The Borneo Three do Namibia - September 2023

[TonyQ]

What a great trip this is turning out to be. Amazing sightings.

Your photos of the Hyena are amongst the best I have ever seen

[janzin]

I can only say "amazing" as everyone else has! I had no idea Namibia held such variety outside of Etosha--one of the reasons I'd put off going. You might be convincing me

 

The Brown Hyena sighting and video is fantastic.  I've often wondered how all these animals can drink from the muddiest, dirtiest puddles/waterholes! And mating springhares...that's new!

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks all! Yes it was a pretty awesome trip so far! If anyone plans another self drive there and is looking for a plus one do let me know LOL as I'd love to go back. Its a really special place. 

[kittykat23uk]

29.09.23- Day 7 -  Khaudum- Sikereti Camp

 

 

We went out for a drive in the morning, sighting a huge flock of white-backed and a few Lappet-faced vultures. We spent quite a while trying to see if we could find a carcass that might have attracted them all but didn’t locate anything. Jason briefly spied our only side-striped Jackal of the trip but I didn’t get onto it. Overlooking the waterhole we saw several Mosque Swallows flying around, and a steady stream of plains game coming to drink. A Black-backed Jackal was skulking about. At one waterhole a magnificent male Lion was resting up, his mane looking rather windswept. From the viewing platform I heard the distinctive plaintive hoot of the Pearl-spotted Owlet and was  able to locate it peering down at us from the trees. A Kudu looked on nervously at the lion as it approached the waterhole to drink. 

 

White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed Vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed Vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Tawny Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Mosque Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Starlings by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Mosque Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lappet-faced & White-backed Vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black-backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Ostrich by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Ostrich by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

pearl-spotted owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

pearl-spotted owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu And African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu And African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu And African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Skink Species by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

After lunch, we were out again and had a fantastic sighting of my first ever Honey Badger foraging close to the track . We were able to observe him for some time as he foraged around.  He was difficult to get clear photos of as his head was down and the bush was a mix of grassy tussocks and scrub. We lost sight of the badger when it turned and moved away from the road into some bushes. As dusk approached we had an amazing view of a bright orange supermoon as it rose above the bush.

 

Honey Badger by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Honey Badger by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Honey Badger by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Honey Badger by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Supermoon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After dinner Ediwn had arranged for us to deliver a generator for one of the waterholes, in effect allowing us another night drive. The waterholes were starting to get busy as more people arrived to undertake the game count. We spotted another Aardwolf on the way, along with more Springhares and our first Cape Foxes. 

 

Aardwolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Aardwolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Edited April 2 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

30.09.23- Day 8 -  Khaudum- Sikereti Camp to Khaudum camp all day drive

 

Today was a very frustrating day. The plan was to do a full day drive up to the north of the camp, stopping at all the water holes along the way. Unfortunately, loads of people had descended on the park to conduct a game count, and were camping at every waterhole viewing platform (not just in adjoining tents but had taken over and were sleeping on the platforms themselves). They were also cooking on campfires and wandering about which, as you can imagine, deterred a lot of the more shy animals and didn’t really afford us the peaceful wildlife experience that we were hoping for. 

 

Roan Antelope at sunrise by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope at sunrise by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The antelope didn’t seem so concerned and were still coming to the waterholes, with Roan posing at sunrise, Kudu drinking and a nice journey of giraffes in the hazy light made for some nice atmospheric shots. Herds of Zebra and Blue Wildebeest trekked down to take their turn at the waterholes. Black Kites put on a good show at another waterhole as did herds of elephants. As we journeyed further north in the park we started to see more woodland and in these groves of trees we encountered our first Malbrouck Monkeys, which are very similar to vervets.   

 

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burchell's Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burchell's Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-browed Sparrow Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black Kite by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

South African Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

Worryingly we also came across some active bushfires, some were quite intense and close to the sandy roads. It was a bit worrying having to drive through but we were careful and made it through without any issues. Meyers Parrots were also seen in this area. 

 

bush fires by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

bush fires by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

bush fires by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

bush fires by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Meyer's Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

bushfire by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

bushfire by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

After getting settled in at Khaudum Campsite we took an evening drive out. This part of the park is really remote and we did not see anyone else most of the time we were there. We found a den of Spotted Hyenas and enjoyed watching the young ones as they milled about the den. We estimate that there were up to eight in the vicinity of the den and we had several within a few metres of our vehicle.

