Blog – Page 187 – Christian Sperka Photography

2013-07-25

Ithala

Today I have spent my first day at Ithala Game Reserve in the North of Kwazulu Natal. Ithala is a beautiful mountainous reserve with many interesting tracks. I will spend three days of my off-time here.

Next to regular roads Ithala has some interesting 4×4 trails. Some of them are rather rocky and very challenging (Inclines for first gear low with center and back diff set). My Toyota Fortuner mastered the steepest one very well.

This image was taken after the ascent from top of the mountain …

… Once back in the plains I took this image of a male Giraffe at sunset …

… and just after sunset I encountered this male Ostrich along the road.

I also saw White Rhino, Zebra, Wildebeest, Kudu and many different bird species.

A good first day!

2013-07-24

My favorite Elephant …

I like all the wild animals on Thanda but if I had to name my favorite Elephant this is the one. His name is Thulani.

Normally I do not use individual names for wildlife, but for our two largest bulls (40-45 years old / approx 6 tons in weight) I make an exception. Thulani can be identified by his calm nature and the “slightly out of line” tusks.

The Thanda guests on my vehicle really enjoyed the recent sighting of this gentle giant.

2013-07-23

Exciting encounter!

Thanda’s two Cheetah brothers had an exciting encounter today. When walking along Thanda’s fence line they walked into two Lionesses which gave immediate chase.

The Cheetah out-ran the Lions to the open Savanna and then were very alert for a while to make sure that the “ladies” were no longer around.

2013-07-22

Buffalo Scenery

At the start of today’s morning game drive we found ourselves in the middle of Thanda’s herd of Cape Buffalo …

… Then we watched a herd of Elephants drinking at a waterhole and …

… at the end tracked down the North Pride of Lions (the images shows a young male at his morning cleaning routine).

Three out of five – a good morning!

2013-07-21

On foot!

Our two Cheetah boys were lying in a recently burned area when we spotted them from the road. Driving off-road is not allowed on freshly burned ground so Bheki and I walked our guest a few meters to get a good view of those two magnificent creatures. Our guest enjoyed the experience very much. The two brothers kept us in view for a few minutes and then lost interest in the six humans nearby. What a sighting!

2013-07-17

Youngsters!

On today’s evening game drive we followed the Thanda Elephant herd for almost three hours. We saw them moving over a hill, drinking at a waterhole, racing away from the water, crossing one of Thanda’s major roads and then feeding in a beautiful fever tree area.

It was difficult to choose one image for today’s post, but my favorite shots are of the two youngest Elephants in the group. The Thanda guests on my vehicle agreed on the high “cuteness factor” for these two!

2013-07-15

Sunscreen, Insect Repellent and Cooling System!

Thanda guests enjoyed watching the herd of Elephants taking a mud bath at a waterhole. After an enjoyable swim and the mud bath they were dusting themselves before they disappeared back into the bush.

Elephant use mud and sand as a sunscreen, protecting their skin from ultraviolet light. Although tough, elephant’s skin is very sensitive. Without regular mud baths and dust baths to protect it from burning, insect bites and moisture loss, elephant’s skin may suffer serious damage.

2013-07-14

Arrived!

Over 1,000 additional antelopes and zebra arrived over the last few month at Thanda Private Game Reserve. These Impala, Wildebeest, Nyala, Zebra and Kudu will enhance the excellent Thanda Game Drive Experience even further. Besides seeing the Big Five on daily drives it is very exciting to see large groups of these herbivores roaming on the reserve.

The images show the release of a young Nyala bull and a group of Zebra.

2013-07-13

No “thorny” rides

The most important task for the Thanda Guiding Team is to show guests the many aspects of the Thanda ecosystem on game drives.

Another important responsibility is the bush-clearing of roads. During the summer many plants grow into the roadways and can turn a game drive into a “thorny” ride.

This collage shows the “before” and “after” of the road maintenance work of the guiding team, which ensures that the guests have a comfortable drive on the major routes through the reserve.

2013-07-11

A bad image …

… but I had to post it 🙂

My first night back at Thanda and what do you think woke me up?

… Thanda’s dominant male Lion was roaring this morning and it sounded as if he was in front of my door. The sun had not risen yet, it was still quite dark. I got up and opened my front door to see the large male crossing the road outside the gate.

I had no camera in my room so I grabbed my iPad and took this (very marginal) image of the male disappearing into the grass. See if you can spot him.

A bad image, but what a wake-up call!