Botswana

Botswana

March 5-27, 2011

Several years ago someone gave me a copy of a book: The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. This series of books takes place in Botswana and the protagonist continually raves about her wonderful country of Botswana. So I read up on Botswana and it did seem like a pretty good country to visit – with wonderful Natural Parks, a government that wasn’t corrupt, nice people, good infrastructure, and wise methods of mining their diamonds. Apparently I’m not the only person who developed an interest in Botswana from these books – everyone on this trip claimed a similar story and during this last year Botswana gave Smith some kind of an award for the coverage he has given the country through his books. So in early 2010 my friend Lennie asked me if I was interested in a Cheeseman trip to Botswana and after some investigation we decided to go. And yes it is a wonderful country and we had an absolutely great trip.

Friday 3/4/11 Lennie’s brother took us to the San Francisco airport. We left about 9 AM for Atlanta where we transferred planes for the 17-hour flight to Johannesburg. It wasn’t too bad of a flight – I slept some and the food wasn’t too bad. I watched a couple of movies. We arrived Saturday evening and were met by Mr. Bennett from Outlook Lodge and he took five of us to the lodge. We had met three of our other participants at the airport in Atlanta; Kathleen from San Jose, and Art and Marsha from Palo Alto. The Outlook lodge was a charming place with a delightful young man, Francois. He helped us order some dinner because we were too tired to go out and then he got us the required electric plug because Lennie and I did not have the correct adapter for South Africa. We had a comfortable night there and a good breakfast in the morning. It was a charming lodge and I would have been happy to spend another day there and have done some sight seeing for a day – next time.

Sunday 3/6/11 In the morning Mr. Bennett took us to the airport where we got a plane to Maun. There Joe Ramsden – our guide, met us. He had the safari vehicle with a covered trailer behind. We would grow to be very familiar with this vehicle in the coming three weeks as we spent hours every day bumping along roads in this vehicle. We waited a bit for two more people, Mary (from NYC) and Eleanor (from Ontario), then we loaded up the vehicle and the trailer and started out for our camping site in Moremi Game Reserve. The bit of Maun that we saw both today and when we returned a few days later is a small village with a great variety of shops and services. It is clean and busy with practically everything one would need. It is pronounced Ma – un – two syllables rhyming with loon. We had a lot of pronunciation lessons along the way but this is one of the few that stuck with me. We drove about six or so hours to our campsite enjoying the country side and getting used to traveling in our vehicle. It is a bit unnerving to be driven along a highway in a vehicle with a removable canvas roof and open sides. Basically it is a Toyota truck with a platform containing three rows of seats. It was very efficiently designed for our purposes. On our drive to Moremi we saw our first giraffes, elephants, impalas, Steenbok, and Wildebeest. We saw many more during our three weeks but we never seemed to get tired of them. We also saw lots of birds. It was great to be with a group of people who were also interested in birds. We were all different in our levels of interest in birds but no one ever got tired of the more intense level of birding for some of us. In fact several people really stepped up their birding skills. I have to say at this point that this group of fellow travelers was one of the most compatible groups of people I have traveled with. We had such a good time together and got along so very well considering our close quarters.

Finally we arrived at our campsite and met our wonderful camp staff – Kaiser (Kasa), Life, and Pula. Kaiser was the cook and from Zimbabwe. He cooked amazing meals - including bread, cakes, pies – all on an open fire, using Dutch ovens. Life and Pula took care of our every need – tidying up our beds each morning, keeping our wash basin filled with warm water upon each arrival in camp, bringing us warm water for a shower, greeting each arrival with a glass of cold fruit juice, doing our laundry – you name it. They all worked so hard and so well together and were cheerful and friendly throughout the trip. This was our introduction to our camp home for three weeks so I’ll describe it now because no matter where we were it was the same. Our camps were basically a somewhat clear area under and surrounded by trees. The Staff brought all our needs in their big truck including all the water we would need for drinking and washing. The truck carries 1000 liters (265 gallons) of water, which lasts us for about 5 or 6 days.

Now for some general information to answer some questions I have already had. Skip this if you are not interested and go to the paragraphs with dates.

Our Camp Site. We were introduced to our new home and given the needed instructions for the following three weeks. I’ll describe our camping area, as it was the same at each location. Our campsite was a flat barren area with no permanent structures before or after we were there. Our area was a flat spot of a reasonable size surrounded by a few bushes and or trees. The area would be roughly divided into our sleeping area with a campfire area nearby next to the dinning area. Then there was a kitchen area with the huge truck that carried all of our needs, including water. They had a trailer to pull behind for all the firewood they would need – all food was cooked on open fires often using Dutch ovens to bake bread and make pies and cakes. The sides of the truck folded out for a counter to work on. The camp staff had their tents near the kitchen area. Then there was a garage area where Joe parked the vehicle and his tent was often near the truck. Our four tents were arranged in sort of a semi circle and numbered 1 thru 4 – Lennie and I were #3 but finally Lennie started hanging a scarf outside for I.D. purposes – we often got lost in the dark going from dinner to our tent – counting was so hard! The tent had two cots with a mattress made up with sheets and blankets. We had a small table for our stuff and we each had a battery operated lantern to use inside the tent. We also had two cans of insect spray – one to spray on us and the other – called Doom – to spray inside the tent just before we left for dinner to kill the inside insects! Two choices of doom – one to suffer the insects - or – suffer breathing the spray. We chose differently each night – all depended on how sick we were of getting eaten up. There was a rope around the inside of the tent that we could use for hanging wet clothes, as we couldn’t leave anything outside the tent overnight. In front of the tent was a plastic sheet on the ground and mid day we could sit out there and do our notes and read. We also each had a small plastic basin that was filled with warm water several times a day for washing up. Out the back door of our tent was our toilet/shower area. This area was open to the sky (so if it was raining you can imagine the fun of sitting on the toilet and ……). Each time we arrived at a new campsite the guys would dig a very deep pit toilet for each tent placing over it a pedestal with a toilet seat on it. Also this area had a rubber like bucket that was hauled up and down with a pulley. This was used as our shower and worked very well but it was a little nerve racking to make sure you didn’t run out of water before you had rinsed all the soap off so we took turns shampooing our hair! The guys took three to four hours to set this camp up and three – four hours to break it down so you can see moving days were long days for them.

