christian sperka – Page 137 – Christian Sperka Photography

2016-02-222016-02-21

Bird of the Day – Secretary Bird

One of my favorite birds of prey: The Secretary Bird. This picture was taken at Etosha National Park in Namibia.

To view more of my Secretary Bird images go to http://www.sperka.biz/sgb6

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The Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is a very large bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Saharan region.

Unlike most birds of prey, the Secretary Bird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides. Prey may consist of insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, young birds, bird eggs, and sometimes also dead animals. The importance of snakes in the diet may have been exaggerated in the past, although they can be locally important and venomous species such as adders and cobras are regularly among the types of snake preyed upon.

It appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa.

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Little one …

One of the little mammals – a Dwarf Mongoose! I took this picture in 2011 at Kruger National Park.

To view more of my Dwarf Mongoose images go to http://www.sperka.biz/sg11

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The Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) is a small African carnivore belonging to the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It has a large pointed head, small ears, a long tail, short limbs, and long claws. It is much smaller than most other Mongoose species (18 to 28 cm, 210 to 350 grams) and it is Africa’s smallest carnivore. The soft fur is very variable in color, ranging from yellowish red to very dark brown.

2016-02-212016-02-21

Bird of the Day – Wahlberg’s Eagle

As I am working on the re-organization of my image library I thought to start a series of blogs, which many of you might enjoy. I will present a ‘Bird of the Day’ as often as possible – might not be every day, but we will see how it goes 🙂

This very dark specimen and its mate have a nest near Thanda house. I took this shot trough my office window as the bird sat only a short distance away in the newly cut grass.

To view more of my Wahlberg’s Eagle images go to http://www.sperka.biz/sgb2

Wahlberg’s Eagles (Hieraaetus wahlbergi – named after the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg) are medium-sized raptors. They are about 53–61 cm (21–24″) in length with a wingspan of 130–146 cm (51–58″) and occur in many color variants from pale and light brown to almost black. They are bird of woodland, often found near water. Wahlberg’s Eagles hunt reptiles, small mammals, and birds.

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2016-02-14

For the Elephant lovers among you!

I have just uploaded 159 African Elephant images taken between 2002 and 2016. Have a look at www.sperka.biz/sg10

This is another new species gallery available online at http://www.sperka.biz/sg

Please contact me at info@sperka.com in case you are interested in publishing any of these images or if you would like to license any image for printing (for personal or commercial use).

2016-02-09

The Species Galleries (1)

My image library contain thousands of wildlife images, which I took since I started wildlife photography in 2002. Keeping these images organized and available for people to look at is not an easy task.

End of last year I started a project to categorize all these images in ‘species galleries‘ and also put them online. I am currently working on African Mammals, followed by Birds, Snakes, other Reptiles Insects and Plants. After Africa I am planning to work on images from species of other continents.

Have a look at the first ten of these galleries at www.sperka.biz/sg (African Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Wild Cat, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, African Elephant, Caracal and Serval).

Please contact me at info@sperka.com in case you are interested in publishing any of these images or if you would like to license any image for printing (for personal or commercial use).

I will let you know once I upload new galleries. Stay tuned!

2016-01-22

Panthera’s Photo of the Month

Panthera is the only organization in the world devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 38 wild cat species and their ecosystems. I work as one of their partner photographers since many years. This month they have selected one of my favorite Cheetah images as their photo of the month. Have a look at this month’s Panthera Newsletter.

2016-01-152016-01-15

Reflections

I love the reflections of the ripples in the water on the pelt of the lions.

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For the photographers among you: This image was taken at very low light conditions (using a spotlight). It was taken freehand, 300mm, f5.6, eV-2.0, 1/60sec, ISO 6400.

2016-01-102016-01-09

The two weddings!

As most of you know I live in the heart of Zululand, a region reigned by the hereditary King of the Zulu people.

Most Zulus today are members of Christian churches, but they are also still firmly rooted in traditions involving the spirits of their ancestors. As a result many Zulus will have two wedding ceremonies in one day, when they want to tie the knot for life. I was invited by one of my Zulu colleagues to capture his wedding. This is the resulting picture report.

The day started with the Christian wedding ceremony in the garden of a local hotel with everyone in modern dress. It was followed by a reception in the community hall. The traditional wedding ceremony commenced in the early afternoon at the groom’s homestead.

The process – from the arrival of the bride’s family in the early morning hours, their traditional ‘camping’ under a tree in the vicinity, the slaughter of a few cows to feed the large wedding party, the preparation of the groom’s family including a visit to the ancestral hut on the property, the approach of the bridal party to the groom’s homestead, the dancing and singing, the interview of the bride by the wedding official and the delivery of the wedding gifts to the grooms’ family – was following a strict protocol with the main aim to please the ancestors.

As normal in Zulu tradition love and emotion between women and men are not displayed publicly, so a handshake between Nothando – the bride – and Muzikayise – the groom – was the equivalent of the wedding kiss after the couple was officially married.

I learned a lot more about the Zulus and their traditions that day, but the main lesson was that they love to sing and dance, to have fun and to please their ancestors!

Enjoy the pictures!

United in dance!

The Two Weddings – Nothando and Muzikayise

Bridesmaids, Flower Girl, Ring Boy, Groomsmen and a Christian Minister – a wedding standard 🙂

With song and rhythm

The groom’s sister in a colorful dress

Reception in the community hall – a hot summer affair 🙂

The bride’s family’s camp in front of the groom’s homestead

The male members of the groom’s family in traditional attire (except for the shoes :-))

The groom and his family inviting the bride’s family into the homestead by dancing around the grounds

The groom’s uncle – the old father in Zulu – was treated with a lot of respect

The groom emerges from the ancestors’ hut

The bride arrives – with her ‘wedding planner and mistress of ceremony’

The locked trunk – with all the brides possessions – is delivered to the groom’s homestead

The wedding official (sent by the community’s chief) interviews the bride

Song and dance – a young girl

Song and dance – the groom’s brother

Song and dance – an unmarried lady

Me at work 🙂

The handshake – equivalent to the wedding kiss – the bride bowing low during the whole ceremony as a sign of respect to the groom’s family

The happy couple in a modern posture

2016-01-082016-01-08

Zulu tradition in the modern world!

A few weeks ago I was able to attend a modern day – traditional – Zulu wedding. These are pictures of the bride and the groom in their traditional attire and posture. Stay tuned for the full story …