It's All About the Pel's....

We met on the lawn overlooking the Okavango River at 6am and scoped African Openbill, African Marsh Harrier and other birds flying over the burnt grassland on the opposite bank. As the day warmed up, and believe it or not it was very cool first thing, more birds appeared and we nailed Purple-banded Sunbird, Black Cuckoo, Ashy Flycatcher and Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike being the highlights.

White-backed Night-Heron

After breakfast we went on a boat upstream for 3 hours and enjoyed crippling views of a White-backed Night-Heron roosting under some roots of a large tree in the riverbank, and then had a great time with close views of species such as several African Fish-Eagles, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Hamerkop, Sacred Ibis, African Darter, Goliath and Purple Herons, a superb Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, Little Sparrowhawk, several Water Thick-Knees, Malachite Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Black-collared Barbet, Chirping Cisticola, Spectacled Weaver and others.

Western Banded Snake-Eagle

Black-collared Barbet 

African Openbill

White-fronted Bee-eater

I was particularly pleased to see my first African Skimmers but I think we got lucky as only two were present, although we'd see plenty more later in the tour.

African Skimmers

The Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony along the riverbank was also an amazing experience and we moored the boat up quite close and savoured the spectacle for quite a while. 

Southern Carmine Bee-eaters

I really messed up the African Fish-Eagle photos that were enticed to fly down and grab some fish thrown out by our boat driver.

African Fish-Eagle

Best of all was when we hopped out of the boat and looked up into a huge tree and had an adult and almost fully grown juvenile Pel’s Fishing Owl staring back down at us. This was one those special moments in a birders life and another one off the Bucket List. 

Pel's Fishing Owl

Upon reaching the lodge just after 11am we were greeted by flocks of Violet-backed and Meve’s Starlings and then a small group of Brown Firefinches were seen. Not by me, which was rather gripping but I staked out the area and finally had really close views beside the main building. Lunch was at 12.30pm and we decided to go out at 4.30pm giving us several hours to relax, siesta and swim. Great being in the swimming pool with White-fronted Bee-eaters diving around my ears and grabbing insects right beside me!

At 4.30pm we drove just a very short distance to the campsite where the riverine forest was quiet apart from a couple of African Elephants feeding in the marsh below us – a little too close for comfort! And our first Bushbuck was spotted. So we returned to the lodge and scanned the river area where a pair of Hippopotamus were loafing midstream.

Off to Botswana.....

A whole bunch of new birds were on the cards this morning and the first goodie was a pair of Meyer’s Parrots feeding on the lawn beside the restaurant. Wow! Once everyone had arrived and seen the parrots, a Black Crake walked across the lawn as well and joined a fine looking African Hoopoe feeding right in front of us. 

Coppery-tailed Coucal

Then we spent some time overlooking the Okavango River and watched Village and Southern Brown-throated Weavers in the reedbed, Little Bee-eater, a Collared Pratincole flying by, a newly arrived Willow Warbler and House Martin,  and a flock of African Yellow White-Eyes. 

Collared Pratincole

We walked around the corner and scoped a Kurrichane Thrush on its nest, then a Tawny-flanked Prinia appeared before we enjoyed further views of both Hartlaub’s and Arrow-marked Babblers, Swamp Boubou and Coppery-tailed Coucal. A fine male Red-headed Weaver was building a nest beside our cabins and there was also a Red-billed Oxpecker here as well.

Arrow-marked Babbler

Hartlaub's Babbler

Leaving here after breakfast we drove east towards our lunch stop at Poppa Falls seeing Brown Snake Eagle, a group of Retz’s Helmet-Shrikes, Black Kite and an adult Bateleur. 

Bateleur - fantastic as always

Retz's Helmetshrike

There followed the infamous iPhone incident when our vehicle drove back to our last stop to search for a missing phone, and a few of us jumped out and took the opportunity to check some roadside woodland. A good move as there were 3 Green-capped Eremomelas and a Green-backed Honeybird here (not Brown-backd Honeybird as I originally thought). When the minibus returned we found our first Violet-backed Starlings and another Kurrichane Thrush.

I'm thinking this is Green-backed Honeybird.....