Our daily schedule. Our day would start at 5:00 AM by hearing a “knock knock” outside our tent. I understand that our tent had to have that repeated three times before we responded “Good morning”. Then you would hear water splashing and then a voice saying “Warm water is ready” and we would reply “Thank you”. Then the voice would move on to the next tent. We would get up in the dark – use the warm water to wash up and then get dressed with the clothes we had laid out or hung up the night before – using the least dirty clothes we had. We both had headlamps that made moving around in the dark much easier – best flashlight ever made! Then by 5:30 we would go get breakfast – basically the same every day, coffee or tea, cereal with fruit and yogurt, and delicious toast that had been grilled over the fire. We had butter or peanut butter to put on the toast. I loved these breakfasts. Then we would load up in the vehicle by six – and believe me we got plenty of exercise getting into and out of that vehicle – lots of upper body strength helped a lot. Probably the most exercise we got on the trip because we couldn’t get out of the vehicle very often and we couldn’t walk very far away when we did. Then we would drive around the area – sometimes over and over the same spots – looking for wildlife – finding lots of it. Around 10 or so Joe would find a safe spot to stop – check out behind the bushes or termite mounds for a safe (and somewhat private) potty stop. He would fix us tea or coffee and we would have tea and cookies and a standing rest from all that bouncing around in the truck. Then we would load up and go driving around again. It was always beautiful country to see and we continued to find new species of mammals and birds right up to the last day. Then we would go back to camp for lunch sometime between 12 and 2. Our lunches were always delicious – usually a meat dish, a starch, and a salad or vegetable dish. We often would have a beer with lunch because after lunch we had a rest period until about 3:30 or so. It was just too hot to go out and there was little activity anyway. So during that time I would often lay on my bed just to give my back a rest – sometimes I would sleep but I usually read. We also did our personal laundry (the staff washed our shirts and pants once at each location which was a great service.) although I got to the point of just rinsing out a few things in regular water and after a few days throwing my socks and underwear away – I had brought old stuff for that purpose. Around 3:30 Life would call “tea is ready” and we would go to the dinning table and have tea and some cookies or other dessert that Kaiser had cooked for us. Then about 4 we would load up again and go hunting. At sunset we would have sundowners and I finally decided to try to traditional gin and tonic and continued having them during the rest of the trip. Probably drank more gin on this trip than in the rest of my life but it was fun. Then we would go back to camp where a cold glass of fruit juice would be awaiting us – along with the happy “welcome back” from all three staff members. Then we would take our showers and join the group in the chairs sitting around the campfire. We usually had a drink of wine, juice, soda here as well and then around 8 we would have dinner. Kaiser would come to the camp fire saying “knock knock” make some joke and then tell us the dinner menu – always a starter, main dish, vegetable dish and dessert. The main dishes were all good – a variety of beef, or chicken mostly, vegetables often carrots, zucchini, potatoes, green beans. The desserts were all delicious. By 9:30 we would be in bed. The only variation to this plane was moving day. That day the guys would start taking down our tents while we were eating breakfast so we had to have our suitcases packed. Then we would take a long scenic route to our new site – The staff passing us along the way with their packed truck and trailer with the firewood. We would have a pack lunch that day – sitting in the shade of some trees and then we would have a couple of hours “rest” during the heat of the day. We would read or snooze in our chairs. We would eventually arrive at our new campsite and find everything ready and waiting for us – our “Welcome” and then our glasses of cold juice. This was a very efficient organization.

Now on to some of my adventures. I will group them by area as the days sort of run into each other and what day something was seen or happened isn’t important.

Moremi Wildlife Reserve – in The Okavango Delta 3/6-8/11 Since every bird and mammal was new when we first arrived in this area we were rapidly pointing out everything. Finally Joe had to say as twilight descended that we really would see lots more baboons and cute as they were we need to get to camp and dinner. The Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta; the Okavango River empties onto a swamp which is in a closed basin in the Kalahari Desert. The water does not drain into the sea. The water comes via rainfall from the Angola highlands – mostly during a one-month period in January/February. One morning we went to a place that rented boats and we took a boat ride through the delta. It was absolutely amazing and so beautiful. We did see lots of birds that were enjoying the water plus some beautiful water lilies. We went through so many narrow passages among the reeds that we were amazed that the boat pilot could remember his way back. At the appropriate hour he stopped at a pull out and we all got out and had tea and cookies – china cups and all. In the afternoon we drove around the area and we went through a lot of deep puddles of water. Our vehicle actually has a permanent snorkel so that when it is in deep water air can still get to the engine. Our ride was very bumpy – as it was every day and my back was killing me – but so was everyone else’s but as time went on we stopped complaining – either we got used to it or our backs built up some new muscle. After about the third day we really started feeling like we were getting into the swing of things – like taking a shower with 2 liters of water – dressing in the dark and keeping track of our stuff in a small dark space. Joe was a wonderful driver – positioning the vehicle so we could all see the bird or mammal. We kept the top off most of the time except for when it was raining so our views of the sky and fields were great. The rows of seats were tiered so it was easy to see around each other. Joe was a great tracker – he would be driving along the dirt road with one eye on the ground to his right (drivers are on the left side of the road) and he would suddenly pull up saying something like – two lions were walking along here and turned right. We’d see nothing but after waiting a few minutes there they were. He really knew the animals – he would anticipate what was going to happen and what we should watch for and be ready to film. He also taught us a lot about our own cameras that we hadn’t learned – it was great. Our campsite here was near a lake and we had beautiful sunrises over the lake. We saw our first hippo here but it was way across the lake but I took a photo of it for Sophia. I told the group that Sophia asked me for a photo of a hippo. We had some good photographers on this trip so it became a group challenge to get a good photo of a hippo for Sophia! We did have an interesting hippo experience. One evening we stopped our vehicle and were watching the sunset while drinking our sundowners. Suddenly Joe let out a holler and we all reacted in various ways – he shoved Lennie around the vehicle, I jumped into the vehicle and Marsha snapped a photo – of the rear of a hippo! A large bull hippo was chasing a younger one directly in our path – from the area of our “bush stop”. Fortunately they veered off to the left, heading for the pond. Our hearts were pounding but we didn’t have time to be afraid and now we have a good story to tell. Amazing how fast those big creatures are. So I have another hippo photo for Sophia. We had lots of interesting times – like an owl we looked for one night and finally found him, and a pretty little white frog with red feet that hopped up on Lennie’s pants leg and posed for photos. We enjoyed an amazing variety of birds and most birds were seen by all – eventually. I loved the Mopane trees and the smell of the Large Fever berry trees – it is such an African smell and look. We saw zebras and giraffes and our first lions – doing what lions mostly do. Joe heard that there was a kill a day or so ago and went to where the lions were lying under a bush – a male and a female. They looked at us and went back to sleep occasionally changing positions but not doing much else. But never the less we must have taken 200 photos of them. We followed our noses and found where they had made the kill but the bones were pretty well picked clean. Later we saw some waterbuck – they are so lovely. It was around this time that my shoes came apart but fortunately the roll of duct tape I’ve carried for year just in case was still with me. I tape up my shoes and they held together very nicely for the rest of the trip. We also saw an African Wild Cat – just a brief glimpse and the only one of the trip.

