CHRISTIAN SPERKA PHOTOGRAPHY – Page 23 – Christian Sperka Photography

2024-03-19

What age?

One of the most common questions that guides get asked is about the age of young animals. It is not always easy to give a correct answer without a point of reference.

The White Rhino baby in this picture is a bit less than one year old (as it has lost its ’roundish’ baby head shape and as the second horn is not visible yet).

Below are a few indications that might help in determining the age of small Rhinos:

Age 0-3 months

– The shoulders are slightly higher than the mother’s underside of her belly

– No horn is visible and it has a ’roundish’ baby head shape, quite distinct from a typical Rhino head shape

Age 3-6 months

⁃ The front horn is now visible, but the back horn is not

Age 6 months – 1 year

– The shoulders are about 1/3 up the mum’s side

– The front horn is now visible and back horn is just coming through

Age 1-2 years

– The shoulders are about 1/2 up the mum’s side

– The front horn is quite distinct, while the back horn is now visible

Age 2-4 years

– The shoulders are about 2/3 up the mum’s side

– Both horns are growing

Age 4-7 years

– The shoulders will still be lower than those of the mother. It is very difficult to distinguish them from a fully grown adult when they are by themselves (7 years+).

Rhino females are usually sexually mature at 4-5 years of age, but they rarely have their first calf before the age of 7. Males need to wait until they are 10-12 years old before claiming their own territory and mating with the females in their area.

Rhinos typically live 40-50 years in the wild.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 20000 | 1/500sec | f6.7 | ev+0 | 150mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 50% of original image

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2024-03-18

The Underside

It is usually not easy to observe grasshoppers in detail as they hop away if one gets too close. And getting a good look at their underside is normally not possible.

However, a few days ago, this beautiful Vlei Grasshopper (Paracinema tricolor) landed on the windscreen of my Little Mamba (Suzuki Jimny) as I crossed the Thanda Safari savanna.

It stayed for quite a while, which gave me the opportunity to capture this unusual shot with my iPhone.

Paracinema tricolor is a band-winged grasshopper, belonging to the family of short-horned grasshoppers, and is found in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

Technical data: Apple 14 Pro Max | Ultra Wide Camera 13mm | ev+4 | Auto Mode | Crop to 50% of original image

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2024-03-17

So very green…

After the recent rains, the Thanda Safari game reserve has quickly turned very green. I was recording the changes following heavy precipitation last Wednesday with shots from the air, and I decided to take a short flight along the Mduna river.

I love the tranquil mood of this short clip (the original video I took is almost four minutes long, documenting a flight from the D242 Mduna concrete bridge to a river crossing, which we call ‘Point of No Return’).

Here is a link in case you would like to watch the complete video:

https://tinyurl.com/csp0003

Enjoy your Sunday and have a great week!

Technical data: DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro Drone | Automatic Mode

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2024-03-16

Pecking Order

When it comes to cleaning up kills from large predators there is a pecking order in place.

One of the first scavengers to arrive after the killers have left are often Black-backed Jackals (as the one in this picture).

On some occasions they even sneak in while Lions or Hyenas are still on a kill. Especially if the carcass was torn apart during the large predator’s feeding frenzy and the remains had been spread around.

This is a list of the most common members of the Thanda Safari cleanup crew, sorted according to their position in the pecking order:

⁃ Spotted Hyenas

⁃ Black-backed Jackals

⁃ Side-striped Jackals

⁃ Lapped-faced Vultures

⁃ White-backed Vultures

⁃ Hooded Vultures

⁃ Tawny Eagles

⁃ Bateleurs

⁃ Yellow-billed Kites

⁃ African Woolly-necked Storks

⁃ Pied Crows

… and always Maggots

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 1250 | 1/500sec | ev-0.5 | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 20% of original image

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2024-03-15

Osteophagia …

… is the term for a Giraffe behavior which seems rather odd.

Often, these largest land mammals are seen chewing bone material. The reason is to augment any calcium and/or phosphorus deficiency in their bodies. The material is manipulated in and out of the mouth using the tongue while being sucked and chewed.

I took this short video of a Thanda Safari Giraffe looking rather funny, which put me in a good mood for the weekend. I hope you enjoy yours!

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | 4K Video | Hand-held

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2024-03-13

Tropical Storm!

Starting last night, we experienced an incredible 146mm of rain pouring down on Thanda. Tropical Storm Filipo delivered the welcome precipitation, filling up many of our watering holes.

