Month: February 2022 Page 2 of 3

9 Feb – Wonderful Weaver Birds and More

On February 9, 2022

Last night we found leopard tracks leading up to the airstrip. We thought we would go back to that spot this morning and see if we could locate the leopard. We found the tracks and followed them along the road until unfortunately the leopard turned off into the dense grass. The tracker is good but even he found it totally impossible to follow the tracks in the very dense undergrowth. However, we did later find leopard paw prints and followed them along the road, but yet again they eventually disappeared into the bush. There was no further sign of any leopards today.

I am actually very happy to sit and watch the incredible bird life. We stop for a while to watch some little bee-eaters. I absolutely love them!

We also had a very good encounter with elephants and probably spent the best part of an hour watching them graze and interact with each other.

There was a good variety of game around and we even a saw a serval catching a bird although sadly it was much too fast for me to photograph. We also saw vervet monkeys and a mother feeding a tiny little baby, and for once some ostriches posed rather nicely for me.

I spend my time after lunch by the pool. I swim and then sort through photos. On the afternoon game drive there was nothing to be seen at all. No tracks and very few plains animals. It was extremely hot so maybe that was the reason. The airstrip has been closed for a few days for repairs. There’s lots of heavy equipment and it has really churned up the surrounding muddy terrain. This had the effect of creating a new pool which had already attracted some birdlife, including a handsome three-banded plover. The earthwork must have disturbed a large mongoose family too. There were easily 30 or more darting to and for and chasing each other, tails held high. They were distant but so cute and entertaining.

In the absence of many mammals, apart from the ever present hippos, we sat by the lake watching the birdlife. There was a large golden-backed weaverbird colony nesting in the branches of a thorny acacia bush. It was truly amazing. Their noisy calls and chatter filled the air. The birds were so busy: some flying off to collect pieces of grass; some building nests; some displaying proudly to attract a mate to their newly constructed masterpiece. It was fascinating to watch how they built their intricate woven homes. I am just as mesmerised by the small creatures as the safari headline stealers.

There are also a large number of quelea (small finches that breed rapidly when food is abundant). I think this year there will be huge flocks of them. So a great deal of bird activity to keep me happy for the next couple of hours and that’s without mentioning kingfishers, geese, herons, storks, etcetera.

We return to camp for supper. Amy & Douglas (the guests I met at Lebala) have now arrived at Kwara. We have pre-dinner drinks and supper together. It is nice to have some guests around the table at last and some proper dinner table conversation.

8 Feb – Sunset Cruise in the Delta

By Maggie

On February 8, 2022

In Botswana, Kwara Camp, Okavango Delta

It is another early start, with a wake up call at 5 o’clock, breakfast at 5:30 for a 6 o’clock drive. There appears to be less game at Kwara than there was at Lebala but I think that this is probably due to it being a huge area and the game is very dispersed. Also there are not the herds of lechwe, which were always wonderful to watch. Nevertheless we see a good selection of plains animals. We receive a call that five lions have been spotted but are heading into thick bush. When we arrive we can still see three of the lions though the grass is very long. These are older and more battle worn than the young virile males at Lebala.

Soon the lions lay down in the grass and are then impossible to see. We head off and instantly realise we have a puncture. There is no way George is changing the tyre with lions that close in long grass where we can’t watch them. We drive very slowly over the ultra-rough terrain until we’ve put maybe 100 yards between us and the lions. I think it is the fastest tyre change you will ever see on safari!

I thought I had taken lots of good pictures but many of them are disappointing. I think this is partly because George is perhaps not as good as Mayezi at placing the vehicle in the right position for photographs. It really is a skill and makes so much difference to the shots you can take. It should be obligatory for guides to do a short photography course so they understand a few basics of light and composition. I will need to work on his parking technique! I was cross with him earlier. We had a lilac breasted roller in perfect position to capture it taking off. The light was good as well as the backdrop. I had my camera in pro-capture mode and finger over the button. After 10 minutes my arm and finger were getting tired and I asked George to wave his arms in the hope that would make it take flight. He had a better idea and started the engine. Now the camera is good, and I can take pin-sharp hand-held shots if everything else is stationary. The car shook, the bird flew away and no chance of a shot. He apologised but we never had a chance like that again. Grrr!

