On Safari....Beasts, Birds and other Beautiful Sights: Part 2 - The Birds

Part 2 - The Birds!

Our Safari was a bird-watchers dream!

Botswana is known for extensive bird life and although weren't specifically focusing on birds, we marked off almost 40 different new birds in our 'bird book' in just a couple of days

From large beauties to tiny beauties we were awed again and again at God's artistic handiwork in birds.

We didn't manage to get photographs of them all but here is a sample of what we did manage….

Red-winged Starling

- can you see the thin red stripes on his under-side

Southern Red-billed Hornbill

Blacksmith Lapwing

- these little guys were a-plenty but somehow quite difficult to get a clear photo

Pied Kingfisher

Kori Bustard

- strutting his way through the grass

Water Thick-knee 

(they remind me of two little wiry old men with hunchbacks!)

Malachite Kingfisher - a rare but most beautiful sight!

African Fish Eagle - the 'king of the beasts' of the Botswana bird world

A male and female pair of Fish Eagles - they mate for life and when one dies the other tends to grieve so much they die soon after

Egyptian Goose

Great Egret - epitome of elegance!

Brown Snake Eagle and Southern White Crowned Shrike sharing the perches on an old dead tree

Grey Heron

Southern Carmine Bee-Eater - we came across a huge dead tree with a flock of hundreds filling the branches

Yellow-billed Oxpecker - doing his good 'de-bugging' work on a giraffe

Red-billed Spurfowl

Village Indigobird

Although at Sowa Pan there were no Pelicans or Flamingoes to be seen due to the high water level since the rains were late, we did see spoonbills and a few other interesting birds.

Rufus naped Lark

Crowned lapwing at Sowa Pan

Pied Crow

- the last bird we photographed just outside our chalet at Nata Lodge.

On Safari....Beasts, Birds and and other Beautiful Sights: Part 1 - The Beasts

Having family visit us is always a good motivation to go on Safari.

We recently headed north to the Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans - an area about the size of Portugal which floods in the wet season to create a massive inland sea.  We had a feast of sights from God's awesome Creation.  The next few posts will share some of those with you….if it wets your appetite….why not come and see them for yourself?…….the photos are great but the reality is even better!

Part 1 - The Beasts!

Not only did we see the warning sign that Elephants could cross the road, we did have to stop on the highway while the Elephant below crossed in front of us and then continued on by the bush alongside of the car.

Chobe National Park is home to what is said to be the highest concentration and largest Elephant populations on the African continent.  We enjoyed watching Elephants big and small, young and old in all kinds of situations…..by the river and in the bush. At one stage we found ourselves driving (carefully) through the middle of a herd of at least 30 Elephants!

The Giraffe were also prolific and to be surrounded by 14 Giraffe was amazing!  

Though large, they are also gentle giants who have an ability to be able to hide in the trees very effectively if they want to.

We sat and watched these two males necking in their battle for dominance.

We were also thrilled to have a few situations of more than one kind of beast at a time in view - above is a Buffalo to the left, Warthog in the centre and a Giraffe bending down to eat at the right.

Below - can you spot both the Elephants as well as the couple of Impala buck in the foreground?

It was a time of seeing herds - not only elephants and giraffe but also of buffalo as they crossed to marshy areas of the river - there is a reason they are called 'water buffalo'!

Then there were these (below) 'rocks' in the river……a pod of hippopotami bobbing up and down in the water!

Also lurking in the water were other mostly submerged creatures…….

…..who didn't always stay in the water.

- it was good to be watching him from the safety of the boat!

And yes we did see a few zebra - but it was only a brief rear view!

We were also able to see Kudu, Wildebeest, and some others we didn't get photos of.

And then toward the end of our safari drive through the Chobe bush we came across a bundle of frolicking baby baboons!