Thanda Afrika Safaris

29/11/2022

21/10/2021

Tears of the Msasa...! Two Msasa trees grew on either side of the Bulawayo - Victoria Falls Rd (approx 234km peg from Vic Falls to Byo). These beautiful trees had their canopies touching each other & were "believed to be the only such 'wild' trees whose branches touch each other over a major highway in Zimbabwe." (Verify) They were never an obstacle to traffic (including heavy 'abnormal load' trucks. Even the massive boat that was destined for Namibia 'sailed' through with ease). However those branches that touched above the road have since been chopped off. The Msasa or Zebrawood - (Brachystegia Spiciformis) is the first tree to turn green in early September each year! (Followed closely by the Pod Mahogany - Afzelia Quanzensis) Their beauty makes driving on the Bulawayo - Vic Falls road a joy.... if you love the "outdoors" as you see them dotted here & there among the 'grey' trees that still haven't 'figured out' that the rains are about to come!

Thanda Afrika - Love Afrika www.thandaafricasafaris.com

06/10/2021

25/07/2021

Tiny fishing birds displaying their beauty. Both are found in major water bodies, the image of the Half-collared Kingfisher was shot on the Zambezi River while the Malachite Kingfisher was shot in Botswana's Okavango Delta. The Malachite is more timid than the Half Collared beauty presenting a photographic nightmare, easily taking to flight with amazing rapid wing beats when approached. It's so tiny, you may easily miss it's next perch especially on reeds or papyrus grass - Keep Well & Stay Safe!

12/05/2020

(Loxodonta Africana) have horns; today I correct that! They have tusks which are modified incisors that keep growing outward and forward. Elephants can be right or left tusked; the one worn out more is the predominantly used one. “Loxo” means bow “donta” means “toothed”. Doesn’t “donta” sound like “dental, dentist”? Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) & hippos (Hippopotamus amphibious) have tusks too. In elephants, they are used to rind off the tree bark, digging, fighting. Elephants chew using rasps like molars used for grinding bark & twigs, which explains why dung is fibrous after eating twigs & bark. They have six sets of molars each set lasting between 10 -12years. With that, you can calculate the average lifespan of the jumbo beast, if he doesn’t die of disease or killed somehow. Once the sets are all used up they feed on soft grass found only in the marshes, however that reduces nutritious intake from twigs, bark or leaves. In warthog that’s mainly for defence & in hippo it’s to chase off other males in territorial fights. “Impondo zendlovu” & “Nyanga yenzou” both local phrases suggest that elephants have horns – Nope, look carefully, these “horns” protrude from the mouth! Visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

21/04/2020

Flying things around home.......! The Foxxy Charaxes (Jasius Saturnus) would not allow me to take a shot of his upper wings where his colours are more defined and brighter because he preferred to perch high on the branches. He still looked beautiful under wing, I think his under wing markings are more beautiful than the upper wing markings! The Veined Swallowtail (Papilio leonidas)(Last image)kept dive bombing him off his perch but would still come back and perch there for a while before being disturbed again. To get shots of butterflies you need to be where they come, if you approach them when they are already there, they take off. Stay At Home & Be Safe! www.thandaafricasafaris.com, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

21/04/2020

I thought we be different today.......! I spent close to an hour chasing butterflies. It’s a nightmare, the sun, the heat and stinging ‘things’ in the grass. I had a field day with the Veined Swallowtail (Papilio leonidas) and the Foxxy Charaxes (Jasius Saturnus) On the last image. The fight for territory was fun. The Swallowtail never wanted to see the Foxxy guy who kept coming back to the same spot. The Swallowtail also would come so very close to me with wings open & caught me with the wrong lens. He also had territorial ‘issues’ with other butterflies of the same family as his, the Papilionidae. I learnt to be still to be able to capture these shots. These are slow flying butterflies though getting them with wings open was virtually impossible. Stay At Home & Be Safe! www.thandaafricasafaris.com, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

