For the Kingfisher lovers among you – as promised 🙂
PS: I got pictures of seven of the ten Kingfisher species in Kwazulu Natal. I will try get pictures of the other three species (Grey-headed Kingfisher, Striped Kingfisher, Half-collared Kingfisher) in time 🙂
When I was selecting, sorting and filing the images I took since I arrived at Thanda I came across a few pictures I liked very much, but which did not make it onto my blog at the time. So here are four of these “outtakes”.
The first is of a small bird trying to reach the pollen on a Mountain Aloe. It is a Long-billed Crombec.
The second is of a small Vervet Monkey sunning itself in a tree.
The third is of two juvenile Lions of the Thanda North Pride “staking” a Warthog across a waterhole (for the Warthog lovers among you: the Warthog was never in danger from these two 🙂
The fourth picture is of a bunch of Red-billed Oxpeckers riding on the back of a Buffalo. The Buffalos, like most large mammals, love the Oxpeckers because they eat the Ticks of their back.
I hope you enjoy this set of “outtakes”!
On Sunday afternoon I was driving to the Bayete Camp on Phinda Private Game Reserve and I took a wrong turn on the way.
It was rather a lucky turn, because after a few hundred meters (or yards) I spotted a Black Rhino that developed some interest in my car. I got a few pictures before I turned around from my “accidental game drive” and got onto the right way to the camp.
My friends from Panthera (www.panthera.org) and Phinda (www.phinda.com) took me on a proper game drive in the evening. On that drive I took this picture with the funny Cheetah pose.
This morning I woke up to the sound a lion roaring. When I left for Richards Bay I heard him very clearly east of Thanda House.
I am not sure if it was the male that I saw yesterday afternoon while I was driving through the reserve (picture below). It might have been him 🙂
Have a good day!
I got my new car today 🙂 Tomorrow I will be on the way to Thanda Private Game Reserve, my new home and workplace in Kwazulu Natal.
These are two pictures of me and my new vehicle in front of my friends’ house in Pretoria.
Thanks again to all my friends in the USA and Europe who contributed to my African car fund.
And here is a little preview of what is come: Below is a picture of a herd of buffalo which I took at one of my previous visits at Thanda.
More to follow soon …
… and for the car enthusiasts: The car is a Toyota Fortuner 3.0 Diesel – 4×4 with manual transmission (http://www.toyota.co.za/VehicleRange.aspx?vehicleRangeId=13).
After a my short visit to Germany and Switzerland I have arrived in South Africa.
The picture above is a first glance at my new home country shortly before the plane landed in Johannesburg. The weather was beautiful at my arrival – a good start!
For a few days I am staying with very good friends in Pretoria, sorting out the necessities of modern live (phone, car, … 🙂 before I will make my way to my new workplace – Thanda Private Game Reserve – in Kwazulu Natal.
The picture below documents my last look at a beautiful sunset in Zürich, Switzerland, before I boarded the plane to South Africa on Saturday evening.
More from South Africa soon ….
My five day stop-over in Europe is almost to an end. I will depart tomorrow evening from Switzerland to South Africa.
I had a few very nice days with my family in Germany and today I did my farewell visit to the Zurich Zoo in Switzerland. Two real Zurich Zoo enthusiasts (Christa and Freddy B.) walked with me through the Masoala Hall (my favorite indoor rainforest exhibit), showed me the construction site of the new Elephant park and the newly opened Pantanal exhibit.
I especially like the main Pantanal exhibit with six South American animal species living together (Brazilian Tapirs, Giant Anteaters, Capybaras, Southern Screamers, Hyacinth Macaws and Green-winged Macaws).
The picture above is of a very special Orchid. It is the flower of a vanilla plant, which was blooming in the Masoala Hall. The picture below if of a Pallas’s Cat, which was not happy about me taking pictures!
Besides the Burger’s Zoo in The Netherlands and the Zoo Hannover in Germany, the Zurich Zoo is one of my favorite zoos in Europe. If you should visit Switzerland, reserve a day for this excellent zoo.
The next time you will hear from me, it will be from South Africa 🙂
Uf Wiederluege – Yebo, Sawubona!
I had a great time in Nashville. I will miss the town, and I will miss the many animals at the zoo (as the Lynx cub, the small Tamandua and the little Clouded Leopard in the picture); but most of all the good friends I made over the last few years.
Thanks again for everything. I will miss all of you in South Africa and hope that many of you will be able to visit me there.
Christian
PS: I will continue to blog regularly from my new home. So look out for those wild blogs from the African bush 🙂
Just as a reminder, I will sell all my belonging which I will not take to South Africa on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
For the full message / directions go to https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/packed-and-sale/
Sorry I made a mistake in the last post, I will be at the Nashville Zoo for the last time on Sunday May 27, not on May 28.
For the full message go to https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/countdown/
Just as a reminder, I will sell all my belonging which I will not take to South Africa on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
For the full message go to https://christiansperka.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/packed-and-sale/
