-like manner. Clashes with other lions result in them bouncing around, and they will move in a direction until coming up against a reason not to do so anymore (read: other males). The Birmingham males I am confident are not hearing the roaring of a dominant coalition to their west, and so naturally move in that direction, in so doing filling up territory left vacant by the Majingilane. This is almost a carbon copy of what the Majingilane did when they took over from the Mapogo, if not quite as dramatic or violent. If I was a betting man, I’d put good odds on the Birmingham males having control of the vast majority of Londolozi by the end of the year.
Credits to Jamie Paterson - Safari Live.
The Cat Report: 24 - 30 March The proverbial storm that threatened to break over Djuma with the arrival of the Avoca male lions seems to have petered out into a rather mild drizzle. Three of the four Birmingham Boys came charging back into the northern section of their territory, roaring out their dominance for the world to hear and sending the younger Avoca males scurrying back north. This was what we expected but is far from the end of the story. The Birmingham Boys’ arrival in the Sands started in just the same way over three years ago - quick incursions into Matimba territory and turning tail every time the Matimbas sniffed in their direction. That is, of course, until they gained sufficient strength and confidence for the explosive territorial takeover that has made them the dominant males in the northern Sabi Sands. The big difference is that the Matimba males were significantly outnumbered when they were ousted. The Birminghams are not. It remains to be seen how this plays out as the Avoca males gather their strength. Unfortunately for the Nkuhumas, it seems as though the Birminghams did not return soon enough and reports are that they came into contact with the Avoca males. They were found on Djuma looking bedraggled, hungry and without their youngest member. We will never know what befell the little cub but her continued absence suggests that her mother has lost all cubs from her very first litter, a sad reality for many lionesses.
Credits to Grant Rodewijk - Londolozi.
This Birmingham male and Ntsevu lioness were found mating early one morning. Lions will mate between 4 to 7 days and roughly every 20 minutes, and given that all the females who recently gave birth seem to have lost their cubs, it is most likely that the majority of the lionesses in the pride will be mating again.  *This image is copyright of its original author
 (04-02-2018, 05:40 PM)Tshokwane Wrote: Credits to Grant Rodewijk - Londolozi.Despite them giving stability to the prides the Birminghams haven't had much luck with cubs
Michael yes but to tell the true these recent cubs kambulas were not sired by bboys. They were very probably sired by matshapiri male and even scar nose majingi. The kambulas are the worse mother of sabi sands. Lost 2 generation of cubs already. They haven't a solid male coalition in the control of the pride.
(04-03-2018, 03:54 AM)T Rabbit Wrote: Michael yes but to tell the true these recent cubs kambulas were not sired by bboys. They were very probably sired by matshapiri male and even scar nose majingi. The kambulas are the worse mother of sabi sands. Lost 2 generation of cubs already. They haven't a solid male coalition in the control of the pride. May be 3 generations lost already at-least 2 litters from Matimbas found during Dec 2016/ Jan 2017 (Lost due to floods/ Matshapiris) 2/3 litters from Matshapiris lost to Avocas Now atleast 3 litters.. donno fathers... lost.. 2 cubs were killed another lioness.. (04-03-2018, 03:54 AM)T Rabbit Wrote: Michael yes but to tell the true these recent cubs kambulas were not sired by bboys. They were very probably sired by matshapiri male and even scar nose majingi. The kambulas are the worse mother of sabi sands. Lost 2 generation of cubs already. They haven't a solid male coalition in the control of the pride. The kambulas are as good mothers as any other pride of lions in sabi sands. its the fact that no male or coalition has been able to stamp their authority over the area for a significant duration of time that's letting down the kambula, not their lack of mothering skills. |
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