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He hates ducks …

As I was preparing the Green Mamba 1 (my special luxury & photography game drive vehicle – http://www.sperka.info/gm) I heard loud trumpeting from the Thanda House waterhole. I grabbed a camera, jumped into the vehicle  and drove to the dam.

A young Elephant bull was busy chasing a bunch of Whistling White-faced Ducks around. He trumpeted very loudly whenever ducks got in his way. He obviously hates ducks! What a show …

What a sight – the Thanda House Dam is full!
The Thanda House Dam and Thanda House – I can see the water from my office window!

After the recent rains the Thanda House dam is full. The Elephants love this deep water hole for bathing and drinking.

A bath, a drink, a mud-bath and a good dusting with sand!
The reason for the loud trumpeting – Whistling White-faced Ducks

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Rain and Green – and lots of other news!

A lot happend since my last blog post. February is very busy at Thanda Safari and for the first time in years we are having a truly rainy season. This is a picture record of the last 30 days. If you would like to see more of my pictures more regularly, then may I suggest you follow me on instagram: www.instagram.com/christiansperkaphotography. Enjoy the pictures!

Shikondlakondla – Thanda Safari’s dominant male having a rest on a late afternoon.
Rhino Monitoring – Occasionally  I get to spend some time with Thanda Safari’s Rhino Monitors Daniel and Kyle – Here I caught them on camera with one of their charges!
Luck – On a rainy day I was very lucky to catch a glimpse of this male Cheetah on my way home to Thanda House.
Golden Hour – Having a late afternoon drink in the perfect light!
Pure Bliss – I got two nights at The Oysterbox Hotel in Umhlanga (Durban) as a present from two guests from the USA. What a pleasure to stay at one of my favorite hotels in the world!
The Clock Room @ The Oysterbox Hotel – This room is a great place to relax in peace and quiet. Just once per hour a lot of clocks wake up a bit!
European Roller – A dime a dozen! We host huge numbers of these beautiful birds on Thanda during the summer. They get so used to vehicles that it is possible to get really close up and personal!
Amur Falcon – They are also summer guests. These small birds of prey will leave soon for their trip up north!
iSimangaliso Wetland Park – I hosted and guided two guests of a cruise ship – the MS Europe 2 – on a tour through iSimangaliso West and through Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. A truly enjoyable day!
Horns – This Kudu male had the most impressive horns!
Make space – We had to back up as this large Elephant bull walked up the road. He was very relaxed but needed a bit of space!
Ellie Selfie – A mirror selfie with Bheki and an Elephant bull.
Zululand – Many of my guests enjoy a visit to a homestead in one of the local Zulu communities.
Unbelievable – This 78 year old Zulu gentleman is still tending his maize fields and garden. He dressed up for us in his Sunday finery.
Joined Herds – The two Elephant herds on Thanda meet and join up from time to time. This is the first time that I got pictures of both herds together.
Nautical Twilight – During this period after sunset everything under the horizon is completely black. I was lucky that the Giraffes were part of the horizon and that they stood still for this long exposure.
Tools of the Trade – My photographic safari vehicle (The Green Mamba 1), my 12.9″ iPad, my safari hat a and one of my cameras.
Cappuccino Time! – Thanda’s Wildlife Coordinator and a Journalist from Singapore were having a lively discussion during a morning coffee stop. They also enjoyed the selection of Nespresso coffee on the Green Mamba 1.
On Top of the World – I took the Green Mamba 1 on top of one of Thanda’s highest peaks. An then I took up the drone to get a picture of the stunning scenery at sunset.
Smell the Trap – Shikondlakondla was very interested in a camera trap which was mounted next to a Buffalo carcass.
The cute ‘Big Five’ – Whenever I have small children on my vehicle I take the Big Five as plush toys along on drive. The little Lion sat quietly next to my camera as I took pictures of the real thing!
Stingy – Bheki found a large scorpion and as always the guests were most impressed to get to see these incredible creatures close up.
Walk on the Wild Side – This small Lion cub walked on top of a Buffalo carcass! There will be a special blog post in the next few days featuring this youngster.
Comfort – Mum provides the needed comfort to the little Lion as a vehicle approached the sighting. Very soon it will ignore the cars the same as all other members of the pride.
Quelea – Thousands of Quelea have settled in the Sickle Bush area next to Thanda House. They are incredibly loud unless I fly my drone over their nesting trees. Then they go quiet for a very short while!
The Power of Water – In the last few days we had huge amount of rain. Three of our dams burst under the huge pressure of the fast swelling water.
Green, Green, Green – The area around Thanda House is as green as never before (at least since I am at Thanda) and the Thanda House is dam fuller than ever – Pure pleasure!

If you enjoyed this little picture diary then please leave a comment or just ‘like’ the post. Thanks

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