09/04/2020

A newly hatched Croc catches the midday sun light on the dead stems the papyrus grass (Cyperus papyrus). His s*x is determined by the temperature during incubation - if the temp° is between 26° & 30° it’s a ‘girl’ & a temp° range of 31° & 36° is for ‘boys’ …. Who says girls are hot? Unlike humans, crocs are born with teeth – razor sharp. They have 66 teeth … I personally counted them, or maybe I didn’t! So you happen to be a little older than all your teeth! Crocs are well adapted to living in water as evidenced by the way the head is designed, nose, eyes and ears can remain above the surface (image2) while the rest of the body is submerged …… Image 3 shows a croc walking with its body raised, quite a number of theories why it does that am sure my friends in the same field will add their input to this effect, otherwise my knowledge is limited here though I once heard that it does this when the ground is hot among other reasons, I cannot confirm…….Enough of the Croc so that this page does not become monotonous, will bring(crocs) again months from now, next we will look at the Giraffe so that we have a glimpse of how it is up there even if we are home……. So Just Stay At Home & Be Safe! - www.thandaafricasafaris.com, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

06/04/2020

This is my territory……! I took these images of this Flat Dog a month apart, this is the same croc and on the same log. (Image A shot in Aug ’19 and image B & C in Sept ‘19) When the captain slowed down the boat I exclaimed ‘…anyone smell a crocodile?’ they fell for it & am not apologising! This guy is ectothermic meaning he relies on the sun for warming up his cold-blooded body and he has to bask in the sun for hour on end to absorb as much heat as possible that is why he has a definite spot to come & get heated up. The lower the body temperature slows his digestion explaining why these pre-historic creatures can stay for long periods without a meal. They can spend up to an hour under water, to achieve this, they lower their heartbeat, this process is called ‘Bradycardia’ meaning an abnormally slow heart action, this way oxygen is then concentrated on vital organs like the brain, heart and lungs. Crocs have a valve at the back of the throat and their nose seal up as they submerge…. Next we will be discussing breeding and predators of eggs and young ones – stay home and tuned! Questions welcome! Crocs found in many major rivers and ponds – The Zambezi, The Okavango or Chobe National Park and more……. You name the place we take you there! For more of our packaged tours in southern Afrika’ visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

05/04/2020

Photography within the confining perimeters……. I took this shot on day 1 of the forbidding lockdown. This small beetle is a Lunate Ladybird, (Cheilomenes Lunata, so very common in most gardens and well treed woodlands, preying on aphids (plant lice), so don’t kill ‘em, they are a biological control of the sap sucking aphids, the guys that you find on most vegetable leaves & can weaken and damage the plant on which they feed on – so do away with pesticides, the ladybug comes in handy, however some species are a pest, for example the Asian invasive Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) recently discovered in the Western Cape displaces the native ladybird species while its kind multiplies rapidly. So identification is key, these guys are almost similar in their markings!

13/03/2020

Poison Critter ....... this guy is called a Blister Beetle (Family Meloidae), he carries within him a dose of Cantharidin Acid, a poisonous substance affecting kidneys of herbivores once eaten by mistake as they munch the leaves or grasses. Has a blistering effect on humans if secretion gets in contact with skin. However on the romantic side, cantharidin is said to have been used as an aphrodisiac in Spain - don't ask me to explain further, I am not a Spaniard - all I think is, it was toxic love! The yellow & black markings tell it all - keep away - there are so many variations (about 7500 species across the globe) of these guys, some are red & black others iridescent dark blue or completely black - most of them secrete the acidic Cantharidin as a defensive mechanism to would be predators - just keep away!

15/08/2019

Let’s Play Darts! – The African Darter (Anhinga Melanogaster) I previously mentioned that the Darter is believed to ‘spear or dart’ fish. I would like to confirm that indeed the Anhinga does ‘spear or dart’ fish as a squeaker is seen impaled on the upper mandible of the bird, I took this shot on the Chobe on the 13 of August ‘19 on a sunset game cruise! – Thanda Afrika Safaris conducts Birding Tours in the Chobe Basin, Okavango Delta, Zambezi Valley, Eastern Highlands and Vumba Mountains and many more birding spots around southern Afrika visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com - there is no place of interest we do not know in southern Africa, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika! Keep up with us on this page, more educational, interesting wildlife facts coming as we document what we witness and capture in the wild.