In the afternoon we go for a river trip along the channels in the Delta. The sun is low in the sky and we are sailing directly into it so it is very hot and difficult to stop the camera over-heating in the sunlight. It is particularly challenging as I have only taken the 12-100 mm lens(24-200mm equiv) with me and the birds are quite distant. I shall be interested to see the results. It is a super quality lens so hopefully I can crop and still have some sharp images.

We see two elephants crossing the channel in front of us and they then walk off into the reeds.

There are water lilies everywhere and the water is crystal clear, very still and calm. I am just enjoying the tranquility, when suddenly hippos surface very close to the boat. This is less than ideal and George revs up the engine and we make a speedy escape. The water is shallow and if a hippo came up under the boat it could easily capsize it. Bit of a reality check and I am now not quite as relaxed as I was!

We continue through the channels and make our way to the heronry. It is currently largely occupied by Various species of storks. Oh my! Those marabous stork babies are ugly!!

We moor by the heronry for my G&T and the view is just breath-taking. A truly beautiful place to watch the sun go down.

We reluctantly pack the drinks away and head back to the vehicle. We are then treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. We think it must be the effect of dust from the Kalahari. Totally surreal!

7 Feb – Kwara Camp and Wild Dogs!!

By Maggie

On February 8, 2022

In Botswana, Kwara Camp, Okavango Delta

I wake early at 4:30. This is my last day at Lebala, I shall have a game drive at 06.00 as usual ending at Lagoon airstrip for my 10.00 flight to Kwara Camp in the Okavango Delta. I therefore need to pack my bags before breakfast. I eat breakfast and say goodbye to the staff and give them their tips. They have been exceptional hosts and have become good friends. A very special thank you to Mayezi and my tracker. You guys were awesome and great company. Your tracking skills were exceptional and you always went the extra mile to make sure I experienced everything Lebala had to offer. Huge thanks too to Kalafi and your in camp team. You were the best hostess, my room was immaculate and the food was truly scrumptious, although far too much of it for my tiny appetite – as well you know!!

I dictated all my diary notes onto my phone so I could cut and paste them into my blog later. Every so often the phone gets the predictive text very wrong. This is the funniest transposition and an absolute classic. Instead of putting “I eat breakfast” my notes said “I had great sex!!” If only…..

The flight to Kwara arrives on time and the next camp is only a 10 minute transfer from the airstrip.

I am warmly greeted by the staff and meet my driver, George and the camp manager, Charles. Charles gives me an orientation and then takes me to my room. The room is amazing and so much better than I expected. This is seriously high end and I don’t know how I booked it at such a great price! Lebala was very comfortable, but this is true luxury. If I’m honest, I think it is OTT for a safari lodge, but I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!

I requested a room near the main area but Charles has given me a room next to the pool as he thought that would be preferable. It’s pretty hot and it’s a flipping long walk to lunch! On the plus side the pool has an excellent bar next to it stocked with everything – spirits, wines, beer, soft drinks, tea, coffee, ice-machine, lemon slices. I mean wow!!

I unpack then stroll to the main area for lunch. The camp is in lush surroundings next to a large lake. Consequently, there is masses of wildlife in camp. I spot baboons, impala, warthogs and numerous birds on my walk. I have a large G&T and tuck into quiche and various salads. Yum! I then chill out by the pool until afternoon tea and my first game drive at Kwara.

The afternoon game drive is incredible. We see lots of plains animals and meet a troop of baboons who let us get close. This was not the case at Lebala where it was difficult to get within 100 yards of them.

This was shortly followed by a beautiful lilac-crested roller and carmine bee-eater who were both sitting in perfect light. Hoorah!!

George asked if I want to look at the elephants. I say I am happy to carry on tracking the lions and leopards. This turns out to be a great decision. Literally a minute later I look ahead and cannot believe my eyes. Incredible – I see a large pack of dogs. I do a double take. I’m scared to say dogs in case I am mistaken. However after a minuscule period of time I realise I am right and say “Dogs! Dogs! Dogs!” The guide and tracker are amazed and congratulate me on my excellent spotting skills. They hadn’t seen them as they were looking down at the tracks on the road. We drive towards them and radio Splash Camp to tell them of our find. The dogs are playing and lazing around but look like they are entering hunting mode.

