Topic: Who looks for whom?
Technical data: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Picture of the Day!
Picture of the Day!
Topic: Hook-lipped Rhinoceros (Black Rhino) feeding after sunset
Technical data: Canon R6 MII with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 25600 | 1/45sec | ev+0 | WB AWB | AV Mode
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Picture of the Day!
Topic: A freshly de-horned Rhino. De-horning is a sad necessity to protect these magnificent creatures, who are persecuted because of human greed, ignorance, and stupid beliefs!
Technical data: Apple 16 Pro Max | Telephoto Camera | Portrait Mode 5x | 120mm | ISO 64 | 1/250sec | f2.8
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Picture of the day!
Topic: White Rhino mum and her calf
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 64000 | 1/500sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode
PS: I am starting a new series ‘Picture of the day’ for pictures taken on the day.
iPhone at eye-level | Rain, beautiful rain…
We humans like to complain. When there is no rain, we complain about the lack of rain, and when there is a lot of rain, we complain that there is too much!
But I have learned in my (now almost 13) years in South Africa and through many drought periods never to complain about rain.
February is usually the rainiest month, and this February, with over 228mm of rain so far (and it’s still raining), is one of the wettest months I have recorded.
The roads are now so muddy that a “game drive” is currently more like a “game of slip-and-slide”.
And if the weather forecast is to be believed, the remainder of February promises even more rain (at least >80mm).
The animals, such as these White Rhinos, enjoy the availability of water for drinking, wallowing, and swimming. I took this picture with my smartphone driving on a main road during a rainy day!
Technical data: Apple 14 Pro Max | Main Camera 24mm | ISO 64 | 1/90sec | f1.8 | ev+0 | 48mm
#iphoneOnEyeLevel
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Canon on Eye Level – Black Rhino!
This week, I saw a Black Rhino flehmen for the first time.
The bull picked up the scent of a female, stuck his nose into the soil where the cow had urinated, and then inhaled as much air as possible towards the Jacobson’s organ (vomeronasal organ) to analyze if the lady was in estrous.
Many mammals show this behaviour, but I had never seen a Black Rhino doing it. What a sighting!
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f11/800mm | ISO 32000 | 1/500sec | ev+0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode
#CanonOnEyeLevel
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
A Rhino Walk!
Sometimes work related to wildlife conservation can get very exciting.
As part of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project one of these incredible creatures was relocated from Thanda Safari to a new home to expand the range of the species.
When the Rhino was darted it fell asleep not next to the road, as we had hoped, but a bit down a hillside. So it was decided to clean a path, partially wake it up, and then ‘rhino walk’ it up to the waiting container truck.
This is a short video showing as all hands helped, so this large mammal could get to its new home. A job well done!
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
Crossing the road!
Black Rhino are usually very shy and do not like to be in the open. Most encounters are a quick look, a fast turn, and a run straight into protective bush.
But last night we had an incredible sighting of this Black Rhino bull calmly drinking at a waterhole and then the crossing the road walking away in a stately pace.
This is my favorite picture from our photo shoot !
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 1000 | 1/500sec | f6.7 | ev+0 | 150mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
I am back…
Canon at Eye Level – Black Rhino
I have posted very little since early September, and some of you may have wondered what I have been up to.
I have just returned from a fantastic three week trip with two American guests who are also my friends from my time in the USA. We began our journey in the Drakensberg Mountains, visited the Battlefields, explored the iSimangaliso Wetlands, encountered the Big Five at Thanda, and concluded our travels in Durban at the fabulous Oyster Box Hotel to enjoy city life for a few days.
A few trip stats: 21 days, 7 overnight locations, 19 excursions and activities, and 11 game drives. I will soon be sharing a photo trip report about our adventures.
Upon my return, Thanda Safari and The Royal Thanda Club hosted the most extraordinary five-day event I have ever witnessed in the African bush. It was an extravaganza with over 120 guests from around the world staying in our six new Royal Thanda Club Villas, Villa iZulu, Thanda Safari Lodge, and Thanda Tented Camp. The experience was both exhilarating and exhausting!
This afternoon, for the first time in a while, I had the opportunity to venture out onto the reserve on my own. Just before sunset, I managed to capture this picture of a Black Rhino browsing in a recently burned area. The majestic creature appeared quite relaxed (for a Black Rhino!) and I was able to take a few shots from a distance. After wild cats, this is my favorite mammal species. What an evening!
Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f/11, 800mm | ISO 25600 | 1/500 sec | EV +0 | WB 6500K | AV Mode
#CanonAtEyeLevel
#AmazingWildlife #AfricanSafari #SafariGetaway #ChristianSperkaPhotography #ThandaSafari #Big5 #GameReserve #WildlifePhotography #LearnPhotography
If you want to read more of my stories and see more of my pictures, you should visit my blog at https://sperka.info/blog/
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
#amazingwildlife #africansafari #safarigetaway #christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari #big5 #gamereserve #wildlifephotography #learnphotography
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