08/08/2019

Let’s Play Darts! – The African Darter (Anhinga Melanogaster) is also known as the ‘snake bird’ because of the ‘S’ shaped long thin neck ending in a fairly short pointed bill. Normally the neck & the spear-like bill remain above the water surface when the whole body is submerged giving us the appearance of a snake. The darter spends most of its day time in water catching fish, its feathers are not as waterproof as those of geese, therefore after every few fishing errands, it comes to dry on a perch with wings open. They roost communally on selected trees on river banks. The darter as the name suggests, is believed to ‘spear or dart’ fish. – Thanda Afrika Safaris conduct Birding Tours in the Okavango Delta, Zambezi Valley, Eastern Highlands and Vumba Mountains and many more birding spots around southern Afrika visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com see more amazing bird shots on our page Thanda Afrika Safaris - there is no place of interest we do not know in southern Africa, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

03/08/2019

One – Two – Three! Let’s All Sing! In fact this multi-coloured beauty has a very harsh squawky voice mostly heard during aerial display of his colourful plumage for the ‘girls’ to see. The Lilac Breasted Roller (Coracias Caudata) has 7 colours depending on how you count, (I put 3 images for you to try counting). Once thought to be Botswana’s National Bird because of its striking bright blue colour which is on that country’s flag, however it ‘lost on the ballot’ (see my next post) This bird is a small raptor, preying on lizards, frogs, other bird’s eggs and chicks; they do take varied insects that include locusts, crickets, praying mantis and all! They wait patiently perched on log/stone pedestals or anthills waiting for anything ‘edible’ that may come by. They are often seen dive-bombing crows, yellow billed kites as well as other medium-sized raptors (birds of prey) as a way of keeping away from the proximity of their nests yet they too get the same treatment from the Fork-tailed Drongo (umantengwane). Amongst other rollers, the Lilac Breasted Roller is commonest in southern Africa. We will also be discussing the Purple Roller (Eurystomus Glaucurus) – If interested in Birding Tours in some of southern Africa’s prime birding spots and more of our packaged tours in southern Afrika visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com or email us at [email protected] / [email protected] - there is no place of interest we do not know in southern Africa, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika! Kindly like Thanda Afrika Safaris page.

29/07/2019

For the love of salt – this Jumbo almost tilts over while using his tusks to dig for salts in one of the puddles near Kwai Community Wildlife Conservation area in Botswana. Thanda Afrika Safaris takes you on day trips or multi-day tours into Kwai and Moremi Game Reserve. Moremi Game Reserve never disappoints as it is endowed with a good balance of lion prides in relation to its size, leopard, hyena, countless elephants and varied antelopes species roam freely in this wildlife rich reserve not far from the pristine Okavango Delta, The largest inland delta on the planet, whose waters ‘just disappear’ in the Kalahari sands. Moremi birdlife is prolific, there is also a good number of raptors (birds of prey) ranging from kites; the yellow billed to the Bateluer eagle, tawny as well as the majestic Martial Eagle, the piscivorous (fish eating birds) include the fish eagle, osprey and at twilight you may have a glimpse of the Pels Fishing Owl – for more of our tours in southern Afrika visit www.thandaafricasafaris.com there is no place of interest we do not know in southern Africa, Thanda Afrika – Love Afrika!

