I am not good at identifying Butterflies but I like this picture of a butterfly fight which I took a few days ago.
PS: The white specimen on the right lost 😊
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – BUTTERFLY FIGHT
PICTURE OF THE WEEK – FEVER TREES IN THE MORNING MIST
Seeing Fever Trees (Vachellia xanthophloea) in the morning mist is one of my favorite ‘sightings’ on a summer safari.
These beautiful trees with their unique yellow-green phosphorous bark are prevalent at Thanda. Two beautiful specimina are just outside my home.
In isiZulu the tree is called uMkhanyakude, which means ‘the tree which shines from afar’. What an apt name.
I wish you a good week!
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PICTURE OF THE WEEK – LEOPARD
This is my first Leopard picture, which I shot in December 2002. Ned (the name given to this magnificent male) was part of the Munyawana Leopard Project. Wild animals are usually not given any names on game reserves, except if they are part of a research project.
Enjoy your weekend!
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BIRD WEDNESDAY – GOLDEN-BREASTED BUNTING
With its striking yellow (golden) breast this is one of my favorite small birds.
Golden-breasted Buntings are regularly seen at the waterhole near my home on Thanda.
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – DUNG BEETLES
Ants are commonly observed lifting heavy objects, but they are not the strongest members of the insect world.
Dung Beetles are known to lift weights up to over 1,000 times their own body weight—a load equivalent to a human lifting over 80,000 kg (~180,000 pounds).
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PICTURE OF THE WEEK – ELEPHANT BULL
This impressive African Elephant bull followed a breeding herd away from a local waterhole.
In the background is the Intibane Lodge, the home of Ulwazi Research, which is Thanda Safari’s Volunteer Program.
In case you are interested in volunteering: https://www.ulwaziresearch.com
Enjoy your week!
… and as a bonus picture the family group he followed …
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MAMMAL FRIDAY – SLEEPING LION
Last night I was at the right place at the right time!
I was able to take this ‘fairy tail’ picture of one of our male Lions at one of Thanda Safari’s waterholes.
An hour later the skies opened and we got 50mm of much needed rain.
When I got home I very much resembled a drowned, but happy, rat.
Enjoy your weekend
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BIRD WEDNESDAY – LITTLE BEE-EATER
Five Little Bee-eaters were snuggling up for a good night’s sleep as I took this picture during a night safari at iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
With an average length of 15–17 cm, this species is the smallest African Bee-eater.
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ECTOTHERM MONDAY – CHAMELEONS
There are 19 species of formally described Chameleons within South Africa, 17 species of Dwarf Chameleons and 2 Typical (Large) Chameleons.
The specimen in this picture is a Flap Necked Chameleon, a large chameleon, reaching 35 cm (14 in) with colors ranging through various shades of green, yellow, and brown.
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Bad news for the bunnies! Great news for Thanda Safari!
This week an additional female Cheetah was released onto the reserve. The young cat, which came to Thanda with a serious leg injury in October, spent four months in a boma (=fenced-in area) to recover.
But she obviously lost none of her skills. Less than an hour after her release she gave a Scrub Hare a run for its money. She almost caught the nimble creature. And on the day after her release she made her first kill and even climbed a tree to mark the occasion of her recovery.
We wish her all the best in her new home and hope she will meet our Cheetah gentlemen, soon.
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Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 