Wednesday 3/9/11 We started the day with a beautiful sunrise over the lake saying goodbye to this spot. We left at 6:30 while the guys worked at breaking down the camp. Everything is labeled with our names so we get the same tent, bed, linen, towels and so forth at each new camp. Today we drove back to Maun taking all day. We drove around the Reserve for several hours adding new birds to our list and more mammals including a Tsessebe. I finally saw the beautiful Namaqua Dove, which I had missed several times in Egypt. We stopped for a lunch break and had a very good lunch. Our vehicle carries a refrigerator cooler attached to the battery so we can always have a cold beer, coke, or water for lunch – or anytime actually. I so appreciated the generous and constant supply of safe and cold water to drink – I’ve been on trips where that wasn’t so and it makes for a difficult time. It was only 142 km (about 88 miles) from the Park to Maun but we made lots of stops along the way. Late afternoon we arrived at Thamalakane River Lodge just outside of Maun. It was a very pleasant lodge and we enjoyed taking a “real” shower – although hot water was limited so some of us had cold water showers – but plenty of water! It has been only three days without regular showers and we really enjoyed them – no idea what it is going to be like with 11 days in a row of camping! We had a long (2 and a half hours) dinner and the food was very good. The wine served is from South Africa and is so cheap I thought they forgot to charge me – I paid about 2 or 3 dollars for a very full wine class of pretty good red wine. We wrote some post cards because Joe said we could buy stamps and mail them tomorrow. He didn’t stay with us as he has family in Maun and stayed with a brother or sister. He grew up in the area – the youngest of 10 children. He went to school in Maun but spent the holidays with his grandparents in a village outside on land they owned and raised cattle. He showed us the area the next day when we drove past. His wife and two children currently live in the capital city of Gaborone but they hope to move soon nearer to where Joe works so he will see him more often. Later we learned more about his family – all ten siblings are in successful careers – most went to college – Joe’s older brother forced Joe to go. One brother runs a safari company, one is a successful politician and so forth. He has a family to be proud of. Even though both he and his wife are college educated and modern in many ways he still had to pay 11 cows for her when they married – a deal brokered by his uncles. It is an interesting blending of traditional and modern.

Thursday 3/10/11 Joe picked us up about 9:30 in the morning so we had a leisurely breakfast and birded around the grounds a bit – mostly from comfortable lounge chairs by the pool! He drove us to the airport so we could buy stamps and mail our postcards – he was always so helpful. Not all guides I have been with are willing to go out of their way for something like this and not on the schedule. While there we met two of Joe’s brothers – Maun is really like a small village although it is a pretty complete area as far as supplies are concerned. Then we left for the long drive to our campsite in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in the Sunday Pan area. (a pan is shaped like a cooking pan – different from a valley which is wide and flat). Again we birded along the way and picked up a few new species including a Kori Bustard and some Ostrich. As we neared our camp Joe got a call on the car radio from Kaiser our chef that dinner would be delayed because there was a leopard in our camp – he was interested in the frozen meat hanging from a tree defrosting. So we hurried to the camp hoping to see the leopard even if he did get and eat our dinner. He wasn’t around when we first arrived but after a while Life called to us and we all went to the kitchen area and had good looks watching the young leopard play – first with Pula’s pants that he got a hold of and ended up putting a hole in them Then he got Pula’s toiletry kit and played with it like a cat would play with a ball of yarn. It was really fun and we were a safe distance away. Finally the leopard got bored and left so we went back to our showers and soon had a lovely dinner with no leopard company. But Joe did shine his flash lite around careful before we walked our short distance to our tents.

Kalahari Game Reserve, Sunday Pan 3/10-12/11. This game reserve covers some 52, 000 square km (about 20,000 square miles) and is said to be the second largest conservation area in the world. (I think the largest is an area that extends across the countries of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, what is called a Peace Park.) The Kalahari is considered a desert because it does not have any permanent standing water. But it does rain – sometimes a lot, as we will soon find out. Joe said it rains about 250 mm (10 inches) a year. The water stays underground in the aqua filter. There is a solar power pump where the guys get water for our use and the park service also keeps a pond filled most of the time – good place to find birds in the evening. We did not cover a large percentage of the Kalahari but the areas we did cover we covered well. We finally realized we were just traveling around in circles when we started recognizing certain trees. But an area that was quiet and still one pass by, could be teaming with life the next time. The country was beautiful – golden in most areas with green areas here and there. We started seen large numbers of some mammals – like Wildebeest (Gnu). I love watching them – they are such mixed up looking animals but so very capable of surviving that it is amazing. We continued to see large numbers of the graceful impalas and the so distinctive Gemsbok (Oryx). We saw some bat-eared fox – first discovered in the grass by seeing their ears sticking up above the top of the grass. We saw a clapping lark that really did make a clapping sound as it flew up and down. Animals are so amazing – I can’t think of a more interesting and joyful hobby than observing animals – they always have something new to teach/show us. On Friday the 11^th we went out in the afternoon and Joe saw a group of Oryx and Joe pointed out that they were all standing looking in the same direction. So he drove around to where they were looking and sure enough we found a lion – eventually we saw six there. But since they had lost the element of surprise they lay back down and didn’t bother trying for an Oryx for their dinner and the Oryx continued munching on the grass where they were. This was the evening Pula called to report that his truck was broken down so we went back to camp for sundowners so Joe could go out and rescue Pula. Eventually they came back with the report that the mechanics were coming tomorrow – to work on the truck and replace the refrigerator. The office is very supportive of the people in the field. On Saturday (the 12th) we were driving when we met an adult male lion and stopped just thirty feet away. We had the incredible experience of having that lion roar – it was an amazing experience – you could feel that roar in your whole body. Then as I watched it go off the road and walk away it looked back at us and I swear I made eye contact with the lion – it was an instant of feeling so deeply of being one with nature. We drove around some more and added new birds to our list – we met two cars and were rather taken aback with all this traffic. They were mostly self-drive/guide people and we wondered how much they saw.