24/03/2019

http://www.thandaafricasafaris.com/short-botswana-tours/chobe-river-houseboat-experience-2/

07/03/2019

15/10/2017

Avian architecture - the sociable weaver (Philetairus Socius) is a tiny bird a little less than the size of the common house sparrow you know and live with around your homes. This bird’s fittingly named “sociable weaver”. They live in large colonies building out-sized nests which at times are heavy enough to break branches – I can attest to that! Nests have many false entrances to deceive intruders. This bird is found from the Gondwana region (Fish River Canyon) all the way through the Namib Naukluft, Sossusvlei up to Etosha National Park. They are also found in the Kalahari, Botswana - this indicates their preferred seemingly arid habitat. A nest can be up to a hundred years as these birds keep renovating them daily, a trend passed on from generation to generation. ADVISE, never stay long under the nest as they attract the forest cobras which feed on eggs and hatchlings, other raptors (hunting birds) preying on sociable weavers are buzzards and most small raptors that may include falcons and rock kestrels - you can witness this brilliant builder in Namibia on a 21-day Cape to Vic Falls or 12-day Vic Falls to Windhoek tours. You can tailor-make your tour and we travel your way! .......Thanda Afrika – Love Africa Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Phone: 00263 778 735 234 www.thandaafricasafaris.com

05/08/2016

http://www.thandaafricasafaris.com/short-botswana-tours/chobe-river-premium-safari/

04/08/2016

http://www.thandaafricasafaris.com/botswana-long-tours/okavango-delta-victoria-falls-safari-plus/

04/08/2016

http://www.thandaafricasafaris.com/botswana-long-tours/okavango-delta-victoria-falls-safari-plus/

06/07/2016

Flashback-2014! A group of tourists led by Nkossie Masocha (Thanda Afrika Safaris head guide) make their way up to the rock engravings as opposed to paintings in Twyfelfontein, not far from Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain also near the Petrified Forests. All the 3 places can be visited in a day. Wanna visit Matopo, Zimbabwe or Twyfelfontein & Brandberg both in Namibia? Thanda Afrika – Love Africa Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Phone: 00263 778 735 234 www.thandaafricasafaris.com

06/07/2016

Matopo in Namibia? Brandberg is similarly endowed with giant boulders as Matopo National Park in Zimbabwe. The only difference is the colour of granite, the Namibian version is reddish called the Damara Granite. Brandberg is Namibia’s highest mountain. Both places have rock paintings over 2000 in Brandberg The leopard, Rock Dassie, Black Eagle, Black Mamba all are found in both Brandberg and Matopo. Thanda Afrika Safaris conduct trip to Brandberg, Namibia & Matopo National Park in Zimbabwe. Wanna visit Matopo or Brandberg? Thanda Afrika – Love Africa Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Phone: 00263 778 735 234 www.thanda-africasafaris.com

17/05/2016

The Chief’s Ship – Zambia’s chief Mukuni launched his boat on the Zambezi. This has been cruising for a while. While the boat is similar to many others sailing on the Zambezi waters, it is the creativity on this boat that makes it unique, some thatched sections on the upper deck gives you that so much needed relaxed feel, it is the drift and the gentle African breeze all combined to give you maximum fulfillment in your quest to enjoy Africa at the same time escaping the ‘Big city rush’ back home. Thanda Afrika Safaris can arrange cruises on the “The Lion King of Victoria Falls” from the Zambian side (even if your stay is booked on the Zimbabwean side of the world wonder, you can still ‘catch a ride’) Thanda Afrika also arranges birding cruises, breakfast, lunch and dinner cruises. Refreshments and snacks are provided. Other cruises are; the 5 Star Rai-kane, Royal cruises, fishing and boat hire from speed boats to boats carrying up to 150 pax. Here you can have your wedding parties, family or class reunions etc. You name it we have it all set up for you. Thanda Afrika – Love Africa Email: [email protected] Phone: 00263 778 735 234 www.thanda-africasafaris.com

14/05/2016

A rare find, giraffe lying down is not easily come by, (it is always argued if giraffe do lie down – they do!) but this can only be possible with Thanda Afrika Safaris. This was at Chobe National Park in Botswana end of January 2016. A group of giraffes is called a ‘tower’. Photo by Nkossie Masocha.