First day of this year’s annual leave trip. I drove from Thanda to Pretoria to visit very good friends before departing for Europe on Wednesday.
It was a beautiful day and I was quite surprised when I passed a shallow lake with hundreds of Flamingos!
A colorful parrot: Rainbow Lorikeet – These pictures were taken at Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.
To view more of my Rainbow Lorikeet images go to http://www.sperka.biz/sgb11
Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) are parrots found in Australia. Their habitats are rain forest, coastal bush and woodland areas. They are medium-sized parrots, with the length ranging from 25 to 30 cm (9.8–11.8 in), including the tail. The plumage is very bright. Juveniles have a black beak, which gradually brightens to orange in the adults.
The cleanup-crew was busy in front of my home (Thanda House) when I left in the early morning hours (6:06am). These three Spotted Hyena were cleaning up a nearby Lion kill.
… and have a look at this recent Thanda Safari blog about our Hyena census project https://thandablog.com/2016/05/18/hyena-census/
A journey of Giraffe (8 in total) were crossing the road in front of my home, just as I was approaching. I waited patiently for these graceful giants to move on before I passed through the gate to Thanda House.
This little Black Rhino calf enjoyed her mother;s shade on hot day 🙂
Soon I will be leaving South Africa for a few weeks to visit my family and friends in Germany and Switzerland. From mid of this month to mid of next month I will be blogging a bit less about the African Wild. But – as last year – you may expect a-travel-picture-blog-a-day (most of them taken with my iPhone!).
And as every year, I will be visiting a few zoos in Switzerland. I am planning to be at the Zurich Zoo on 2 June (Thursday), at the Basel Zoo on 6 June (Monday) and at the Wildlife Park Arth-Goldau on 31 May (Tuesday). In case any of my fellow photographers or blog-followers would like to meet for a chat at either of these locations, just send a message to christian@sperka.com.
The pictures show a Spectacled Bear at the Zurich Zoo, a Greater One-horned Rhinoceros at the Basel Zoo and a Great Grey Owl at the Wildlife Park Arth-Goldau.
This was the view a few minutes ago when stepped in front of my room at Thanda House – winter is coming and so are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets – Have a good day!
And one more of my recent favorite posts!
It is called the Golden Hour! As the Thanda Safari guests head out on game drive in the early morning, the sun provides the most beautiful light for the first hour of the day. Photographers love this first light as well as the soft light of the last hour before sunset.
Picture by Christian Sperka – Resident Wildlife Photographer – Thanda Safari
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My favorite African cars – Leopards!
For many decades Leopards in KwaZulu Natal have been hunted and killed by humans. When Thanda Safari – Private Game Reserve was established – 11 years ago – a safe haven for these magnificent cats was created. But it takes a lot of patience and time to ‘teach’ these beautiful animals that they can relax around safari vehicles.
It is very important to treat the Leopards with respects and not to push and pursue them, when they decide to leave a sighting. And once they learn that the presence of our vehicles does not mean any threat, more prolonged sightings will become the norm.
This young female lay in the bushes approximately 30 meters from the road. We viewed her from the distance with binoculars and took some pictures until she decided to leave us and move up a hill. We did not follow her off-road and we did not push her. We let…
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