We left the bush camp on 10th for the long drive to Shakawe in Botswana. We hit a huge thunderstorm on the way, which was spectacular. We had booked for the Shakawe River Lodge, but the power was off & we moved to Drotsky's Cabins, where I had stayed previously with Tom on his trip.
Bushbuck were common in the riparian forest.
African Wood Owl
Photo without the flash
The riverside bar.
The view from the riverside bar.
Cheers!
An evening drink &
we saw Bat Hawk!
Sunset over the Okavango River.
we saw Bat Hawk!
Our very nice camp site, right next to the river.
It is a great place to be!
Dawn ,just before our boat trip on the
Okavango River.
Setting out on the Okavango River.
African Fish Eagle
The view from the boat.
Papyrus swamp is mixed with phragmites reeds.
Hippos are common here & potentially dangerous
for a small boat like ours.
White backed Night Heron
Very secretive & hard to see.
Squacco Heron
Immature Black Crake
Long toed Plover
Confined to major rivers & swamps.
Blue cheeked Bee-eater
White fronted Bee-eater
Pied Kingfisher
Brown throated Martin
for a small boat like ours.
Pel's Fishing Owl
Malachite Kingfisher
A terrible photo of a Greater Swamp Warbler
Chirping Cisticola
Quite common in the swamps.
Brown Firefinch
Localised & difficult to see in this habitat.
White browed Coucal
Golden tailed Woodpecker
Brown hooded Kingfisher
Hartlaub's Babbler
Common & noisy resident in the riparian forest strip
along the river.
Crested Barbet
Meeve's Starling
White fronted Bee-eater
Adult & immature
African Golden Weaver
Southern Brown throated Weaver
Best birds:
Crested Francolin; White faced Whistling Duck; African Pygmy Goose; Marabou Stork; White backed Night-heron 3; Black crowned Night Heron; Squacco Heron; Goliath Heron; Bat Hawk; African Marsh Harrier; Black Crake; Allen's Gallinule; Long toed Plover; African Jacana; Meyer's Parrot; Coppery tailed Coucal; White browed Coucal; African Scops Owl; Pel's Fishing Owl; African Wood Owl; Fiery necked Nighjar; Broad billed Roller; White fronted Bee-eater; Blue cheeked Bee-eater; European Bee-eater; Southern Carmine Bee-eater; Golden tailed Woodpecker; Swamp Boubou; Terrestrial Brownbul; Greater Swamp Warbler; Lesser Swamp Warbler; Eurasian Reed Warbler ( I think); Luapula Cisticola; Chirping Cisticola; Hartlaub's Babbler; Meves's Starling; Ashy Flycatcher; Thick billed Weaver; African Golden Weaver; Fan tailed Widowbird; Brown Firefinch; Long tailed Paradise Whydah & African Pied Wagtail: 107 species.
It is big sky country here.
Bateleur
Getting there is an adventure in itself!
All this to protect the water pipes from Elephants!
Impressive!
The campsite was very pleasant.
Northern Black Korhaan
Elephants here are often light grey,
because of the colour of the soil.
Springbok
Bat eared Fox
Black backed Jackal
Burchell's Zebra
Blue Wildebeast
Having a mud bath.
It had a great time
Abdim's Stork drinking.
Egyptian Goose
Crowned Plover
Black winged Pratincole
Up to 60+ on the grasslands.
Gathering before their migration north.
Lappet faced Vulture
This bird was drinking at the waterhole.
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Double banded Sandgrouse
Temminck's Courser
Double banded Courser
African Cuckoo
Lilac breasted Roller
Calling.
European Roller
Southern Carmine Bee-eater
European Bee-eater
Lesser Grey Shrike
Fawn coloured Lark
The commonest lark species in this area.
Rufous naped Lark
This bird was displaying, as well as singing.
Pumping up & down & shuffling its plumage.
Dusky Lark
Erratic in occurrence & semi- nomadic.
Red capped Lark
Buffy Pipit
It is not often that this species stays around
to be photographed.
Chestnut backed Finch-lark
Delana.
Marico Flycatcher
Chat Flycatcher
Pririt Batis, singing.
Shaft tailed Whydah, male.
Female
Leopard Tortoise
Best birds:
Ostrich; Abdim's Stork 45; Secretarybird; White backed Vulture; Lappet faced Vulture; Pallid Harrier 3; Montagu's Harrier; Pale Chanting Goshawk; Steppe Buzzard; Tawny Eagle; Greater Kestrel; Kori Bustard; Northern Black Korhaan; Temminck's Courser 5; Double banded Courser; Black winged Pratincole; Double banded Sandgrouse; Burchell's Sandgrouse; African Cuckoo; Barn Owl; Pearl Spotted Owlet; Purple Roller; Lilac breasted Roller; European Roller; Swallow tailed Bee-eater; Blue cheeked Bee- eater; European Bee-eater; Southern Carmine Bee-eater; Pririt Batis; Crimson breasted Shrike; Southern White crowned Shrike; Red backed Shrike; Lesser Grey Shrike; Rufous naped Lark; Fawn coloured Lark; Sabota Lark; Dusky Lark; Red capped Lark; Chestnut backed Sparrow-lark; Banded Martin; Desert Cisticola; Black chested Prinia; Southern Pied Babbler; Yellow billed Oxpecker; Chat Flycatcher; Marico Flycatcher; Great Sparrow; Red headed Finch; Violet eared Waxbill; Shaft tailed Whydah; Buffy Pipit &Yellow Canary: 85 species.
We then did the long drive to Francistown where we stayed with Ricus, Shileen & family, enjoying a lovely dinner outside.
We then did the long drive to Francistown where we stayed with Ricus, Shileen & family, enjoying a lovely dinner outside.
Ricus, Shileen & family.
We all had a couple of days downtime in Pretoria before Robin & Anne set off alone on the next part of their trip.
It is their day!
Francois & Juantelle
The wedding gang.
Me & Delana with the wedding car,
which was 61 years old!
As a postscript to this post, Dalena & I drove down to Jacobsdal on 22nd March for Francois & Juantelle's wedding the next day. It was a great little couple of days, camping on the banks of the Modder River & the setting for the wedding was very nice indeed.
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