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We also encountered several African Savannah Hares, which replace Cape Hare here and at our next location as well as Cape Fox and tons more Springhares. At the campsite we had a really nice view of a Large-spotted Genet (unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a photo of the genet) before retiring to bed.  The guys opted to camp out under the stars, I preferred the security of a tent. 

 

African Savannah Hare - Lepus victoria by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Savannah Hare - Lepus victoria by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited April 2 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

01.10.23- Day 9 -  Khaudum camp to Ndhovu

The air was thick with smoke from the raging bushfires and we decided to spend our last few hours revisiting the hyenas at their den. We also spotted a Temminck’s Courser taking advantage of the recently burned ground. The haze made for a stunning sunrise and provided an interesting light on the hyenas and Gemsbok. Around camp at breakfast time there was a Bush Duiker, more Meyers Parrots and Yellow-fronted Canary.  Soon it was time to leave.

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

sunrise on a smoky day by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Temminck's Courser by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Khaudum camp by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Bush Duiker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Bush Duiker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Yellow-fronted Canary by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Meyer's Parrot by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Not the worst road in Khaudum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The drive out of the park was interesting, it is a 46km drive through deep sand! It didn’t help that we took a wrong turn on leaving the park gate, we followed what looked like a track which google maps showed should have connected to the exit road, but after driving round and round in circles trying to find it we were eventually flagged down by a staff member who told us to go back to the gate and follow the fenceline right. We did and were then on the right track. As we drove we noticed that other traffic had clearly made alternative routes that ran parallel to pitted sandy “main track” and these weaved through the adjoining woodland, rejoining and then departing from the main track again. They were generally more passable than the main track, although barely in some cases! It was a gruelling journey and I was very glad our next lodge had a pool!

[Atdahl]

Ho hum....just a honey badger and aardwolf...LOL

 

Wow, what great sightings.  Just like Janet said, Namibia is jetting up my list thanks to your report.

 

Alan

[kittykat23uk]

The honey badger was delightful! It has taken me a long time to finally see one!

[Atravelynn]

Despite getting lost or turned around several times and a flat tyre, you were where you needed to be when the animals appeared.  The fires really affected air quality and visibility.  Nice going on Honey Badger #1!  A hyena den provides such a hubbub of activity.

Edited April 3 by Atravelynn

[Peter Connan]

Fantastic so far!

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks all! And now for something completely different! 

[kittykat23uk]

A watery paradise

 

Our next lodge was Ndhovu lodge on the Caprivi. This was lovely and reminded me more of my time in Botswana on the panhandle. The lodge grounds were lush and green and there was a small pool which I cooled off in. There was a resident Brown Wood Owl roosting in a big tree at the restaurant which overlooks the Okavango river. We were shown our luxury safari tents, which were also situated on the bank of the river to the left of the restaurant. After we got settled in we returned to the restaurant for lunch. I asked Ralf, the owner of the lodge, whether there were any chances of seeing a Pel's Fishing Owl, a species I failed to connect with in Botswana. He advised me that there weren’t any known to be around on this part of the river, but that he would make some enquiries and get back to me. 

 

African Wood-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Smith’s Bush Squirrel - Paraxerus cepapi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Smith’s Bush Squirrel - Paraxerus cepapi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Blue-eared Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Arrow-marked Babbler by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

In the late afternoon we took a boat trip along the river, passing Hippos, Crocodiles, our first Bushbuck, African fish eagles, Collared Pratincole and a range of other waterbirds. The highlight of the trip was seeing the breeding colony of Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. The sight of a colony is something to behold and I had not had the pleasure of such a view since my trip to Botswana in 2009. So I was in heaven! It really made such a lovely change from all the driving that we had been doing the past nine days. A few White-fronted Bee-eaters were mixed in with the carmines adding a different vibe. On the way back we stopped for a Black-crowned Night Heron, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, herds of elephants and flocks of Open-billed Storks. 

 

Blacksmith Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Collared Pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Bushbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Hippos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Long-tailed Cormorant (Reed Cormorant) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black-crowned Night Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malachite Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malachite Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black-crowned Night Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Openbills & Spoonbills by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Dinner is served communally in the restaurant with guests seated across long tables. Each dish is announced as it comes out both in English and in a local tribal language.  It is apparently typical Namibian food. The evening meal time seemed to be quite an event, and they definitely took their time serving the three courses, to the extent that I think I was ready for bed before I’d even had a chance to eat my dessert on the first evening, let alone even contemplating a night drive (along the main road) or walk around the lodge and I soon retired to bed.  

