It may sound funny, but to take a good picture of a Scrub Hare in the wild is more challenging than to photograph a lion. Scrub Hares are quite common around Thanda, but it is very rare to get them in front of the lens (unless on the road blinded by headlights :-).
This little one was very relaxed and the Thanda guests on my game viewer enjoyed this special sighting. We also saw Lions and Rhinos during the game drive, so the Hare was in good company!
The sun was just setting when we found some of our South Pride Lions playing in a tree on top of a ridge. The Thanda guest on game drive enjoyed this most beautiful sighting until the light was gone completely and the Lions had left the tree and rested in the grass next to the road.
Have a good week!
This little Cape Buffalo calf obviously does.
Mud baths are used by many mammals to help them to cool down in Summer, protect them from the sun and deter insects from being too friendly 🙂
This little bull was looking for his mum, hence the puzzled expression on his face. He found her very soon after I took this picture.
Have a good weekend.
Mother and son in a lengthy morning cleaning session. Lions are the only gregarious cats. They really enjoy being close to each other 🙂
These two Lions are part of the Thanda South Pride.
Some of you may have seen my EYES series images. I enjoy creating these pictures by removing the colors from all parts of the image except from the eyes.
Over the next few month I will try to create a few more EYES images and place them into my web-gallery (www.sperka.biz/eyes)
To start with, a little quiz: To what animal belong these eyes?
Yesterday I spent a few hours at Mkuze Game Reserve. My main aim was to get some good bird pictures. The day was not as productive as a Winter’s day at Mkuze but I got some images of Pelicans, Bee-eaters, a Sparrowhawk, an Ibis and a small Crocodile. Not bad for a hot morning!
Especially during the Winter month Mkuze is one of the best birding places in Kwazulu Natal. It is only 45 minutes from Thanda and always worth-while an excursion.
Pink-backed Pelican
Black Sparrowhawk
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Hadeda Ibis
Nile Crocodile
In the last few month quite a few people have asked me about the difference between Summer (Rainy Season) and Winter (Dry Season) at Thanda. And most often the question was: When is the best time to visit Thanda and South Africa?
Well, there is no simple answer to this question, but here is my opinion:
SUMMER (RAINY SEASON)
If you are looking for very warm (hot) weather (30C+ /90F+), if you want to enjoy the beach, if you want to see most of the country (Cape Town, the wine growing areas, the Garden Route), if you do not mind the occasional rain and if wildlife viewing is not your major priority than I think that the Summer (Rainy Season) is the right time for you.
The rainy season normally starts in October and ends in March (but it can be as early as September and as late as April).
WINTER (DRY SEASON)
If your priority is wildlife viewing (short grass, good visiblity and many animals at waterholes), if you do not mind cool nights (around 5-10 C / around 40-50F) and mild days (around 20-25C / around 70F) than I think you should come in the Winter (Dry Season).
The best dry season month for wildlife viewing are June, July and August.
IN BETWEEN
If you look for a compromise between the two weather extremes you may want to try September or April/May. It is a bit of a gamble but you might have good weather (warm with not too much rain) and quite good wildlife viewing.
I think today’s picture collage helps to illustrate the game viewing difference between summer and winter: Zebras in the rainy season (top) and Zebras in the dry season (bottom).
How about waking up in the middle of the night and hearing the sounds of mating Lions nearby?
When we met some of our guests for morning game drive they claimed that they heard the Lions all night. We drove up the hill in front of the lodge to investigate and found our dominant male and the oldest female of the South pride less than 100 meters from the Lodge.
The Thanda guest were most impressed how close they were all night to these formidable cats.
The picture shows the male Lion with the Thanda Luxury Lodge in the background. The female was hiding a few meters away in the bushes.
This little Elephant tried to capture the smells from our vehicle when we were watching it and its mum crossing the road in front of us.
Have a good weekend!
Today’s images are a bit more “artsy” than my usual wildlife images.
The first is of an Golden Orb Spider on a branch.
The second is of an Golden Orb Spider at sunrise.
The third is of an Zebra’s eye just before sunset. (This image is part of my EYES series)
Enjoy the images!
All three images are part of my “Without the Five” series (images 12-14).
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 