We had a very successful birding (bird ringing) weekend at Thanda Safari. I enjoyed taking lots of pictures and I had fun hosting our guests.
These are a few images from the event. James and Lara ringed 145 birds (45 different species).
I am already looking forward to the next birding weekend!
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Heavy breathers 😊 Thanda Safari’s male Lions (coalition) were strolling past the Green Mamba this afternoon, breathing rather heavily. The ultra-wide-angle lens of my new iPhone Pro Max captures the scene very nicely 🦁
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😊 Have a good weekend!
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I thought some of you might be interested in the upcoming wildlife and photography weekend on Thanda Safari.
I will be around all weekend to help with camera setups, answer questions and – if requested – critique pictures.
Lorraine Doyle (Wildlife Manager) and I will give short talks about the supporting role of photography in wildlife conservation.
We will also have a ‘best photo of the weekend’ competition.
And Vincent Hindson, Thanda Safari field guide and expert photographer, will join me to support our photographer-guests.
For more info or bookings please contact reservations@thanda.co.za or call +27325860149.
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A beautiful night view of one of Thanda Safari’s water holes.
With the incredible rains in this season all our dams and pans are full and currently there is water in puddles all over the reserve. Together with the lush vegetation this provides ideal conditions for all fauna to flourish.
This picture was taken last night after the sun had set with my new iPhone 12 Pro Max!
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Beside the five official members of the genus Panthera (Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, Leopard and Snow Leopard) there are five more cat species which do not quite fit into the ‘small cat definition’ as they are rather large and/or have very special features.
I will introduce these over the next few days. Let’s start today with the fastest land animal: The Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
It is the only cat fully adapted for speed instead of power. It cannot roar and misses other big car traits. It is therefore classified in its own genus. I took this Cheetah portrait a few years ago at Thanda Safari.
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The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’. Cat species number 4: The Leopard (p.pardus).
They occur in Africa and Asia and are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because Leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of their range.
Picture taken in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve.
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The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’. Cat species number 3: The Jaguar (p.onca).
It is the only large cat native to the Americas. While the Jaguar closely resembles the Leopard, it is generally more robust, with stockier limbs and a squarer head.
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The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’.
This is one of my favorite portraits of large cat species number 2, the Lion (p.leo). There are only two subspecies, African and Asiatic Lions and they are the only gregarious cat species living in family groups.
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The five members of the genus Panthera are also called the ‘big cats’. The next few posts will feature my favorite portraits of each species.
Today I start with the largest living cats on earth: Tigers (P.tigris). Six subspecies (Bengal- , Sumatran-, Amur-, Indio-chinese-, Bengal-, South China- Tigers) still exist in the wild and all of them occur ‘naturally’ only in Asia even if some of these magnificent creatures have also been released in some game reserves in South Africa.
I took the portrait of this Bengal Tiger in 2012 at the Nashville Zoo, Tennessee, USA.
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