 

Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

02.10.23- Day 10 -  Ndhovu- Bwabwata and Popa Falls 

 

 

We had booked an extended morning guided game drive across the river in the Mahango core area of Bwabwata National Park for around five hours. Here we saw a range of waterbirds, including Yellow-Billed, Open-billed, Marabou and Saddle-billed Storks, Goliath Herons, various egrets, Hammekops, African Jacanas, African Spoonbills,  African Sacred Ibis, Wattled Cranes, and many other birds. 

 

African Openbill Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Green Wood-Hoopoe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Red-Billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malbrouck Monkey by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Yellow-billed storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Warthog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Warthog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Saddle-billed Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Saddle-billed Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Hamerkops by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burchell's Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burchell's Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape Buffalo browsed in the bushes and gathered in big numbers on the plains. We came upon a lioness with blood on her face walking purposefully towards us. Our guide said she would be heading back to her pride to bring them to a kill and I assumed we would follow her, but for some reason we carried on in the direction she’d come from.  We came upon another two lions, a male and a female, but there didn’t seem to be a kill in that immediate area so it would seem this was a courting pair. 

 

Cape buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Sacred Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Spoonbills and African Sacred Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Spoonbills and African Sacred Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Spoonbills and African Sacred Ibis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Long-toed Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spur-winged Goose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Coppery-tailed Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We encountered a herd of naturally occurring Sable, but unfortunately they had mostly moved into cover by the time we got to them. We also occasionally spied a reedbuck or two. On the way back we finally arrived at the Lion pride and managed to persuade our impatient guide to give us a bit more time to enjoy this last-minute sighting. It was well worth it as there were some adorable young cubs lazing around. With it now getting on for lunchtime we did have to call it a morning after that. 

 

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Wattled Cranes & Reedbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Tawny Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-faced Whistling Ducks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-faced Whistling Ducks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-faced Whistling Ducks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Grey Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu & Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed & Lappet-Faced Vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-backed & Lappet-Faced Vultures by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape Buffalos by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Bwabatwa National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape Buffalo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lion pride Bwabatwa National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Bwabatwa National Park by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

Edited April 7 by kittykat23uk

[kittykat23uk]

Over lunch Ralf informed me that we had the option of taking a trip over the border into Botswana to twitch a pair of Pels Fishing Owls that were in the vicinity of Shakawe. The odds were very good that I might see them this time and I jumped at the chance. Jens and Jason were not so keen and so we made a plan for the next day to do an early morning game drive that would allow me to be transferred to the border where I would be collected by the owner of a local lodge and taken to Shakawe and from there to the owls! 

After lunch we opted to drive to Popa Falls to search for Spotted-necked Otter and see if we could organise another boat trip from there. It turned out to be a good move because not only were we able to see three Spotted-necked Otters as they surfed down the falls and hunted along the river, we also managed to take a boat trip where we got to see Rock Pratincoles, Water Thick-knee, and another Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony.  However, there was something extra special about this colony as a single lost Northern Carmine Bee-eater was also hanging around with the Southerns. Initially he proved to be elusive but when we returned to the colony he had seen fit to grace us with an appearance. He stood out well against the others with his deep turquoise head. Also present were Giant Kingfisher, Gabon Boubou,  Long-tailed Cormorant, Wattled Lapwing, African Darter and Little Bee-eater. I don't recall doing a night drive, but dinner once again took a long time. 

 

Popa Falls by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Popa Falls by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Gabon Boubou by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Gabon Boubou by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Long-tailed Cormorant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Giant Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Giant Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Rock Pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Rock Pratincole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Cape Wagtail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Spotted-necked Otter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Water Thick-Knee by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Water Thick-Knee by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Water Thick-Knee by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Water Thick-Knee by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Brown-throated Martin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Southern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Northern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Northern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Northern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Northern Carmine Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

[AndrewB]

Lovely stuff! We saw the Otters while camping at Popa Falls in 2008.

Looking forward to hearing about the Shakawe excursion.

[kittykat23uk]

Thank you 😁! Anyone who is more knowledgeable than me please feel free to correct me on any dubious bird ids as we often didn't have a guide with us for a lot of the trip and I was really the only birder of the trip... The bat also still needs an Id as do some of the reptiles and things.. 

[kittykat23uk]

03.10.23- Day 11 -  Ndhovu- Bwabwata and Shakawe (Botswana)

 

 

We did a morning drive in Bwabwata, this time in the Buffalo core area on the same side of the river as the lodge, seeing much the same as the previous day, including Burchell's Zebra, Tawny and African Fish Eagles, Double-banded Sandgrouse, a single Pink-backed Pelican, Coppery-tailed Coucal, African Jacana, and Nile Monitor. 

