CHRISTIAN SPERKA PHOTOGRAPHY – Page 133 – Christian Sperka Photography

2013-01-092013-01-09

Hluhluwe/iMfolozi

What does a professional Field Guide/Wildlife Photographer do when he is off work and does not have to drive guests in a game reserve?

He goes to another game reserve and drives for the whole day – just for fun 🙂

Today I was the first time in famous Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. I had many good sightings (Elephants, White Rhinos, Buffalo Giraffe, …). But my favorite pictures of today are of Chacma Baboons. I watched a family while they were bedding down in a tree for the night.

Enjoy the pictures!

2012-12-252012-12-25

Christmas and New Year in South Africa

Quite a few people have asked me how I spend my Christmas and New Year at Thanda. The answer is simple: Working…

This is one of the busiest times of the year at a game reserve as many guests want to spend a special “Wildlife” Christmas or New Year.

But – as I enjoy being in the bush and guiding people in this beautiful Big Five reserve – working over the holidays is not a sacrifice.

Yesterday I went with two guest families to the Elephant interaction at Bayete Game Reserve. This is one of the regular excursion we do with our guests. Everyone enjoyed interacting with Rambo, Rachel and Jabulani. These three “semi-wild” Elephants which roam freely on the game reserve show up every day for their “human interaction”.

I hope all of you enjoy the festive season, wherever you are!

2012-12-202012-12-20

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013

With my best wishes for the holiday season from South Africa – Christian

PS: The picture is of one of the North Pride Lion cubs at Thanda Private Game Reserve …

.. and the reason why I have not blogged since 16 December is that my internet connection was down for a few days.

2012-12-102012-12-10

Ostrich, River View and Trogon

I spent a few days at Amakhosi Safari Lodge, a beautiful place near Pongola. Have a look at their website www.amakhosi.com.

One of my favorite pictures from this weekend is of this female Ostrich …

… and despite the weather (from humid/hot to raging thunderstorms) I enjoyed my stay very much. From my room I had a great view of the Mkuze River. I relaxed quite a bit in the hammock while listening to the river sounds and the many bird calls …

… I saw a Narina Trogon, one of my favorite birds and a Paradise Flycatcher (no good pictures, but evidence 🙂 …

… and I enjoyed this view of the Mkuze River from a hide near the lodge, high above the river bed (with Nyala, Bushbuck and Kudu in view while I was at the hide).

Have a good week!

2012-11-15

Back at Thanda!

This time my “seven-day-weekend” was over very quickly. I got quite a bit of photography done at Pakamisa Private Game Reserve, but I will have to go back soon to finish up the job – I am looking forward to it.

The image below is one of my favorite pictures I took today (www.pakamisa.co.za). Pakamisa’s owner Isabella Stepski – on one of her horses – got very close to this Giraffe bull. He was quite relaxed being viewed from horseback.

A few days away was great, but I am also looking forward to driving again on Thanda.

Have a good weekend!

2012-11-14

Close on Horse!

It is hard to believe to see how close the riders can get to Giraffe, Zebra and many other antelopes on Pakamisa Game Reserve.

I am spending three days of my “off time” at the reserve taking images of the lodge, the reserve and the beautiful horses on their game trails.

For me it is the second time on Pakamisa, but I certainly will be back. Horseback safaris are a great addition to a South African safari experience as they provide very close encounters in an area without dangerous game.

Have a look at Pakamisa’s website: http://www.pakamisa.co.za

PS: Unfortunately I cannot ride the Arab Horses at Pakamisa 😦 My portly figure is a bit to heavy for these beautiful creatures :-), so I took these pictures from a game vehicle.

2012-11-12

Qualified :-)

I am now a qualified “Backup Trails Guide”. I have just received the certificate from FGASA (Field Guide Association of South Africa).

I have also passed my “Advanced Rifle Handling” course and once my rifle competency is registered with the South African Police I can start walking with clients in areas with “potential dangerous game”

The next step is to log another hundred hours of walking and another fifty encounters before I can be assessed as Lead Trails Guide. This will take quite a while.

Have a good week – mine is already very good 🙂

PS: The picture shows me walking as Trails Guide during my recent course – Picture: Craig Fitt – Thanks

2012-10-202012-10-20

PAKAMISA and Back to Work!

Well, I thought seven days off is a lot of time. Not so!

I was busy with all kinds of things – but with very little wildlife. My car got its first (10,000km) service, I started the process to get a South African Driver’s license (back to driving school :-)), went to the dentist, and … and … and …

But, yesterday I got a bit of a break. I spent a night in a beautiful game reserve, specializing on horseback safaris. Its name is Pakamisa, which means “lift up” in Zulu. The lodge is located on top of a mountain near Pongola. Isabella Stepski (In the picture with one of her Arabian Horses) has created this very special place in Zululand.

Well, don’t laugh, but the horses are not strong enough for a portly gentlemen like me (the rider weight limit is 90kg=200lbs), but I still enjoyed my stay very much. The weather was bad – it rained very hard – but we still went for a short game drive and had a look at the scenery and at the stables with over 30 horses (the picture shows one of the Horses with one of the free roaming Ostriches on the property).

Even if you have never been on horseback before, this special type of safari is a great addition to the traditional “big five game reserve” experience. I will certainly be back to take pictures in better weather :-). Have a look at Pakamisa’s website www.pakamisa.com!

2012-10-15

Hidden Treasures

This afternoon – after coming back from town – I started working through the pictures I took during my trip to Mpumalanga.

And I found a hidden treasure – the first picture is of a Grey Heron flying building material to its nest and the second is of one of its chicks. It was a very special sighting at Lake Panic – Kruger National Park – and I had forgotten all about it.

2012-09-21

The Last Walk!

Goodbye Mpumalanga!

The last few days were very busy and I had no time to blog, but now I am back on Thanda. And it is hard to believe it is the same place. The recent rains have turned the place green, as you will be able to see in up-coming pictures.

But today I post the last pictures from my recent trip. The first is a picture of a African Goshawk who was – sitting in a tree – giving us the farewell from Nkombe camp.

The second is a collage of my last walk on Sabi Sands. For part of the walk I was in the lead guide and we encountered two Elephant bulls and a male White Rhino.

I enjoyed all my courses very much, but I am glad to be home 🙂

PS: The pictures in the collage were taken by Craig Fitt and Ross Hawkins – As I was walking Lead or Backup with a rifle I was not able to take pictures – Thanks for letting me use them.