This is a short YouTube video about a recent snake release. This Mozambique Spitting Cobra mistook the lens of my GoPro for an eye and spat directly onto it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD7R_weiP8I
Flying Venom Video
What do you do all day?
Recently one of my US friends asked me what am I doing all day?
So I thought I describe one of my days on Thanda Private Game Reserve; with a bit of text and some images! This is quite a busy one, but not unusually so!
6:45 Wake-up
Allowed to sleep in today as I am not driving guests this morning. Slept 2.5 hours more than on driving days 🙂 The weather is hot and dry at Thanda House!
7:23 The Call
Before I even get a chance to take a morning shower I get a text message that there is a spitting cobra near the entrance to Thanda’s base camp office. Lets move!
7:45 Catch and Release
Catch the snake and release it again at one of Thanda’s waterholes. It spits venom at my GoPro camera 😦
(Watch out for another blog about this snake release!)
8:45 Exercising with Elephants
Back at my office walking on the treadmill for an hour; while watching Elephants having a morning bath at the nearby waterhole.
9:45 Delayed Morning Routine
Watching Giraffes during a short breakfast of yogurt and fruit, mango&mandarin juice. A bit later than usual = snake delay!
10:00 Social Media
Preparing a Thanda blog message, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ posts. Schedule them to be released tomorrow between 14:00 and 16:30 (2:00pm – 4:30pm for my friends across the sea :-))
10:20 Backup
Looking at my email inbox. Nothing urgent! Starting weekly backup procedures on all my PCs before heading out again.
10:30 Drive
Have to take a short drive across the reserve to the Thanda Tented Camp to give a Rhino lecture. Dealing with local traffic (Warthogs and Zebras).
11:00 All about Rhinos
Talking to a group of guests about the threat to the world’s Rhino population. They are quite interested and ask a lot of good questions.
12:00 Photography Lesson
Teaching “Motion Photography” in the Tented Camp dining area (too hot outside). Great response from the 90 minute session!
14:00 Lunch
Back at Thanda house having lunch. A rocket and watercress salad with olive oil, balsamico (a nice old one!) and some parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes and a freshly baked ciabatta roll. A bit of fresh fruit for desert. Grape juice and mineral water to drink. Listening to a “Lord Peter Wimsey” audio book by Dorothy L. Sayers – Enjoy that very much!
15:00 A Contradiction in Terms!
Email and rest time, they do not really go together. Lots of emails to answer and no rest!
15:45 Prepare the Game Viewer
Meeting Bheki (my tracker) at base camp to drive to the Thanda Safari Lodge to pick up a family for a Bush Safari Session (this is a photography lesson in the bush, hands-on!)
16:30 Into the Bush, again!
Great sightings on this photography drive. Relaxed Black Rhinos and Cheetahs at sunset.
18:20 Drinks at Sundown
Having fun during our sundown drinks stop. Explain to the young guests some more photo stuff.
18:45 Good bye
Say good-bye to the guests at the Thanda Safari Lodge just after sunset and then head back home. Having a quick dinner of soup (Butternut) and salad (garden greens with tomatoes and carrots) with another ciabatta roll. A Coke Zero on ice with lots of lemon juice 🙂 – my reward for a busy day.
20:00 Back to the office
For a bit of image editing work on the PC while listing to some music (today it is Gilbert & Sullivan). That editing job is never done = current backlog ~2,000 images!
20:02 Power out
Have to switch to my small generator. Due to “load shedding” there is no electrical power for 2-3 hours. That happens on most days. South Africa has huge power problems!
22:23 Power back and good night!
Power is back, air conditioners are working again and I am off to bed to regain energy for another …
Good day in Africa!
Selfie in my office at the end of the day 🙂
Christian Sperka | Resident Wildlife Photographer and Specialist Photography Guide | Thanda Private Game Reserve
Early Dinner!
This small Hippo started its dinner early. It began eating reeds even before nightfall, when it would be climbing with its family out of the water for a night of grazing!
Yesterday and today I took two cruises on the St.Lucia Estuary, taking mainly bird images (watch out for future posts!) and quite a few interesting hippo shots.
Light!
Sometimes the light and not the subject makes for an amazing photography. I like this Cape Buffalo on then move!
Simply beautiful!
No words needed – simply beautiful!
Two boys on the move!
These two male Cheetah were having a good look at the approaching Lions and then moved away very swiftly 🙂
The last captures in 2014!
In the last two days I captured and released two more snakes on the reserve. First a Mozambique Spitting Cobra was spotted around Thanda house. I capture the young snake and released it near one of Thanda’s waterholes, far away from Thanda house. The goggles I wear in the picture are just a precaution, in case the Cobra should choose to spit in its defense. This youngster only spat at my snake stick during the capture. The collage shows the release of the snake.
This image shows my snake handling gear and my snake barrel. In this picture the Cobra was inside the barrel, ready for the drive to its new home.
The second release and capture was of a young Puff Adder. It had hidden under a staff vehicle in the parking lot of Thanda’s base camp. For its own safety and the safety of the many people walking around that area we decided to catch the snake and release her in a safe distance away from the camp. This first collage shows the capture operation…
… the second collages shows the release of this shy reptile.
The images were taken by Magdel Geldenhuys, Letishia Kleinschmidt (thanks!) and my GoPro.
Morning drinks!
Thanda’s North Pride of Lions having a drink at a waterhole last Sunday morning. One of my favorite images of 2014!
Buzzing!
This Red-billed Oxpecker – while sitting on a Cape Buffalo – was indulging himself on ticks with hundreds of Flies buzzing around its head. I like this image, which I shot this morning on my way back from the Thanda Tented Camp to Thanda House.
Rosettes, Horns and a Gorgeous Bird!
Two amazing days at Thanda! Even our most frequent safari guests were very impressed when we had Leopard and Black Rhino sightings two days in a row.
After last night’s exciting encounters with a young Leopard and three relaxed Black Rhinos (a bit of a contradiction in terms :-)), we spotted a big Leopard male early this morning and then found a quite nervous Black Rhino bull (being nervous is more standard Black Rhino behavior).
But the most exciting sighting for our guests was a Gorgeous Bush Shrike. This very colorful bird is often heard, but seldom seen (especially in good photographic condition). So after six years in which our guests were tracking this species in many different places around South Africa, yesterday Bheki and I were able to show them this beautiful creature (and we even got some decent pictures).
PS: I should mention that during their two-nights stay our guests also saw Lions, Elephants, White Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Cheetah, Black-Backed Jackal, Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu, Nyala, Impala, Wildebeest, Warthog and many different bird species.
Young Male Leopard
Nervous Black Rhino Bull
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 