This Leopard Tortoise was moving fast down the road – into the new year 🙂
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.
2014 Collage
A relaxing day!
For some people a relaxing day means sitting comfortably at home and reading a book or watching a movie. For some it means to go window-shopping at a large mall. Others would like nothing better than to go to a pub or working out at a gym.
Well, my idea of a relaxing day is to pack a cooler box with drinks and food, fetch all my camera equipment, my binoculars and my bird book (=iPad) and install myself at a hide on a waterhole at a game reserve.
That is what I did on Christmas day.
While listening to a good audio book I took images of many different animals coming to the water. For most of the day 11! Rhinos kept me company. While other nature enthusiasts where coming and going I stayed for the whole day at the hide.
And these are sixteen of the pictures I took during this most relaxing day!
Eleven | White Rhinos having a “cool” day a the waterhole
Danger | A Wildebeest calf getting kicked by Zebras as it mingled with the wrong crowd
Bathing | Pygmy Kingfisher having a bath
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
Afternoon Guests
This week, when sitting in my office, I had two repeat guests at Thanda house. On various occasions the breeding herd of Elephants came to drink at the waterhole and Thulani, one of our two large and old Elephants bulls, made his way from the water along the the fence around our garden. And a pair of Striped Kingfishers made their home in our garden. Both birds get very excited about their reflection in my office windows and they knock at them regularly. These good looking little birds are very territorial and obviously not too bright 🙂
The Horse Photographer :-)
I love Wildlife Photography but I also enjoy taking pictures of horses in action (with riders or without).
The picture above is of …
… me and Kara, a pure Arabian mare, looking at one another after a photo shoot.
… Isabella Stepski – Pakamisa’s owner – holding Kara.
… Mark – a Pakamisa guest – on Zulu (a Boerperd) smiling at the unusual scene with me posing in front of the camera :-).
Thanks to Daan for taking the picture!
Below are a few more images from my last stay at Pakamisa. Enjoy the variety!
Tina on El Dorado “speeding”
Two geldings on the way to dinner
Excitement at the stables
A Wildebeest with war paint 🙂
New arrivals – Impala fawns appearing all over the place
Another picture of me on Badger – having a good time!
Sunset at Pakamisa
Little Bee-Eater
… and one for all the birders. A Little Bee-Eater today on Pakamisa
