Thanda

South Africa 2010

August 31st to September 27th

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.

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

Let me know any problems as I have not double checked this page. There may be inaccuracies in descriptions, if so please let me know. robburton@hotmail.co.uk or rob@robs-journeys.co.uk

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

Michelle and Leisa identify a Rhino A night drive. Cutting up a Warthog for use in Rhino capture Cheetah capture to remove collar a trap to enable the collaring of an Hyena

Telemetry- Rob Leisa Rob

Captures

Tagging a White Rhino

After the darting. Drilling a hole for the transponder - an aid against poaching.

Tagging the ear to aid identification Simon helping to collect a sample!

Removing a collar from Cheetah

The tracking starts. Getting closer. Phil still with his collar.

Rusty follows. Phil darted but not down. Rusty very confused.

Removing the collar. Sedated. Recovering.

Forgot to wash after lunch! usty trying to find out what is wrong. Up but not on the move yet.

Rusty still confused. Surely you can get moving after two hours.

Still need a rest.

Wild Life seen

These are just a few of the hundreds of photos taken of the animals of the reserve. A more accurate and scientific record may be found by following the links given.

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.htm)

Southern Giraffe

Spotted Hyena

Malcolm

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Vervet Monkey

Warthog

White Rhino

Wild Dog

Total 29

Birds (listed from the Thanda Bird List)

Babbler, Arrow-marked Turdoides jardineii

Barbet, Acacia Pied (Pied Barbet) Tricholaema leucomelas

Barbet, Black-Collared Lybius torquatus

Barbet, Crested Trachyphonus vaillantii

Red-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus pusillus

Batis, Chinspot Batis molitor

Bee-eater, Little Merops pusillus

Boubou, Southern Laniarius ferrugineus

Brubru Nilaus afer

Bulbul, Dark-capped (Black-eyed Bulbul) Pycnonotus tricolor

Bulbul, Sombre Greenbul (Sombre Bulbul) Andropadus importunus

Bunting, Golden-breasted Emberiza flaviventris

Bustard, Black-Bellied (Black-Bellied Korhaan) Lissotis melanogaster

Buzzard, Lizard Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Canary, Brimstone (Bully Canary) Crithagra sulphurata

Canary, Yellow-fronted (Yellow-eyed Canary) Crithagra mozambica

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

Coucal, Burchell's Centropus burchellii

Crombec, Long-billed Sylvietta rufescens
Crow, Pied Corvus albus

Dove, Cape Turtle-dove Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola

Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove (GS Dove) Turtur chalcospilos

Dove, Red-eyed Streptopelia semitorquata

Drongo, Fork-tailed Dicrurus adsimilis

Drongo, Square-tailed Dicrurus ludwigii
Eagle, Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus

Eagle, Martial Polemaetus bellicosus
Eagle, Wahlberg's Hieraaetus wahlbergi

Egret, Cattle        Bubulcus ibis
Firefinch, African (Blue-billed firefinch)        Lagonosticta senegala

Firefinch, Jamieson's Lagonosticta rhodopareia

Fiscal, Common (Fiscal Shrike) Lanius collaris

Flycatcher, African Paradise Terpsiphone viridis

Flycatcher, Fiscal          Sigelus silens
Flycatcher, Southern Black (Black Flycatcher)      Melaenornis pammelaina
Francolin, Crested                       Dendroperdix sephaena

Goose, Egyptian Alopochen aegyptiaca

Goshawk, Little Banded Goshawk or Shikra Accipiter badius
Guineafowl, Crested Guttera pucherani

Guineafowl, Helmeted Numida meleagris

Gymnogene or African Harrier-hawk Polyboroides typus

Hoopoe, African Upupa africana

Hornbill, Southern Yellow Billed Tockus leucomelas

Ibis, Hadeda Bostrychia hagedash

Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris

Kite, Yellow-billed Milvus aegyptius

Lapwing, Crowned (Crowned Plover) Vanellus coronatus

Lark, Flappet Mirafra rufocinnamomea
Longclaw, Yellow-throated Longclaw Macronyx croceus

Lourie, Purple-crested Turaco Tauraco porphyreolophus

Melba Finch or Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba

Mousebird, Red-faced Urocolius indicus

Mousebird, Speckled Colius striatus

Myna, Common (Indian Myna)              Gracula religiosa
Nicator, Eastern (Yellow-spotted Nicator)        Nicator gularis
Nightjar, Fiery-necked         Caprimulgus pectoralis
Owl, Spotted Eagle-owl        Bubo africanus
Oxpecker, Red-billed             Buphagus erythrorhynchus

Pigeon, African Green Treron calvus
Plover, Three-banded Charadrius tricollaris

Quail, Common          Coturnix coturnix
Quelea, Red-billed        Quelea quelea
Robin, White-browed Scrub-robin     Erythropygia leucophrys