Passarge Valley in the Central Kalahari 3/13-15/11 We didn’t have far to drive to our new campsite but we took all day getting there. We are beginning to recognize some of the birds now – eventually it became a joke about a raptor probably being a Pale Chanting Goshawk – one of the more common ones and more photographed hawks. I think the bird that I will always think of the most in terms of sound is the Cape Turtle Dove with his “work harder” call which we heard continually throughout the trip – everyday I think. We finally got good looks and photos of Warthogs – they are so ugly they are almost cute. It is so fun to see them running through the tall grass with only their tails – sticking straight up – showing. We saw 5 lions, Red Hartebeest, and Springbok pronking. The springbok is named for these series of “pronks” or hunch-backed bounces that they do. They are so much fun to watch and it looks like they are just playing or jumping for joy. It has been said that only the young springbok pronk and it is a way for them to get a higher look of their surroundings and see what is around – especially predators. Whatever the science or reason it is a delightful activity to watch – makes me laugh every time. We also saw a Leopard Tortoise. We set up our chairs under the trees and had a very good lunch and rested for an hour or two. I think this was when we saw a Black-backed Jackal with a young one – they are beautiful animals and trot around with such a degree of importance. It is fun to watch them. We had some beautiful clouds as we drove to our camp along with a rainbow ending right at our campsite. The clouds make for a beautiful sunset too. On Monday the 14^th we started out with lions again with three in the road, so of course we had to stop. They watched us and then a fourth one came and rubbed faces with each lion to see if they were of the same pride – all were females. They went out in the field and sat down until a fifth one came and there was a lot of growling. She sat down and eventually one other female came over and sniffed noses and then all came and sniffed noses and relaxed and sat down together. Later this afternoon after lunch it rained a lot. The guys ran around to put the canvas top on the truck and a couple of sides around the dinning area (it has a roof already). Finally it stopped and Joe scooped off the water from the canvas roof and we went out. Of course the seats were wet and we did get wet from water coming off the roof but it wasn’t cold and it was good to be out in the clear air and see all the birds and mammals out enjoying the water. It did rain at night but the guys put down the side flaps of our tents and we stayed “dry” inside our tents. Of course my side did develop a leak so I just wrapped my towel around it and let the towel soak up the water. Everything felt damp though when we put on our clothes in the morning. Looking at my photos Tuesday the 15^th was lion and rain day. We met this beautiful male lion sitting in the road so we stopped. He just looked at us with distain. Eventually a female came to visit him but she was very curious about us and our vehicle, she came very close. Some of us could have reached out to pet her but we sat very still and snapped away with our camera. Finally she decided we weren’t very interesting so she went in the road and sat down. Finally the male lion decided he didn’t like being ignored so had a word with her and they both got up and went out in the field. It was incredible but more was to come. We finally found and saw cheetah – it wasn’t a great look and I hope someone has a photo to prove to myself we really did see them. So many memories that they tend to get mixed up and faded – that is why I take my photos and write my journal to hold on to these memories for as long as possible. We also saw a pair of ostriches with 12 chicks. Several females will lay eggs in one nest and one pair raises all the chicks – better chance of survival. And we all finally saw a honey badger – we’d missed several that Joe saw move off the road. And we saw a Steenbok (Steinbuck) which is the smallest antelope in Botswana. The antelope are so numerous that I forget to mention them often but they are all so graceful and lovely to watch – I never tire of them – not even the impalas which number into the thousands. Soon we were heading back because Joe could see the storm coming and we hoped to get back before it hit. But finally Joe said we couldn’t beat it so he suggested we just bundle up and wait it out. So we put on our rain gear and huddled in the back three seats as close to the middle as possible and waited for the rain to hit. And boy did it hit – you could hardly see outside. Of course with open sides we still got wet – some more than others. I happened to be in the middle so I didn’t get as wet as some. Finally we were able to head back to camp – late. I have one photo of us driving back through the flooded road and from the spray and foam on the side it looks like we are speed boating through a river. We did see more lions – three of them rolling around in the field. Joe said they were the same ones next to our car earlier.

Deception Valley in the Kalahari 3/16-18/ll We say goodbye to this camp as the guys are packing up. It rained a lot last night so everything is wet – but they handle everything very well. As usual we take all day to get to our new camp – besides we are off the beaten track and the roads are so rough we can’t go very fast. We had the fun of seeing the Ostrich dancing – incredible. They don’t just spread out their wings but they shape them almost like a ballet skirt as they dance around. It was lovely. We saw giraffe today which was nice. Had our lunch in the chairs under the trees. As usual it was very good. Several large herds of Wildebeest (Gnu) decided to cross the road in front of us so we had close looks at them with their babies. They no longer migrate as Gnus usually do – instead they stay in the park year round. This is due to THE FENCE. Delia and Mark Owens wrote about THE FENCE in their book “Cry of the Kalahari” They studied the wild life in Botswana in the early 70’s for about seven years. We saw their campsite – study area – in the Deception Valley – nothing is left there except for a small cement square covering up some building – maybe their outhouse. The “cry” is the call of the Black-back Jackal which does sound like the cry of a child. The Fence was built in the early days of Botswana’s Independence when they were a poor country. They wanted to export beef but the European Union was concerned about wildlife spreading hoof and mouth disease by mingling with the cattle so eventually they built the fence to keep the cattle and the wildlife separate. The problem was that the fence was in the path of migration so hundred of thousands of mammals died as they reached the fence and could not climb over it. Apparently it was a real slaughter. The Wildebeest migration was second in size to the great migration of East Africa and this fence stopped that migration reducing the Wildebeest population by 90 percent. This fence and the cattle situation is still an issue that isn’t easily resolved. When we crossed the area into the cattle area we had to all get out and walk through some kind of disinfectant– in fact we had to take all of our shoes out of our suitcases and put them through the stuff – ugh. The Owens wrote about the fence and about the politics on wild life management in Botswana and were eventually asked to leave the country – for several reasons. I plan on reading their book and hope to learn more about their studies. Well to get back to the scenes we saw – in addition to the Wildebeest we also saw several giraffes – I think they are my favorite – they are so handsome and so graceful. The next day Thursday 3/17 also started with a lion - we rushed out to see one – another male who mostly lay around the grass, rolled over and slept. Frankly I don’t get the thrill some get by watching a lion sleep – enough is enough. At least birds move around and fly away so you have a reason to move on to something more interesting. You keep watching the lion sleep in hopes that he will wake up and do something – but he never does. Deception Valley is a little more popular so today we saw 3 cars and felt like we were on city streets. After our lunch and rest at camp when we went back out we did see more lions some of whom were roaring – now that is fun. We had one that decided he owned the road and walked in front of us as we trying to get back to camp. The park rules require us to be in camp and off the roads by sundown – 7:00. But the lion wanted to let us know he was in charge. We were so nervous because we didn’t want Joe to get in trouble and fined. “Yes I know officer but a lion wouldn’t let me through”. I wonder how that would hold up in court. We had a traditional dinner tonight of pounded beef and when we heard that the neighboring camp site had 6 lions in the camp Joe walked each of us to our tents. The “rule” “whatever you do don’t run” would be pretty hard to remember if we came face to face with a lion. We certainly didn’t do well in that regard when charge by hippos. On Friday 3/18 while watching 7 lions (4 of them were cubs) we were joined by 4 cars and almost felt annoyed – we were so used to being alone. The lions wandered among the antelopes – with the loss of the element of surprise the antelopes are pretty safe. We drove by and met and talked to the crew of an “official film crew”. They are in the process of making a film that will be done in a year or so. The “head” guy was named Tim Livingston so we will look for the movie in the future and be able say “we were there”. Ended the day and our stay here with 9 lively giraffes.

