south africa – Page 145 – Christian Sperka Photography

2014-07-20

Coming and Going!

Not everyone is a bird enthusiast. But, most guests do not only enjoy experiencing mammals but also enjoy sightings of colourful birds and large raptors. One of the most fascinating birds to watch is the Little Bee-eater. This small insect-hunter often chooses a convenient branch as its base of operation. From this single location it will repeatedly depart to and arrive from short hunts. If the observer is very lucky, he or she can even observe a “kill” :-).

The collage above is a merger of nine hand-held images of this fast flying bird. The camera was set on ten frames per second to record this sequence.

The picture below shows a Bee-Eater and a Bee!

And it is a good idea to bring binoculars, which are a great safari tool for observing small birds, as one cannot get too close before most birds get scared and leave.

2014-07-18

Gate guards and models!

The last few days I have been working in my office. Which is not bad, but not nearly as good as being out there on game drives. Even so, staying at Thanda house has its merits, too.

This morning our two male Cheetah came for a visit and acted as gate guards for a few hours.

They also posed as models 🙂

Yesterday, a journey of Giraffes and a dazzle of Zebras was grazing in front of the gate during midday.

And the day before our Elephants had a late afternoon drinking and bathing session at the waterhole on the south side of Thanda house.

So, my time at the office got interrupted by some of my “wild friends” offering good sightings!

2014-07-17

Close encounters!

I was sorting and filing images when I came across some recent images Isabella took of me at Pakamisa Private Game Reserve. I miss the place and I am looking forward to going back there soon.

Enjoy the images of my close encounters!

PS: I am sure Badger is waiting – not so much for me, but for the apple treats 🙂 …

… and if you wonder who Badger is – well, he is the horse in all the pictures!

Pictures by Isabella Stepski – Pakamisa Private Game Reserve

2014-07-16

Golden Light!

It is my favourite time of day. When the sun goes down and the light turns golden it is the right time to take photographs.

I was working in my office this afternoon when I heard Elephants trumpeting at the waterhole near Thanda house. I grabbed a camera and sneaked outside towards the fence. The Elephants did not detect me, so I was able to take a few shots on foot before I retreated back to the house. The Thanda guests were watching on game viewing vehicles from the other side of the dam.

This is my favourite shot of this sequence 🙂

2014-07-13

Aggression and Family Life!

What a sighting!

This afternoon the Thanda guests got a great display of Lion family life combined with signs of aggression!

When Thanda’s dominant male and his family (two adult females and six cubs) walked out onto a savanna area they were greeted by the presence of another adult male Lion.

The older female showed immediate signs of aggression towards the second male. A growling match followed. Thanda’s dominant male just observed the situation and placed himself between the second male and his pride.

They all settled on the side of a road and they remained there for a long time. While the adults had their shouting match the little ones grouped around one of the females, played a bit and had a little snooze 🙂

An exciting day for Thanda’s young Lions and for our guests!

2014-07-10

Fine Dining – Rough Dining!

Tonight the guests at Thanda’s Villa iZulu had just finished a delicious dinner and we were still sitting around the dinner table when a high screeching sound cut into the conversation. After a few seconds of stunned silence we rushed outside onto the observation deck to see what happened.

At the small waterhole in front of Villa iZulu a pack of Hyenas had just killed an Nyala antelope bull. Illuminated by a floodlight more than ten of these strong carnivores where fighting over the kill and started having their rough dinner!

We all agreed that this was certainly one of the most fascinating and memorable dinner of our lives!

The picture shows a few of the Hyenas on the kill in front of the illuminated Villa iZulu.

2014-07-08

No words required!

This picture says it all – protect the world’s Rhinos – before it is too late!

2014-07-05

One of those days!

It was a windy winter’s day with a lot of the animals hiding in the thick bush. We drove and tracked for over two hours before we found the breeding herd of Elephants. They also had decided to feed in a very dense area and we only caught occasional glimpses. When we were about to leave the sighting, to find a nice location for our drinks stop at sunset, a dozen Elephants crossed the road right in front of us. What a sighting!

It was one of those days, which needed patience for a long time and which ended with a big reward for not giving up!

The picture above shows one of the youngsters waving his trunk before it disappeared after his mum into the bush. The picture below shows the group walking past the vehicle.

2014-07-04

Winter Colors!

Flowering Mountain Aloes on the rolling hills of Zululand are a beautiful sign for the winter time. As all the brown tones replace the vivid greens of summer these stunning plants provide color to the dry season landscape. Looking over one of the many Thanda valleys with Mountain Aloes – while enjoying a hot chocolate at sunrise or a gin&tonic at sunset – is one of the lasting memories for many of our guests.

About …
Aloe marlothii (Mountain Aloes) are large, single-stemmed Southern African aloes of rocky places and open flat country. In full flower they present a magnificent spectacle. The flower colour ranges from yellow through orange to bright red. Flowering takes place through the winter months, as is the case with most aloes.

2014-07-03