The two guests staying at Splash Camp arrive shortly and turn out to be the couple that I was on the plane with earlier. The dogs quickly mobilise, initially forming a line of 13 dogs and then grouping and spreading apart spasmodically. The dogs begin to move swiftly and we proceed to track them. They frighten a mother elephant with a young baby. She trumpets wildly, flapping her ears and running into the scrub. It is very exciting.

We set off in pursuit but eventually cannot follow them because the bush is so dense. We will have to circle around the bush and anticipate where they will emerge. We drive very, very fast and it is extremely bumpy and very exhilarating. Grass seed flies up and covers the vehicle and us. If you suffer from hay-fever, this would be a terrible time to visit. With two vehicles in the chase, we stand a slightly better chance of finding them on the far side of the thicket. On numerous occasions we succeed in second-guessing where the dogs will emerge. We succeed in following them for about 40 minutes until eventually they find a dead baby elephant in pretty dense scrub. The smell from the carcass is really gross, but I breathe in through my mouth and watch. This is a very rare sighting: to have not only followed the dogs on a hunt; but to watch them feeding. This is all the more remarkable, as the bush is so lush and thick. Some of the dogs tear into the carcass, but some look pretty well fed and turn their noses up at the rather putrid meal, rather than participate in the feast. We were with the dogs for well over an hour and it really was the most amazing experience. If I see nothing else at my time at Kwara, I will be happy and consider myself incredibly lucky.

The sun is setting so we head off to a pool for sundowners. It was the most amazing sunset.

On our way back to camp we were lucky enough to spot this handsome civet in the long grass. The five course dinner was served by the camp fire. What an awesome start to my stay here!

6 Feb – Quite a Menagerie

By Maggie

On February 7, 2022

In Botswana, Lebala Camp, Linyanti

It was quite windy through the night and it is cool this morning. As the dawn breaks I can see that it is partially cloudy and light is quite flat. I think photography will be a challenge today. We find the three male lions close to where we left them last night. They look sleepy and are just lying by the side of the track without a care in the world. We watch them for a while but it is very clear that they are not moving any time soon so we continue on our drive.

I enjoyed sitting and watching a coran. I call them the suicide bird. They perch on a mound, click their beak faster and faster, then let out a piercing series of high pitched whistles. If you are lucky they then fly straight up in the air, close their wings and do a death roll to the ground , just opening their wings at the very last minute. Sadly I couldn’t capture that but did get the singing.

I never tire of trying to photograph bee-eaters, but they rarely pose with the light in the right direction.

There are lots of zebra around this morning and a few herds of impala. We spot elephant in the distance and there are some lovely groupings of animals down by the water holes including wildebeest with very young calves.

I capture some reasonable in-flight photos of a juvenile fish eagle which was a very long way away

When we stop for coffee we notice a Verreaux’s eagle owl in the tree above us. While I was taking photos I could hear buzzing and realised there was also a beehive in the same tree. It looked as though the bees had just swarmed and this is where they had settled. There was also an unusual sighting of a large monitor lizard in a tree. I had assumed that they only lived on the ground and was very surprised when Mayezi pointed it out to me.

On our way back to camp I also saw a side-striped jackal which I have never seen before.

I’m sitting in my room and looking at the photos I took this morning. I’m disappointed that many are quite grainy due to the poor light conditions. I think on past holidays I would have been quite happy with this morning‘s results but now I know what I can achieve with the new camera lens. This morning’s efforts are not up to par at all. I think I may have taken quite a few bird in flight photographs in tracking mode and I am beginning to feel that this is a mistake. I think I achieve a much better result using back button focus in continuous focus mode. However, I shall continue to experiment and see what I prefer. It’s early days and almost every animal requires different camera settings. I set up lots of custom modes but in the heat of the moment I couldn’t remember what was what! I found it quicker to change settings in the magic grid. So I just need to practice to work out what works best in each situation.