Saturday 3/19/11 We left early in the morning – our last morning in the Kalahari and started our day by watching some 500 Pratincole (a bird) in migration – it was awesome. As we left the park I stopped to take a photo of THE FENCE. It looks so simple and ordinary – for a cattle farm – and yet has caused so much destruction. We had a long drive ahead of us to and through the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve. We had to go north then east and not through the most direct route. A river that had been dry for years had recently began flowing from the distant rains so the bridge and road were out and we had to take the long way around. It was supposed to be 7 hours and 200 km (125 miles) but I think it was much longer. We did get to see meerkats along the way and also a dung beetle rolling a very large ball of dung which he pushed into a hole in the ground that he/she had made. They lay their eggs in the dung and they hatch underground. We were headed to Makgadikgadi Pans partly because it was on the way to Chobe National Park. But the Pans are very unique place – one of the largest salt pans in the world. In the dry times most of this desolate area remains waterless and extremely arid but in good years of rain the largest pans flood and attract wildlife. So we drove and we drove along the highway. It was interesting to see the small villages as we passed them. Many had small house built in the traditional round design but they were made of something like cement, but they had a thatch roof. One thing I particularly noticed what how clean the country was. There was almost no litter along the road – nothing at all like the country in Egypt which was littered with everything or like you seen in South America or even in California with liter along side the road. Joe said there is an effort on the part of the government to keep the countryside clean and fines are leveled against trucks carry stuff without a cover. We noticed that Joe often stopped to pick up a water bottle or some other litter. California sure could use their model. We stopped at one small village because Joe had to buy some more cereal – we were all eating the dark cereal (the type with bran) instead of the corn flakes that was also served. That is one more example of why Joe is such a good guide – he could have said sorry no more bran flakes but he didn’t. He had to go to three stores to get what he wanted. There were a lot of small stores and the area looked very healthy with lots of happy people and lots of people buying stuff. The women were amazing with the amount of stuff they could carry on their head. We stopped along the way for our usual lunch and rest period. Eventually as we were getting closer Joe got a call from the guys. They just couldn’t get to the campsite in time and if they set it up dinner wouldn’t be ready until midnight. So they called the office in Maun and the office made arrangements for us to stay in a lodge at Gweta. My first thought was a real shower, which sounded awfully good after 9 days of camping, but then I was disappointed too because of the glorious scenes we would be missing. But no problem. We arrived at a delightful lodge where our camp staff was also staying. We had a lovely room – in fact two rooms with a shared bath so Lennie and I each had our own room to spread out in. We took a lovely shower and shampooed our hair and felt like queens. Of course I had to put some dirty clothes back on – clean clothes are in very short or non-existent supply. We had a lovely drink in the bar and then went and had a delicious dinner – lasagna plus a few other things. It was quite a nice lodge. It even had a pool but we didn’t go swimming – went to bed and enjoyed stretching out after a long day of driving in a bumpy vehicle.

Sunday 3/20/11 We got up at a leisurely time of 7 or so. The guys got up earlier and we can’t get to the camp too early. Had a good breakfast – since they served eggs I got a plate full of bacon, sausage, and something else – more than I could eat. I do miss that peanut butter which makes for a great protein breakfast. Kaiser has been most accommodating about not serving me eggs. If he makes something with eggs in it he sets aside a bowl first without the eggs. I so much appreciated that. So we left about 8:30 and drove along the outside border of Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve. We were camping just outside the park because that is the area near the salt pan we wanted to see and the campsites inside the park are far away with no road to this pan. We stopped at the campsite which the guys were still setting up but we just wanted to drop our trailer so we wouldn’t have to haul it around. (The trailer was used to carry our suitcases and the camp chairs when we changed campsites.) Then we went out to see the salt pans. You can only drive across the pans in certain times when it is dry underneath. It can look dry but heavy weight breaks the crust and vehicles can get very badly stuck. We mostly stuck to the edges and in a few places Joe got out to test the surface. We did see a car ahead of us, so in some areas they were our test vehicle. One thing of interest to me was the mirage Joe pointed out. It looked like a lake and not only were the trees surrounding the lake but they were reflected in the “lake”. It was hard to believe it was a mirage and easy to understand how travelers got lost searching for the mirage. Joe said that one is usually there. It certainly was the most vivid mirage I’ve ever seen. There were lots of palm trees in the area – elephants brought the seedpods of those palm trees to the area a hundred years ago or so. We saw a large number of zebras heading north and we got some nice looks at meerkats. Not much activity but there was always one tall one on a mound looking around while the others were poking around in the grass and up and down their holes. We took a short walk on the hot crunchy salt pans – and yes they do taste of salt. We went back to our camp site where the guys were ready for us with cold drinks and lunch. We had a two hour break but it was too hot to rest and the flies were annoying so even reading was hard. At four when we went out we declined another walk on the salt pans and went looking for more birds and mammals. We found a very large flock of zebras and gnus and we enjoyed them. We came back and had a good dinner with apple crumble for dessert – one of our favorites. I’m glad to have seen this area but it wasn’t my favorite camp.