During the heavy rains, I took a short drive on our main roads (as all the others were impassable due to the soggy ground) but only encountered two animal species. A single Wildebeest bull was guarding his territory, and three African Spoonbills were standing completely drenched next to a waterhole. Most animals seek shelter in dense bushes during downpours.

I followed suit and returned to my home, enjoying this very rainy day!

Technical data for both images: Canon R6 with RF lens, f11/800mm | ISO 3200 | 1/500sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

2024-03-092024-03-09

Large and Small …

Many antelope species in various sizes can be found at my two favorite places in KwaZulu Natal, Thanda and Pakamisa. From the small and very cute Sunis (35cm – 15” shoulder height) to the large and impressive Kudus (155cm – 61” shoulder height).

For all the small antelopes, the males are called bucks and the females are called ewes, and for the large ones, they are called bulls and cows.

Today’s picture shows an Nyala male in high grass (_image taken yesterday at Pakamisa_). It is interesting to note that this is the only antelope species where the males are called bulls and the females are called ewes. This may be because sexual dimorphism (difference between male and female) is more distinct in Nyalas than in any other antelope species.

Here is the list of antelope species found on Thanda Safari and Pakamisa Private Game Reserve in order of their size:

THE SMALL ONES

*Bucks/Ewes*

⁃ Suni (35cm ~ 14”)

⁃ Natal Red Duicker (48cm ~ 19”)

⁃ Steenbok (50cm ~ 20”)

⁃ Klipspringer (60cm ~ 24”)

⁃ Grey Duicker (68cm ~ 27”)

THE LARGE ONES

*Bucks/Ewes*

⁃ Mountain Reedbuck (84cm ~ 33”)

⁃ Common Reedbuck (90cm ~ 35”)

⁃ Impala (90cm ~ 35”)

*Bull/Ewe*

⁃ Nyala (120cm ~ 47”)

*Bull/Cow*

⁃ Waterbuck (130cm ~ 51”)

⁃ Blue Wildebeest (150cm ~ 59”)

⁃ Kudu (155cm – 61”)

()= max shoulder heights (ref. Stuarts’ Field Guide to Southern Africa)

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 25600 | 1/500sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 35% of original image

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2024-03-06

Water…

I had some good sightings over the last few days, but the clear number one was the one of almost fifty Elephants having fun in and around a waterhole.

We watched them for almost two hours until the sun had set and the last bulls had left the water.

It started with two herds rushing towards one of our largest dams at the same time. There was a bit of tension between the two groups which led to some stampeding. A few of them left for a little while, but then returned to the wet.

On this 35°C day (95°F) they obviously enjoyed drinking, swimming, spraying, mudding, diving, sparring, and even a bit of rough playing.

I hope you will enjoy this slide show with a few of my pictures.

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2024-03-05

Beautiful & Common

Danaus is a genus of butterflies found worldwide. It contains 12 different species, with two of them found in Southern Africa (Danaus chrysippus and Danaus dorippus). I think this is a D. dorippus, but I am not sure as the two species look very similar.

Danaus butterflies are commonly known by many different names, including Tigers, Milkweed, Monarchs, Wanderers, and Queens.

They are among over 650 different species of butterflies found in South Africa.

An interesting fact to distinguish butterflies from moths is that when at rest, moths either fold their wings tentlike over the body, wrap them around the body, or hold them extended at their sides, whereas butterflies hold their wings vertically (as seen in this picture).

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 6400 | 1/750sec | ev-0.5 | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 10% of original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography

2024-03-04

Just now!

This young female lion caught a small warthog piglet for her dinner.

In a new experience for me, she was left alone by her pride of eight other lions to eat it by herself.

After a short chase, all of them except one gave up and did not follow her. The one that stayed waited respectfully until she was allowed to devour a few leftovers.

I am not sure, but I think this behavior was supported by the fact that all of them all had semi-full stomachs and that it is relatively easy for them to make a kill in the current conditions (long grass, abundant prey animals, and all of them participating in hunts).

In contrast, I have a video from a few years back where eight lions fought violently over one warthog. That is the what they usually do over smaller kills.

I never stop learning about animal behavior!

PS: The very bright red (oxygen-rich) blood on her face indicates that the kill happened ‘just now’.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f/11 800mm | ISO 20000 | 1/750 sec | EV +0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 25% of the original image

#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography