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 🙂
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!
It has been years since I have used a ‘short fixed focus length lens’. Last week, when cleaning my equipment, I picked up my Canon EF f1.4/50mm lens and decided to put in my camera case to give it a try at low light.
And two days ago such a scenario presented itself.
After the sun had set I took this image of our north pride Lions sleeping off a good meal. With very shallow depth of field it creates a special artsy atmosphere. I like it and I think I will use this ‘short beauty’ more often.
Today a little detour was required on my way home from the Thanda Safari Lodge. The two Cheetah brothers were resting in the shade under a tree in the middle of the road, so I had to get a bit of the street as they would not move for my car 🙂
The Two Boys!
Lions at one of Thanda’s waterholes – I was able to play with the light from another game viewing vehicle (thanks to my fellow guide) – despite the fact that I did not have the right lens for the job I like the atmosphere of the scene!
After yesterday’s post about a Malachite Kingfisher on Thanda a few people have asked me about the various South African Kingfishers. So, here is a short post about them:
There are ten Kingfisher species in South Africa. Five are aquatic species and five are considered woodland Kingfishers. Up til now I took pictures of eight of these ten species. I am still missing the Half-collared Kingfisher and the Grey-headed Kingfisher.
Four of them (Woodland Kingfisher, Striped Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher and African Pygmy Kingfisher) are regularly seen on Thanda Safari Private Game Reserve and I had one – rare – sighting of a Malachite Kingfisher. Giant Kingfishers, Mangrove Kingfishers and Pied Kingfishers are aquatic species and are therefore not resident on Thanda.
Enjoy the pictures!
It is always very exciting to see a bird in an area where it usually does not occur. Malachite Kingfishers are one of the aquatic Kingfisher species. They live on Rivers or other large bodies of water. Finding one on Thanda Safari – Private Game Reserve was a very special treat for our bird-loving guests. Bheki (my Zulu tracker) spotted it at the waterhole near my home.
These are not my best Malachite Kingfisher images, but they are very special to me!
To view more of my Malachite Kingfisher images go to http://www.sperka.biz/sgb10
The Malachite Kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus) is an aquatic, small Kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is only 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. This species is common to reeds and aquatic vegetation near slow-moving water or ponds. The flight of the Malachite Kingfisher is rapid, with the short, rounded wings whirring until they appear a mere blur. It usually flies low over water. The call of this kingfisher is then a short shrill seek. The breeding song is a chuckling li-cha-cha-chui-chui.
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 