 

Magpie Shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Tawny Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pink-backed Pelican by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Burchell's Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Double-banded Sandgrouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Coppery-tailed Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Nile Monitor by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Reedbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Yellow-billed Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Wattled Crane by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Wattled Crane by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

After that our guide saw me across the border and ensured that I met up with Dammann who runs Samochima Bush Camp who took me to his camp in Shakawe (Botswana). On the journey I mentioned that one of our group was really hoping to see a caracal. To my surprise he told me that he recently took a family trip to Tsodilo Hills, which I’d been to on a short half day trip with Explore on my Botswana tour. They did a slow night drive back to Shakawe from there and saw all manner of nocturnal animals including a Caracal. The list of mammals he reeled off was really impressive and I made sure to get his contact details in case I ever returned to the area (given this was our last night here I correctly assumed that we wouldn’t have time to arrange anything for that evening).

  

From the camp I met my guide, “Lucky” and we were soon off down the river to see the owls and other birds. I had been offered two options, option 1 was just to go straight to look for the owls and come back, the other was a more relaxed cruise, stopping for whatever birds we could find and combine that with the owls. I opted for the latter option, preferring to make the most of my time on the panhandle as boat trips are such a nice way to enjoy the birdlife. It wasn’t the best time of day for birding, being the middle of the day but it was the only time I could fit it in. Despite this, it worked out really well.

 

 

African Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Jacana by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Coppery-tailed Coucal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We passed a White-fronted Bee-eater colony and those birds are beautiful. We came across a Pied Kingfisher and then a large flock of Marabou Stork. A lone elephant was feeding in the Papyrus on a little island. An African Fish Eagle took off and gave us a close flypast. 

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Long-tailed Cormorant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Hamerkop by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Darter by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Wire-tailed Swallow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Giant Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

White-fronted Bee-eater by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pied Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Marabou Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Marabou Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Marabou Storks by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Fish Eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

Soon we reached the place for the owls and we moored up the boat. It wasn’t long before Lucky located the pair of Pel's Fishing Owls and what an amazing sight they were! I was overjoyed to see them and they put on a great show. After I’d had my fill of the owls we started to head back, spotting a Goliath Heron. We spent some time around a sandbar to allow me the opportunity to photograph another favourite africa bird of mine, the crazy looking African Skimmer. These birds are always a delight to see and it was hard to tear myself away from them. A few Black-winged Stilts were mixed in amongst them. We picked up a Striated Heron but I failed to get onto the Little Bittern that my guide spotted. It might have been because I had been distracted by a cold Savannah and some tasty biscuits! A beautiful Malachite Kingfisher added a blaze of colour to our return trip. Sadly it was soon time to return to Ndhovu lodge but I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon on the river. 

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Pel's Fishing-owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Goliath Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Blacksmith Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

African Skimmer by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black-winged Stilt by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Striated Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Striated Heron by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Marabou Stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malachite Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Malachite Kingfisher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Long-tailed Cormorant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Back at the lodge I made full use of the pool and watched the birds around the lodge. New ones included both Crested and Black-collared Barbet, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Lesser Honeyguide, and Greater Blue-eared Starlings. The guys were out all afternoon on a game drive, I believe the only new mammal they saw was Topi, which I have seen before. So I wasn’t disappointed to miss that in favour of the owls.  We didn’t do any night drives at this location and spotlighting around the lodge was not very productive.

 

Crested Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Crested Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Crested Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Crested Barbet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Holub's Golden-Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Blue-eared Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Greater Blue-eared Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Lesser Honeyguide by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Black Crake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sunset Ndhovu Lodge by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sunset Ndhovu Lodge by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited April 4 by kittykat23uk

[Treepol]

Really enjoying your report Jo. Love the Carmines and the Pels.

 

Can you tell me who was running the cruise at Popa Falls please?

[Atravelynn]

So worth making the trip to try to find the Pel's Fishing Owl. Such excellent, unobstructed views and shots. The bee eaters along the cliffs are such beautiful shots--both the carmine and white-fronted.  Very graceful flights of the flying fish eagle. The great sightings just don't quit!

[kittykat23uk]

6 hours ago, Treepol said:

Really enjoying your report Jo. Love the Carmines and the Pels.

 

Can you tell me who was running the cruise at Popa Falls please?

 

Thanks! We booked the popa falls cruise on arrival at the falls. I assumed it was the park authority who run it. 

[Zim Girl]

What a really lovely Pel's sighting!

[kittykat23uk]

Yes the Pels were awesome! Definitely one of the Best Owls!