Tag: south africa

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He hates ducks …

As I was preparing the Green Mamba 1 (my special luxury & photography game drive vehicle – http://www.sperka.info/gm) I heard loud trumpeting from the Thanda House waterhole. I grabbed a camera, jumped into the vehicle  and drove to the dam.

A young Elephant bull was busy chasing a bunch of Whistling White-faced Ducks around. He trumpeted very loudly whenever ducks got in his way. He obviously hates ducks! What a show …

What a sight – the Thanda House Dam is full!
The Thanda House Dam and Thanda House – I can see the water from my office window!

After the recent rains the Thanda House dam is full. The Elephants love this deep water hole for bathing and drinking.

A bath, a drink, a mud-bath and a good dusting with sand!
The reason for the loud trumpeting – Whistling White-faced Ducks

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THE GREEN MAMBA 1 | EXCLUSIVELY AT THANDA SAFARI

 

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Rain and Green – and lots of other news!

A lot happend since my last blog post. February is very busy at Thanda Safari and for the first time in years we are having a truly rainy season. This is a picture record of the last 30 days. If you would like to see more of my pictures more regularly, then may I suggest you follow me on instagram: www.instagram.com/christiansperkaphotography. Enjoy the pictures!

Shikondlakondla – Thanda Safari’s dominant male having a rest on a late afternoon.
Rhino Monitoring – Occasionally  I get to spend some time with Thanda Safari’s Rhino Monitors Daniel and Kyle – Here I caught them on camera with one of their charges!
Luck – On a rainy day I was very lucky to catch a glimpse of this male Cheetah on my way home to Thanda House.
Golden Hour – Having a late afternoon drink in the perfect light!
Pure Bliss – I got two nights at The Oysterbox Hotel in Umhlanga (Durban) as a present from two guests from the USA. What a pleasure to stay at one of my favorite hotels in the world!
The Clock Room @ The Oysterbox Hotel – This room is a great place to relax in peace and quiet. Just once per hour a lot of clocks wake up a bit!
European Roller – A dime a dozen! We host huge numbers of these beautiful birds on Thanda during the summer. They get so used to vehicles that it is possible to get really close up and personal!
Amur Falcon – They are also summer guests. These small birds of prey will leave soon for their trip up north!
iSimangaliso Wetland Park – I hosted and guided two guests of a cruise ship – the MS Europe 2 – on a tour through iSimangaliso West and through Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve. A truly enjoyable day!
Horns – This Kudu male had the most impressive horns!
Make space – We had to back up as this large Elephant bull walked up the road. He was very relaxed but needed a bit of space!
Ellie Selfie – A mirror selfie with Bheki and an Elephant bull.
Zululand – Many of my guests enjoy a visit to a homestead in one of the local Zulu communities.
Unbelievable – This 78 year old Zulu gentleman is still tending his maize fields and garden. He dressed up for us in his Sunday finery.
Joined Herds – The two Elephant herds on Thanda meet and join up from time to time. This is the first time that I got pictures of both herds together.
Nautical Twilight – During this period after sunset everything under the horizon is completely black. I was lucky that the Giraffes were part of the horizon and that they stood still for this long exposure.
Tools of the Trade – My photographic safari vehicle (The Green Mamba 1), my 12.9″ iPad, my safari hat a and one of my cameras.
Cappuccino Time! – Thanda’s Wildlife Coordinator and a Journalist from Singapore were having a lively discussion during a morning coffee stop. They also enjoyed the selection of Nespresso coffee on the Green Mamba 1.
On Top of the World – I took the Green Mamba 1 on top of one of Thanda’s highest peaks. An then I took up the drone to get a picture of the stunning scenery at sunset.
Smell the Trap – Shikondlakondla was very interested in a camera trap which was mounted next to a Buffalo carcass.
The cute ‘Big Five’ – Whenever I have small children on my vehicle I take the Big Five as plush toys along on drive. The little Lion sat quietly next to my camera as I took pictures of the real thing!
Stingy – Bheki found a large scorpion and as always the guests were most impressed to get to see these incredible creatures close up.
Walk on the Wild Side – This small Lion cub walked on top of a Buffalo carcass! There will be a special blog post in the next few days featuring this youngster.
Comfort – Mum provides the needed comfort to the little Lion as a vehicle approached the sighting. Very soon it will ignore the cars the same as all other members of the pride.
Quelea – Thousands of Quelea have settled in the Sickle Bush area next to Thanda House. They are incredibly loud unless I fly my drone over their nesting trees. Then they go quiet for a very short while!
The Power of Water – In the last few days we had huge amount of rain. Three of our dams burst under the huge pressure of the fast swelling water.
Green, Green, Green – The area around Thanda House is as green as never before (at least since I am at Thanda) and the Thanda House is dam fuller than ever – Pure pleasure!