Monday 3/21/11 It rained heavily during the nights – I heard the guys coming around and closing all four flaps so we were cozy and warm. Only problem was it was raining really hard and I had to go potty and it didn’t seem like the rain would stop. But I didn’t like the idea of going outside and getting my nightgown wet so finally when I couldn’t wait any more I took off my nightgown and went out with my bath towel. Worked just fine and after drying off I got back into bed with a dry nightgown. We left at 6:00 for our drive to Nata – we had plans to stay at a lodge there. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the way at a spot that allowed for some walking so that sure felt good. We found an interesting spider here that was very well photographed. After a long bumpy drive we were then on asphalt which felt nice. We drove through a few small villages and Joe remembered to stop at one so we could mail post cards. We arrived early in the afternoon at Nata Lodge and checked in to our lovely room. We had a big room that even had air conditioning. It also had a huge old fashion tub for soaking off the dirt and then outside on a private deck was a shower – all very nicely arranged – it was fun. They also had a gift shop so since this was our first and only chance I decided to buy something. I had enough American money but a lot of it was in one dollar bills – I thought I would use them so I didn’t have to get change in foreign currency. But they would not accept dollar bills – apparently banks don’t accept dollar bills from the stores. I had brought a lot of them planning to use the for buying stuff and for tipping but fortunately I did find out that it was still ok to use them for tipping because the locals could go to a money exchange place and turn them in there. No problem using dollar bills in the airports though. So we each did a little shopping and some of us went swimming in the pool which felt great. When our afternoon “rest” period was over we loaded up and went out to Nata Bird Sanctuary. That turned out to be a lovely visit. Sometimes that area is flooded and is home to thousands of flamingoes. It wasn’t that wet this time and although the hostess at the lodge said there were no flamingoes we certainly managed to find flamingoes – both species along with lots of other water birds, storks, ducks, shorebirds. It was great and we even got out to walk a bit. As we headed back to the lodge we were treated to another incredible sunset along with the most intense and impressive lightning storm I’ve seen. It was just beautiful and lasted all the way back. I can’t remember if it rained or not but I do remember we ate dinner outside under the stars. It was a very good dinner and I had ice cream for dessert! We all had a good nights sleep.

Tuesday 3/22/11 Today was a long day of driving - from 8:30 to 4:00 to Kasane – the entrance city to Chobe National Park. Aside from an aching back the drive was interesting – so many beautiful scenes as we drove along. This is the major north south road connecting Botswana to South Africa in the south and Zambia in the north and there is a lot of trucking along this route moving goods in and through the country. It was mostly a well paved two lane road but there was a section that they were rebuilding so we were on the old road but it wasn’t too bad – just slow. Even on this main road we were stopped by wild life – once several elephants appeared and it was clear that their path was across the road. Once a long distance bicycle rider passed us on his cross country trek and just a km further up the road we were stopped by three lions along the edge of the road. We wondered what would have happened to the bicycle rider if he met up with them – the rule “whatever you do don’t run” (so you won’t look like prey) might cause him some problem. We wished him well. It was interesting to see a few villages along the way – all clean and neat as well as some huge farms growing a variety of crops: corn, squash, tomatoes, melons and other crops we didn’t recognize. It was amazing again to notice how clean the roads are – no trash and the small villages are also clean. Along the way at some spots would be some kind of symbol – maybe a chair on top of a bucket, or a straw figure, or maybe a pair of jeans hanging from a tree. At those points if you walked back through the forest or fields you would eventually find a small compound. People put these markers up for the buses as many people go to town on a bus and this is the way they tell the bus where to stop. We had an hour break for lunch and then kept driving until we arrived at Kasane. Kasane is officially a Town ( the capital is a City) and every place else we have been was a village. Kasane was a very busy place and they have practically everything there. Joe and his family lived here until last year so despite the size Joe knew many people. We never stopped anywhere that there wasn’t someone to come up to say hello to him. The other thing we got a real kick out of are the warthogs that roam the streets – they are still wild animals but people just walk around them. Occasionally elephants even come to town. There was a sign at the beginning of town “Welcome to Botswana” with a picture of elephants and “Caution! They have right of way” The other thing we saw at the beginning of the town was a very long line of large carrier trucks waiting to cross the Zambezi River. There is only one ferry to take these trucks across and they can take only one or two trucks at a time, so these truckers have to wait in line for days – sometimes weeks to cross the river. It is amazing that they do. There is great hope to have a bridge built across the river but currently there is no money for this and one country that was going to help backed out recently (I can’t remember which country it was.) We stopped at a large tourist hotel and used their restroom – they must be used to this because nobody blinked an eye. But the next time we came through Kasane several of us bought a lot of gifts in the gift shop.

We headed to Chobe National Park. Chobe is very different because it is much wetter. It is next to the Chobe River which flows in an Eastern direction to join the Zambezi River. The Chobe ends here and in very wet seasons the flood plane is extensive. Chobe was the first National Park and is know for its very large elephant population. Some say these elephants are much larger than elsewhere in Africa. There is a dividing line down the middle of the River so we could see Namibia across the river. There is an island in the middle called Sedudu and Namibia and Botswana almost came to blows over ownership. But eventually a study was done to find the deep water channel of the river and since it was on the Namibia side the island was declared to belong to Botswana. There isn’t anything on the island (except a flag of Botswana) but the wild life will go on the island when the water is low and the area along the river on Namibia’s side is not protected. If you look quickly at a map it looks like Zambia should be to the north of Botswana but there is a small strip of land between Zambia and Botswana that belongs to Namibia. It all goes back to when Germany had Namibia and England had Botswana. So with that background we entered the park and were soon greeted by a large heard of elephants. They were not shy of us – this park has a lot more visitors so the wildlife is use to the vehicles. It was fun to watch the elephants and especially the babies – they stay so close to the mother and she is very protective of them. We also got to see a Puku –a rare antelope - very cute and very pretty. We were also interrupted by a troop of baboons and what fun they are to watch. The little ones run around and have fun until suddenly they run to mama and latch on to her upside down to nurse. Sometimes they jump on her back for a ride. Once we saw a little one in a tree and the mother came up, stood up, and plucked her baby from the tree like an apple. There was a lot of chasing around and some mating some wrestling all fun to watch. Some large troops had as many as 200 in the group. Finally we had to leave until our next stop which was by a large herd of buffalos. There were maybe 50 in the main group with maybe another 100 or so scattered around. At this point we were joined by 3 or 4 other vehicles – this is a popular park and in the areas close to town there were more vehicles. Fortunately the park closes at 7 so they had to leave earlier than we did since we only have to be in camp at 7 – they have to be at the gate by 7. Anyway we watched the buffalos eating and milling about. This was a muddy spot and they were eating some salts. Some buffalos had mud on their body. After a while Joe told us to look in the distance and coming out from behind a bush was a lion soon followed by another. They were trying to creep up on the buffalos. But eventually Joe said that the buffalos knew they were there so the lions had lost the element of surprise and would not attack. Pretty soon the buffalos turned as one and charged the lions – all the buffalos from around joined the group with the little ones in the middle of the mass and they chased the lions away. It was an amazing moment to see the cooperation of the group – what an amazing moment in nature. We soon had to leave as it was time to get to our new camp site where we were greeted by our happy staff – everything looked just like it was supposed to look. We were home!

