wildlife – Page 134 – 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 🙂

2014-07-10

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!

2014-07-03

Lion Family Life – A short video :-)

2014-07-032014-07-03

Lion Family Life!

During this morning’s drive we spotted a Lioness with her small cubs along the road. She was leading us directly to a Wildebeest kill. The Lions had taken down the antelope only a few minutes before we arrived.

We observed the two Lionesses and their six cubs (three cubs approx 1.5 month old and three cubs approx 2.5 month old) while they had their relaxed meal. The little ones were eating and playing at the same time.

The cubs’ dad, Thanda’s dominant male, had obviously eaten before. He had a full belly and just watched his family having their feast. After a while he joined them without feeding, just to play with the kids 🙂

Warren Beets – Thanda’s Reserve Manager – was with me on the vehicle and as he had the better view from his position he operated the camera from time to time – Great job!

Lion Family Life – Enjoy the pictures!

Mum and her three cubs

An anxious look

The signs of a good meal

Resting on the kill

It is all mine 🙂

Cubs (2.5 month old and 1.5 month old)

Dad watching the scene

A bloody affair

2014-06-30

Should we move?

It is a very thrilling experience for many guests when a breeding herd of Elephants walks towards the vehicle.

And as a guide one sometimes hears a timid voice from the back asking “Should we move now?”

And the answer is …

… it depends. Thanda’s experienced guides and trackers know when to move and when to stay. In this case there was plenty space for the Elephants and all of them were very relaxed as they moved past the vehicle. So the guests were able to enjoy a close encounter with these gentle giants.

2014-06-182014-06-18

Three friends …

With the help of three of my best friends in Nashville – Irene, Heather and Rick – I got some incredible images at the Nashville Zoo.

Collage 1 and 2 – Rick Schwartz, President of the Nashville Zoo, and I during a recent snake photo shoot. The model was Rick’s favorite snake, a Boelen’s Python (see also yesterday’s blog message at http://wp.me/p1rzfb-17X).

The images in the third collage were taken during a back stage tour with Heather Robertson, Senior Veterinarian at the Nashville Zoo.

Irene Archambault, my host during my stay in Nashville, took the pictures in the first two collages. Heather and Rick took the picture in the third collage. So for once I am in all the pictures 🙂

Thanks for a great stay to all my good friends in Nashville!
Collage 1Collage 2

Collage 3