If you enjoyed this little picture diary then please leave a comment or just ‘like’ the post. Thanks

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I wish all my friends around the world a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

With my very best wishes from South Africa – Christian

PS: This is my favorite South African flower. It is from a Sickle Bush (Dichrostachys cinerea, known also Bell Mimosa, Chinese Lantern Tree or Kalahari Christmas Tree), which blooms around this time of the year. A true Christmas flower!

 

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5 reserves and 30 images!

Another exciting month! It started with a 14 day tour through five game reserves (Timbavati, Sabi Sands, Pakamisa, Phinda and Thanda) and ended with another Art Project on Thanda.

I was extremely busy and my time to photograph wildlife was limited. Nevertheless I hope you will enjoy this collection.

PS: If you enjoy continuous updates about my work I recommend you follow me on Instagram where I post images almost daily! http://instagram.com/christiansperkaphotography

A little Elephant mock-charge was very exciting for my ‘first-time’ safari guests …
White Rhino cuddling …
Chatting up – Leopard style …
Ground Hornbills – a rare treat …
Protecting the kill …
On the move – African Wild Dogs …
A bit of warmth on a cold morning …
On horseback – There is no better way to experience Giraffes …
A visit to Zululand – local architecture …
A visit to Zululand – Local people …
My room at Phinda – with visitors …
With mum …
Just born …
Nest artists …
Having an eye on you …
Dwarf Mongoose – cute and shy …
Turtle and Hippo – The Oxpecker/Buffalo water team …
Vultures fighting over meat …
And Hyenas fighting, too …
Showing off …
Cute, small and fast …
Bateleur – my favorite eagle …
What a view at lunch …
Close up …
Rhino ops …
He is a beauty and he knows it …
The Lebombo Mountains …
On my way to work!
Rolling on …
… and last but not least … Elephants during light rain …

That is it. I hope you enjoyed the show!

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A real beauty!

I love this image of a Thanda Safari Lioness which I took on Friday – a real Lion beauty …

… and sorry for not blogging for a while. I was extremely busy over the last few weeks but I promise a detailed post with many pictures soon!

Have a great week!

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Just now …

Just now – for the first time in the last two weeks – I had a chance to think about a blog message. I thought you might enjoy a summary of all my Instagram images posted since my last blog post on 29 August, And I have included four new bonus images for all my blog followers 🙂

Let’s start with the ‘bonus material’ …

… our oldest Cheetah boy enjoying a drink at Thanda Safari’s Villa iZulu waterhole (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 4/500mm L) …
… a Thanda Lioness flehmen (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 4/500mm L) …
… a Burchell’s Zebra hosting 15! Red-billed Oxpeckers at the same time (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 3.5-5.6/28-300mm L at 235mm) …
… Thanda’s dominant male Lion at the end of the terrestrial twilight (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 3.5-5.6/28-300mm L at 210mm / f5.6 / 1/30s / ISO 6400) …

