August 31st to September 27th 2010

This was a conservation trip with Wildlife ACT.  My contribution was based in the Thanda and Tembe Wild Life Reserves.  The monitoring programme in Thanda was focused mainly on African Wild Dog, Rhino, Cheetah and Spotted Hyena.  In Tembe Elephant Park, a Government Managed Reserve, the emphasis is primarily on Lions, Elephant and hopefully in the future on Wild Dogs. 

 

For the original Flikr page please link to Thanda and Tembe Wild Life Reserves

 

 

If you wish to visit the Tembe Elephant Park first please click                             HERE

 

 

 

 

 

Thanda Reserve

Here are some photos which I hope will give some idea of what it is like working as a volunteer on the reserve.  A more detailed record of the birds and animals seen appears at the end.

 

Around Thanda Research Camp

 

 

 

 

Views around the Reserve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Activities

Cutting up a Warthog for

use in a trap to enable the

collaring of an Hyena

Cheetah capture to

remove collar

 

Rob using Telemetry

 

 

 

Captures

 

Tagging a White Rhino

After the darting

 

 

Tagging the ear to aid

identification

 

Drilling a hole for a

transponder as an

aid against poaching.

 

Removing a collar from a Cheetah

Two brothers Phil and Rusty

Tracking

Rusty follows

Phil with his collar

 

Phil darted but not down.

 

 

Removing Phil's collar

 

 

Rusty very confused

 

 

Paws

Note: non retracking claws

 

Phil recovering

 

 

Phil still sedated

 

 

Phil feeling better

 

Still needing a rest

 

 

 

 

Wild Life seen

These are just a few of the hundreds of photos taken of the animals of the reserve. 

Mammals

African Elephant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banded Mongoose

Black-backed Jackal

Blue Wildebeest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burchell's Zebra

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bush Pig

Cheetah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Duiker

Common Waterbuck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greater Kudu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indigenous Mouse

Leopard

Lion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nyala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Nyala

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Porcupine

Red Duiker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serval

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrub Hare

Southern Reedbuck  (photos of a Reedbuck can be seen in Tembe Elephant Park.html)

Southern Giraffe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotted Hyena

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Vervet Monkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warthog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Rhino 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total 29

 

Birds (listed from the Thanda Bird List)


Babbler, Arrow-marked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barbet, Acacia Pied (Pied Barbet)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barbet, Black-Collared

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Barbet, Crested

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird

Batis, Chinspot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bee-eater, Little

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Boubou, Southern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Brubru

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bulbul, Dark-capped (Black-eyed Bulbul)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bulbul, Sombre Greenbul (Sombre Bulbul)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bunting, Golden-breasted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Bustard, Black-Bellied (Black-Bellied Korhaan)

Buzzard, Lizard
Canary, Brimstone (Bully Canary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Canary, Yellow-fronted (Yellow-eyed Canary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Chat, White-browed Robin-chat (Heuglin's Robin)

Coucal, Burchell's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Crombec, Long-billed
Crow, Pied

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dove, Cape Turtle-dove

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dove, Red-eyed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Drongo, Fork-tailed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Drongo, Square-tailed
Eagle, Bateleur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Eagle, Martial
Eagle, Wahlberg's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Egret, Cattle

Firefinch, African (Blue-billed firefinch)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Firefinch, Jamieson's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Fiscal, Common (Fiscal Shrike)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Flycatcher, African Paradise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Flycatcher, Fiscal
Flycatcher, Southern Black (Black Flycatcher)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Francolin, Crested

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goose, Egyptian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goshawk, Little Banded Goshawk or Shikra
Guineafowl, Crested

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guineafowl, Helmeted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Gymnogene or African Harrier-hawk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Hoopoe, African

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Hornbill, Southern Yellow Billed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Ibis, Hadeda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Kite, Yellow-billed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lapwing, Crowned (Crowned Plover)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Lark, Flappet
Longclaw, Yellow-throated Longclaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Lourie, Purple-crested Turaco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Melba Finch or Green-winged Pytilia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Mousebird, Red-faced

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Mousebird, Speckled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Myna, Common (Indian Myna)
Nicator, Eastern (Yellow-spotted Nicator)
Nightjar, Fiery-necked
Owl, Spotted Eagle-owl
Oxpecker, Red-billed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Pigeon, African Green
Plover, Three-banded

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Quail, Common
Quelea, Red-billed
Robin, White-browed Scrub-robin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robin-chat, White-throated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robin, White-starred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shikra
Shrike, Gorgeous Bush-shrike
Sparrow, House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sparrow, Southern Grey-headed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Starling, Cape Glossy (Glossy Starling)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stork, Wolly-necked

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sunbird, Collared

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sunbird, Marico
 
Sunbird, Scarlet-chested

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Sunbird, White-bellied

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Swallow, Lesser Striped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Tchagra, Brown-crowned (Three-streaked)
Thrush, Groundscraper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thrush, Kurrichane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Vulture, White-backed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Vulture, Lappet-faced

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Waxbill, Blue Waxbill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Waxbill, Common

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Weaver, Spectacled
Weaver, Village (Spotted-backed Weaver)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


White-eye, Cape

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whydah, Pin-tailed
Woodhoopoe, Scimitarbill (Common)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Woodpecker, Bearded

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Woodpecker, Cardinal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unidentified

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Total
90


Other Wildlife

Fever Tree

 

Aloe

 

Ipomoea

 

Candelabra Tree

 

Fever Trees

 

 

 

Swallow-tail Butterfly

 

Water Monitor Lizard

 

Skink

 

 

If you wish to visit the Tembe Elephant Park please click                             HERE

© www.robs-journeys.uk