Chobe National Park 3/22-24/11 We spent the days as usual driving around and enjoying all the new scenes and birds and mammals. One early morning I heard someone talking just outside my tent so I said “Good Morning” – no one answered and I heard more whispering but I went back to sleep. When it was actually time to get up Joe told us honey badgers were in our camp, so not only have I seen honey badgers I’ve had a conversation with one. On our last day in the park we got up early and went out for more wonderful views. We drove through a teak forest and saw lots of buffalos in the forest looking through at us. It was a memorable scene. On our last camping day in Botswana we saw 6 new species of birds, plus a monitor lizard on a tree, and one new mammal – a striped mongoose. We also saw a male elephant in musk chasing a bunch of females. You could really smell him. In fact later in the day we could smell him before we saw him (or another male elephant). And we finally all got good photos of a hippo in the field – Sophia will have her choice of photos. Again we had a beautiful sunset accompanied by lightning as we hurried back to our camp site. Our last dinner in camp was bitter sweet. The camp staff was so nice and we felt like we’d be leaving good friends forever.

Friday 3/25/11 We left even earlier than usual this morning because Joe heard hyenas and lions roaring at night so he figured that the lions had made a kill and the hyenas were taking their share. Joe told us it is a myth that males don’t hunt – they do hunt as well as the females. Anyway we drove around looking and we finally found the hyaenas – a new mammal for our trip. And then on the way out of the park we found our hippo out in the field – really good photos now – in the daylight. We were having such good luck that we were an hour late for our boat ride but he was there waiting for us as we were the only passengers. We first had to give papers to the border patrol officers as we were traveling in the Chobe River along the country border. It was lovely being in the boat and meeting the group of hippos that we saw from shore yesterday. But now we were eye to eye with them. Then we were able to watch a kingfisher digging out his nest hole along the bank. We also saw a crocodile and a monitor lizard plus even some new species of birds. It was a lovely boat ride. When we got back to shore we had time to look round the gift shop at the hotel where we were waiting – I didn’t find anything to buy but several people did. I spend the time drying out the stuff inside my back pack. – It had been raining while we were on the boat and I had set my pack on the floor where it absorbed the water from the boat and soaked everything inside my pack. Sounds like a familiar theme for me. After a while a new bus came and picked us up – Joe left our familiar safari vehicle and trailer parked at the hotel and we were driven to the docks where the ferry waited for crossing of the Zambezi. It was a bustling place – lots of people waiting to cross plus cars and the heavy duty trucks. Fortunately we had our own boat which quickly arrived and we loaded up and crossed the mighty Zambezi. The river is such a mighty force in literature and history it almost seemed mythical to be actually crossing it. When we arrived we were promptly met by a new bus driver – and by a slew of men trying to sell us souvenirs. Reminded me of the onslaughts we used to get in East Africa. We loaded up on the bus and drove to the border station. Our bus driver took our passports and our money for a visa and took them in to the office and came back for our visas! After all our concerns it was so simple! (Zambia is my 31^st country I have visited.) We were driven to our lodge through a forest area that had some mammals – elephants and giraffes I think. We got to our lodge and washed up quickly and went to lunch – it was late and we were starving. We had a good lunch although it took a while. Then we met another driver out in front who took us to see Victoria Falls. As we drove closer to the falls we could see the spray rising above the falls like a very heavy fog. We were warned that we would probably get wet but I had no idea what to expect. We walked out to the falls – the river at the top is amazing – beautiful and so powerful and then we walked along getting various views of the falls – they were just amazing. I really enjoyed walking along the path and enjoying the views. But then there was a bridge to see more of the falls and at that point they were renting raincoats. We all had coats so we kept going and as soon as I started walking I knew I was making a mistake. I hate getting my clothes wet and I especially hate getting my boots wet. But I was behind everyone else and there was no one to tell I wasn’t going on and I wasn’t sure if they would be coming back the same way. Finally when I got up to Joe I told him I wasn’t going on but it was too late by then. He ended up walking back with me and we waited at a bench for the group to come back. I rung out my socks but ended up throwing them away at the lodge. I took my boots apart and used the hair dryer to get started. When we left the room I turned up the air conditioner to help dry them out. Even with all that they weren’t dry the next day when I had to put them on to go to the airport. But this too I survived. I just didn’t like it. But the falls were gorgeous and well worth seeing. Then Lennie said she really wanted to take the helicopter ride to view the falls. I was not in the mood to get excited about that but I knew by tomorrow I would be and I’d be sorry if I didn’t go so I told her if she’d arrange it I would go! (Nothing like having a good friend to put up with me when I’m in a mood!) So she did and we did and it was absolutely wonderful. (Saturday 3/26/11) Our pilot was all of 13 years old (not really but that is how old she looked.) I later learned her father was a pilot. Regardless of age she was excellent and we had such awesome views of the falls and even more impressive views of the canyons around the falls – absolutely amazing. The mist from the falls extends for a long way and very high up – that is why the native name of the falls is “smoke that thunders”. The Zambezi River is about 1 mile wide at the edge and the falls drop 330 feet to the bottom. Combining those two dimensions makes Victoria falls the largest sheet of falling water in the world. It was a very worthwhile experience. So this was our last day. It was sad to say goodbye to Joe in the morning. I have become very fond of him and I will miss his company and miss hearing how his family life continues and how his children do in school and so forth. He was very much like family to us for these three weeks. We were truly blessed by having him as a guide. I also feel sad saying goodbye to my fellow travel companions. I felt like I had made some new friends and would love to keep in touch but it often happens that after a while we loose contact. (As I am writing this Lennie and I have plans to hike with Kathleen tomorrow – hope we continue this.) We went to the airport in Livingston where we were eventually changed to a different plane because ours was late. As soon as they closed the door they sprayed the plane with some kind of poison. It was ten minutes before I could breathe without a cloth over my nose and mouth. I don’t know how the guy does it. He held three cans – pushed the buttons and walked up and down with the spray – he didn’t even cover his mouth. Ugh. We were served a nice lunch on the 90 minute flight and then we waited about 4 hours in the Johannesburg airport. Lennie and I bought air time and caught up on our emails and I took my shoes off and dried out my socks and put on dry socks. My shoes were almost dry. The flight went well although I couldn’t sleep much so I watch movies. 30 hours after we left Livingston we arrived in San Francisco airport where Lennie’s brother met us and took me home first and then Lennie – so nice to have personal service like that. It was a great trip and I’m so glad I went on it, especially now as after my back surgery it will be a while before I can travel again let alone a trip of this degree of difficulty. So I will enjoy my good memories for a long time to come.