… and now the images published on Instagram …

… a young female Rhino denying the advances of a male (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 3.5-5.6/28-300mm L at 300mm) …
… Egyptian Geese mating (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 3.5-5.6/28-300mm L at 300mm) …
… the bliss of mud-bath (Canon 5D Mark IV / EF 4.5-5.6/100-400mm LII at 220mm) …
… one of Thanda’s largest Elephant bulls feeding (iPhone 7 Plus) …
… two baby Scrub Hares (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 4/500mm L / ISO 3200 / -1EV / 1/500s / f/4) …
… the view from the Thanda Safari Lodge as the mist rises in the early morning
(iPhone 7 Plus) …
… an awesome White Rhino sighting (iPhone 7 Plus – using the 2x optical zoom – still pretty close 🙂 ) …
… Buffalo yoga at the bush spa (Canon 5D Mark IV / EF 4.5-5.6/100-400mm LII at 180mm)
… Moon and Sun in the same picture – and Bheki 🙂 (iPhone 7 Plus) …
… a little Ellie protected by the herd (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 3.5-5.6/28-300mm L at 90mm)
… Thanda’s young male Lion – ready to mate (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 4/500mm L) …
… Cheetah at sunset (Canon 1D Mark IV – EF 2.8/300mm L) …

I hope you enjoyed the selection. Have a good week.

www.sperka.info | www.thanda.com

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Hectic …

Well, my  South African friend’s love the word hectic to describe a busy time. And my last few weeks were quite hectic!

I had very little time to blog and to document what I was doing. So I want to make up for that today.  Here are  pictures taken during these last few weeks.

… A young Lioness in her stride (23 July) …

… Elephants huddling for a family picture in front of the Thanda Safari Tented Camp (30 July) …

… A Lilac-breasted roller sighting making my day (31 July) …

… A Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl on its nest (1 August) …

… Me on game drive with my Green Mamba 1 – I love every minute 🙂 – Picture by Warren taken during our last game drive together before he exchanged the rolling hills of Zululand for the rolling hill of Scotland!

… My drone and the moon (4 August) …

… The Green Mamba 1 on top of the world (5 August) …

… A tiny Thanda Elephant marching along (9 August) …

… The night sky during the meteor shower (12 August) …

… A massive Eland bull at Nambiti Game Reserve (16 August) …

… Working on a photo shoot at Nambiti Plains Lodge (17 August) …

… Visiting the Blood River battlefield (18 August) …

… Another photo shoot, this time at Fugitive’s Drift Lodge (19 August) …

… Three days old – a baby Giraffe …

… And an agitated White Rhino cow (26 August) …

www.thanda.com | www.fugitivesdrift.com | www.nambitiplains.com | www.sperka.info | www.sperka.biz

 

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The Battle of Blood River …

Sorry – I have not blogged for quite a while as I was very busy before I went of my off time.

Earlier this week I visited Nambiti Game Reserve and stayed at Nambiti Plains Lodge. Then I visited the Blood River Battlefield. This battle between the Boers and the Zulus was one of the most important events which shaped South Africa’s history. A very impressive monument – build by the Afrikaans people – and a rather neglected museum – documenting the battle from a Zulu perspective – serve as reminders of this battle. And now I am at Fugitives Drift Lodge near the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift just above the Buffalo River. One of my favorite locations in KwaZulu Natal.

Here are a few pictures – including some drone images I took during this trip. I hope you enjoy them!

The Blood River Battle Memorial … (DJI Phantom 4 Plus Drone)
Blood River Memorial … (DJI Phantom 4 Plus Drone)
The Laager – Defensive Boer position on the bank of the blood river … (Apple iPhone 7 Plus)
An aerial view from my drone … (DJI Phantom 4 Plus Drone)
The wagons … (Canon EOS 1D Mark IV)
Nambiti Plains … (Apple iPhone 7 Plus)
A bull in musth at Nambiti … (Canon EOS 1D Mark IV)
A Black-Shouldered Kite at Nambiti … (Canon EOS 1D Mark IV)
Gemsbok at Nambiti … (Canon 1D Mark IV)
The Buffalo river valley and the Fugitives Drift Lodge … (DJI Phantom 4 Plus Drone)
Fugitives Drift – Site of one of the real dramas in the British and South African history … (DJI Phantom 4 Plus Drone)

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