On my final drive at Lebala, I opted to spend some time trying to capture lechwe running and jumping. It is a huge challenge and I think I will need to return and spend solid days trying to get the perfect shot. They are not bad but I know I can do better with time and patience.

…..and of course I had to take a few more bird photos before I left and we had nice sunset drinks by the river.

When I returned to camp there were two new guests – Amy and Douglas. It turns out that they will join me at Kwara Camp in three day’s time. They seemed a nice couple – interesting and chatty. It was quite a treat to have other guests for dinner and not just camp staff (even though they were good company).

5 Feb – Bold Jackal and The Best Night Drive

By Maggie

On February 6, 2022

In Botswana, Lebala Camp, Linyanti

It’s another beautiful morning and we set off early before 6am. Initially there is not much stirring, even the birds seem subdued, but as the sun rises the bush starts to wake up. Birds appear and warthogs strut jauntily through the tall grass, tails held high.

We found tracks of wild dogs chasing an impala and set out to try and find them. In so doing we also found lion tracks. However, the bush was really dense and we have no success. We decide to go back to the impala killed by the branch yesterday. There is absolutely no sign of the impala at all, but there are vultures in the trees overhead and jackals hanging around so something has eaten it.

Then Mayezi & KB get out of the vehicle and try to ascertain what has happened. Initially they thought it might have been a leopard but there were no drag marks. Eventually they find the spoor of two lions and after circling the site pick up the tracks again and find the remains of the impala. Pretty much everything has gone apart from the shin bone, hoof and skull. A young jackal was hanging around and came right up to the vehicle while the guide & tracker were looking at footprints. I got the best shots and he had the whitest teeth!

Just as we drove off we found a kingfisher sitting in the road. It looked injured. Mayezi picked it up and put it on a log. It was very beautiful. On the other side of the road I spotted a cute dwarf mongoose.

In the afternoon we drive over the grasslands. We see wart hogs and stop by a hippo pool try and capture a pied kingfisher in flight. Absolutely no success – it refused to leave its perch.

We see ostriches, kudu and a jackal. A herd of elephants are coming up to drink so we stop and let them pass. We go down to the big pool for sundowners and a huge flock of pratincoles(similar to sandpipers) are sweeping and swarming through the air and loads of other water birds too.

The sky grows very dark with lightning in the distance and we think we’re going to get very wet again but somehow it passes us by. We drive back to camp for a quick change of clothing and dinner before going on a proper night drive.

We then head out on the night drive which is very successful. Almost immediately we see a hyena and then we spot a lioness. We follow her along the track and she enters hunting mode. We stop the vehicle and turn all the lights off so as not to disturb the hunt. We then hear the male lions calling and they eventually join her. There are three of them. This is so outside my comfort zone. Sitting in an open vehicle in the pitch dark, knowing that four lions are in very close proximity certainly heightens your senses! The lioness approaches one of the males and then runs for it. She is seriously unimpressed and he chases after her at break-neck speed. We start up the vehicle and race down the track hoping that we can get ahead of them. We veer off the road and park , once again turning off all lights. We sit and wait and listen. Suddenly – BANG!! The lioness has run smack into the front of our vehicle which is violently jolted. In that split second a lot of thoughts go through your head. Mainly focussed on how pissed off the lioness is going to be and what will be her reaction. The reality was that she was much more concerned about the male lion and picked herself up, glared at us, then ran off into the bush. We continued to track them for the best part of two hours and they finally ended up on the old airstrip. This was very funny because the military were camping there and they were in the open round a small fire. When we told him that the lions were approaching they didn’t initially believe us until they actually saw them. They grabbed their AK47s and took cover very swiftly! The male lions then proceeded to lie down on the runway 20 yards away from them and roar as loudly as possible. They could well be there all night so I guess those guys were going to have a very, very interesting evening. We watched for a while but nothing else was likely to happen and by this stage it was 11 o’clock, so we headed back to camp. We saw 2 springhares and a serval on the way back so all in all a very successful evening. I have some great video of the whole episode which I will be posting eventually.