As of 4/14/11 I finished my bird list and I saw 237 species. This list has not been checked against the master list. I saw a total of 90 new life birds so my world list is now at 2717 with 582 species in Africa. I saw about 30 species of mammals and that list is below.

Written from my memories and brief notes on 4/8/11 Revised 4/14/11 again on 4/17/11

Penelope Bowen

Birds I saw in Botswana:

Ostrich

White-faced Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Comb Duck

Egyptian Goose

Spur-winged Goose

African Pygmy-Goose

Yellow-billed Duck

Red-billed Duck

Hottentot Teal

Cape Teal

Helmeted Guineafowl

Crested Francolin

Orange River Francolin

Red-billed Francolin

Swainson's Francolin

Little Grebe

Greater Flamingo

Lesser Flamingo

African Openbill

Abdim's Stork

Woolly-necked Stork

White Stork

Saddle-billed Stork

Marabou Stork

Yellow-billed Stork

Long-tailed Cormorant

African Darter

Great White Pelican

Hamerkop

Gray Heron

Goliath Heron

Purple Heron

Great Egret

Little Egret

Slaty Egret

Black Heron

Cattle Egret

Squacco Heron

Striated Heron

Glossy Ibis

Sacred Ibis

Hadada Ibis

African Spoonbill

Black-shouldered Kite

Black Kite

African Fish-Eagle

Hooded Vulture

White-backed Vulture

Lappet-faced Vulture

White-headed Vulture

Black-breasted Snake-Eagle

Brown Snake-Eagle

Bateleur

African Marsh-Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

African Harrier-Hawk

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

Pale Chanting-Goshawk

Gabar Goshawk

Common Buzzard

Tawny Eagle

African Hawk-Eagle

Wahlberg's Eagle

Martial Eagle

Crowned Hawk-Eagle

Secretary-bird

Greater Kestrel

Dickinson's Kestrel

Red-necked Falcon

Red-footed Falcon

Lanner Falcon

Black Crake

Kori Bustard

Red-crested Bustard

White-quilled Bustard

Wattled Crane

Water Thick-knee

Spotted Thick-knee

Long-toed Lapwing

Blacksmith Plover

White-headed Lapwing

Crowned Lapwing

Wattled Lapwing

Kittlitz's Plover

Three-banded Plover

Black-winged Stilt

African Jacana

Common Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Ruff

Double-banded Courser

Collared Pratincole

Caspian Tern

Whiskered Tern

African Skimmer

Yellow-throated Sandgrouse

Double-banded Sandgrouse

Burchell's Sandgrouse

Rock Pigeon

Red-eyed Dove

Ring-necked Dove

Laughing Dove

Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

Namaqua Dove

African Green-Pigeon

Meyer's Parrot

Gray Go-away-bird

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Black Coucal

Coppery-tailed Coucal

White-browed Coucal

African Scops-Owl

African Palm-Swift

Red-faced Mousebird

Malachite Kingfisher

Gray-headed Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher

Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

White-fronted Bee-eater

Little Bee-eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Southern Carmine Bee-eater

European Roller

Lilac-breasted Roller

Rufous-crowned Roller

Broad-billed Roller

Eurasian Hoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

Common Scimitar-bill

Red-billed Hornbill

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Bradfield's Hornbill

African Gray Hornbill

Southern Ground-Hornbill

Crested Barbet

Pied Barbet

Black-collared Barbet

Bennett's Woodpecker

Bearded Woodpecker

Chinspot Batis

Pririt Batis

Retz's Helmetshrike

Brubru

Brown-crowned Tchagra

Tropical Boubou

Crimson-breasted Gonolek

Gray-headed Bushshrike

Red-backed Shrike

Lesser Gray Shrike

Magpie Shrike

White-crowned Shrike

African Golden Oriole

Fork-tailed Drongo

African Paradise-Flycatcher

Cape Crow

Pied Crow

Flappet Lark

Eastern Clapper Lark

Fawn-colored Lark

Spike-heeled Lark

Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark

Gray-backed Sparrow-Lark

Red-capped Lark

Barn Swallow

Wire-tailed Swallow

Lesser Striped-Swallow

Southern Black-Tit

Southern Penduline-Tit

Common Bulbul

Red-eyed Bulbul

Yellow-bellied Greenbul

Terrestrial Brownbul

Icterine Warbler

Green-backed Camaroptera

Barred Wren-Warbler

Rattling Cisticola

Chirping Cisticola

Zitting Cisticola

Desert Cisticola

Black-chested Prinia

Rufous-vented Warbler

Cape Crombec

Chat Flycatcher

Mariqua Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

White-browed Robin-Chat

Kalahari Scrub-Robin

Capped Wheatear

Stonechat

Southern Anteater-Chat

White-headed Black-Chat

Groundscraper Thrush

Hartlaub's Babbler

Southern Pied-Babbler

Arrow-marked Babbler

Wattled Starling

Cape Glossy-Starling

Greater Blue-eared Glossy-Starling

Meves's Glossy-Starling

Burchell's Glossy-Starling

Red-billed Oxpecker

Yellow-billed Oxpecker

Amethyst Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Mariqua Sunbird

White-breasted Sunbird

Western Yellow Wagtail

Cape Wagtail

African Pied Wagtail

African Pipit

Plain-backed Pipit

Buffy Pipit

Yellow Canary

Cape Sparrow

Southern Gray-headed Sparrow

Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver

Scaly Weaver

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Holub's Golden-Weaver

Southern Brown-throated Weaver

Southern Masked-Weaver

Red-billed Quelea

Red Bishop

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Blue-breasted Cordonbleu

Violet-eared Waxbill

Green-winged Pytilia

Red-headed Finch

Broad-tailed Paradise-Whydah

Eastern Paradise-Whydah

Shaft-tailed Whydah

Village Indigobird