Christian Sperka

2012-08-14

Silent Night!

What a night!

After I finished my evening game drive and after a quick meal at Intebane camp I was ready to go home. It was a dark, warm night with many stars overhead.

Just when I left the camp I heard a Lion’s roar nearby. Just a few hundred meters (yards 🙂 up the road a large male Lion walked towards me in the dark. Once he appeared in my headlights I switched them off, stopped the engine and watched him passing my vehicle just within a few meters (using my red-filtered spotlight).

I turned my car around and started following him. He made his way around the camp and moved to a dried-up waterhole in the valley below. On his way he stopped a few times to listen to the voices from the camp and to scent-mark along the road. He finally settled down in the middle of the waterhole. I switched off my car and my lights and I did let me eyes get used to the dark.

I stay with him for a while – looking at the stars in total silence – just a few meters away from one of the most magnificent creatures on earth.

That is why I love Africa!

2012-08-13

Massive, Flight and Almost!

On today’s game drive we had an encounter with the massive bulk of seven White Rhinos …

… and some Zebras took flight when we approached a waterhole.

At the end of the day two male Cheetah almost caught an Impala.

We also saw an Elephant bull and a group of Wildebeest at the waterhole.

Not a bad Monday.

2012-08-12

Bath Time!

Sorry that there were no blog posts on Friday and Saturday, but I drove all weekend with guests at the Lodge and had no time to blog.

One of the main reasons for not blogging was that, when I was on my way home just before noon on Saturday (to work on some pictures …), the breeding herd of Elephants crossed the Savanna just behind me. They were on their way to our largest waterhole. So I spend the next 1.5 hours there.

After arrival they not only drank, but they swam, sparred and mud-bathed.

It was incredible to see how the females took care of the youngsters and how our oldest bull made sure that no other mature bull (or any Land Rover :-)) came to close to “his family” while they were enjoying themselves in the water.

They young bulls in the group were sparring quite a bit …

… and once the breeding herd had moved of the mature bulls took a mud-bath. Especially the “old guy” enjoyed himself once everyone else had left.

I also recorded some video footage. A YouTube video will be published soon.

Enjoy the pictures and have a good week!

PS: Besides me a herd of Buffalo, a journey of Giraffe and a group of Wildebeest were watching the scene and waited for their turn to drink. The Elephants would not tolerate anyone else near the waterhole during their bath and the old bull made me re-locate a few times before he accepted my presence and I could shoot in peace 🙂

2012-08-09

Love and Hate!

I love Land Rovers and I hate them!

Thanda3 is out of commission again, this time it is the front diff which is currently being replaced 😦

If I am lucky, I will have the vehicle back tomorrow evening. In the meantime I am driving a “Luxury Vehicle”, one of the newest Land Rovers, which is usually used for community trips. It got an (in-) convenient roof, which makes it quite difficult to go off-road on game drive.

Well, tomorrow is another day 🙂

And the picture of the day is a black&white image of a Harem of Zebra!

2012-08-08

This time it’s me!

Quite a few of my friends have asked if there are ever any picture with me on game drive.

Well, this shot was taken by Jo Perry, one of the African Impact Volunteers (Thanks for letting me use the picture :-).

I was explaining the “circle of life” after one of our sunset shots at our largest waterhole (I was kneeling on my driver’s seat!)

2012-08-07

Friend or Foe?

These two adult male Lions on Thanda are working on their relationship 🙂

For the last few days they have been “hanging out” together. They have been seen fighting, roaring at one another, scent marking in front of each other and for most of the time just resting in a few meters distance from one another or just walking down the road.

This morning we found them resting on the side of a road, then having a go at one another before settling down to rest again.

It will be interesting to see how this “male bonding” will end!

2012-08-062012-08-06

Point of View

If you ever thought how it looks from the Lion’s point of view when we photographer’s shoot in the bush. Here is the answer 🙂

We were watching the Thanda North Pride feasting on a Wilderbeest kill. The young male was observing us closely …

… while his sister played with the Wilderbeest tail!

And for the photographers among my blog readers here are the technical info about the images:

Picture 1 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Canon Lens L 28-300mm – at 130mm – 1/1600sec – f/5.6 – ISO 3200 – +1eV – freehand

Picture 2 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Canon Lens L 28-300mm – at 300mm – 1/500sec – f/5.6 – ISO 400 – +/-0eV – freehand

Picture 3 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Canon Lens L 28-300mm – at 220mm – 1/1000sec – f/5.6 – ISO 1600 – -0.33eV – freehand

2012-08-052012-08-06

More of Mkuze …

As promised here are a few more pictures from my day at Mkuze Game Reserve.

Have a great week!

White Rhino (with mudded horn)

White Rhino

Brown-hooded Kingfisher (bathing)

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Purple-crested Turaco

Cape Turtle Dove (landing)

Blue Waxbill

Crested Barbet

Technical Data – for photographers 🙂

Rhino – Picture 1 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm – 1/2000sec – f/4.5 – ISO 400 – +/-0eV – freehand

Rhino – Picture 2 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/2.8-300mm – 1/1250sec – f/2.8 – ISO 400 – +/-0eV – freehand

Kingfisher – Picture 3 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L 28-300mm – at 150mm – 1/2000sec – f/5.6 – ISO 800 – +0.67eV – freehand

Kingfisher – Picture 4 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm + 1.4Ext at 700mm – 1/500sec – f/5.6 – ISO 200 – +/-0eV – freehand

Turaco – Picture 5 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm + 1.4Ext at 700mm – 1/500sec – f/5.6 – ISO 200 – +/-0eV – freehand

Dove – Picture 6 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm – 1/5000sec – f/4.5 – ISO 800 – -0.67eV – freehand

Waxbill – Picture 7 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm + 1.4Ext at 700mm – 1/800sec – f/5.6 – ISO 200 – -1.00eV – freehand

Barbet – Picture 8 – Camera Canon 1D Mark IV – Lens Canon L f/4.0-500mm – 1/3200sec – f/4 – ISO 400 – -0.67eV – freehand

2012-08-052012-08-05

Battle at Thanda – YouTube Video

A lot of people have asked me if they were more images of the Battle at Thanda.

(Blog message from 9 July 2012 https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/battle-at-thanda/).

Here is link to a YouTube Video with video footage and with more images of the interaction:

CAUTION: PLEASE DO NOT PLAY THE VIDEO IF YOU ARE DISTURBED BY WILD ANIMAL INTERACTION VIDEOS AND PICTURES!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOEe5QeiKuU

Thanks to Mariana Venter for letting me use the video footage and some of the images she took at the encounter.

2012-08-04

Force of Nature, Rhino Spa and Purple Beauty

As I am having this weekend off I went today into Mkuze Game Reserve and spent the whole day at the hides on the reserve. I got many very good pictures and will share a few of them with you over the next few weeks (on “Slow Thanda Days” :-)).

For today I have picked three pictures.

The first is titled “Force of Nature”. Four White Rhino made their way straight to the waterhole. From the angle this picture is taken they certainly look loke a force of nature.

The second picture is of a White Rhino bull having a “Rhino Spa” mud treatment. He enjoyed himself thoroughly walling on the side of the waterhole.

The third picture is of Purple-crested Turcao, one of my favorite birds in South Africa, a “Purple-crested Beauty”.

More pictures will follow tomorrow. Have a great Sunday!