Green-capped Eremomela

Lunch at Poppa Falls Lodge produced some chocolate milkshakes, as well as African Pied Wagtails and Giant Kingfisher. From here we had to drive across Mahango National Park to enter into Botswana and along the way saw a fine selection of animals including Roan, Sable, Tsessebe, African Elephant and Burchell’s Zebra, with the avian highlight being some Southern Carmine Bee-eaters perched beside the road. The formalities at the Botswana border were quite quick and we were on our way to Lawdon’s Lodge, arriving at 5pm with a chance to relax for a couple of hours before dinner. Most of us met up on the lawn overlooking the Okavango River and were confronted by a wild fire that had tore through the reedbed across the river with some flames still visible a couple of kilometres away. But birds were everywhere and we had a fine time watching African Openbill and Slaty Egret flying downriver, as well as White-fronted Bee-eaters, White-browed Coucal, Terrestrial Brownbul, and a Tinkling Cisticola.

White-fronted Bee-eaters

After dinner we spotlighted a fine African Barred Owlet to round off another great day.

Etosha - Rundu

A quick check of the gardens before breakfast proved to be a little quiet, although we did see Crested Francolin, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Black Tit, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Common Duiker. We left here shortly after breakfast and headed towards Rundu with a Dark chanting Goshawk a good find during the first section of the drive. 

Dark Chanting Goshawk

We were heading eastwards and making good time on the long, straight tarmac road but making a few stops proved fruitful with a Pied Cuckoo drinking at a roadside puddle, a group of Southern Pied Babblers and a pair of Temminck’s Coursers in a large field.

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Lunch was taken in the shade of a large leafy Acacia where we were joined by a flock of White-crested Helmetshrikes and an African Paradise Flycatcher. Continuing on, the scenery began to change to a more open habitat and we had our first Bradfield’s Hornbill, followed by a pair of Spotted Flycatchers and a pair of African Harrier Hawks. 

Pale Flycatcher

Golden-breasted Bunting

We checked out a nice woodland for Rufous-bellied Tit but it was 39 degrees Celsius and there was barely a bird to be seen until we returned towards the van and found Pale Flycatcher and our first Yellow-fronted Canary.

Lilac-breasted Roller - a common bird here.

We eventually arrived at Rundu Sewage Pools around 5pm where Hottentot Teal, African Greater Painted Snipe, White-throated Swallow, Senegal Coucal, Red-billed Firefinch and Giant Kingfisher were the highlights. Moving on there were Wattled Starlings, Magpie Shrikes and our first Coppery-tailed Coucal. Arriving at Nkwazi Lodge on the banks of the Okovango River a Kurrichane Thrush was spotted at its nest as soon as we arrived. Once we had reached our cabins overlooking the river we saw a group of Arrow-marked Babblers, quickly followed by Hartlaub’s Babblers, a closer Coppery-tailed Coucal, White-browed Robin-Chat, Swamp Boubou, and a brief Meyer’s Parrot.

During dinner a Small Spotted Genet was coming to scraps beside the restaurant and whilst some of the group enjoyed the local dancing provided by the lodge, others spotlighted a very confiding Fiery-necked Nightjar hovering in front of us before alighting on a nearby fence. We followed this with a Rufous-cheeked Nightjar in the spotlight calling from around 10 metres way in a field near the lodge. A great end to the day.

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Etosha Day 3

Another morning’s game drive into Etosha began with a Yellow-bellied Bulbul and a brief Southern Black Tit, and most of the group saw the resident speciality of Black-faced Babbler in the lodge gardens as well. Inside the park a Steppe Buzzard was perched nearby before we reached the first waterhole. This produced a fascinating encounter between 3 Lions feeding on a carcass, who were surrounded by 5 Spotted Hyenas and a bunch of Black-backed Jackals. 

Lions, Spotted Hyenas and Black-backed Jackal

The Jackals kept rushing in to steal some bones and meat whilst the hyenas just circled nearby and then one chased down a jackal and stole a leg of flesh from it! This went on for quite some time and whilst waiting we also saw Black-throated and Yellow Canary.

Green-winged Pytilia

Moving on, we visited another waterhole with some Golden-breasted Buntings drinking, and the next waterhole had lots of bids feeding in the bushes next to us. Pride of place were quite a lot of Violet-eared Waxbills, with several stunning males present. There was also an obliging Green-winged Pytilia and a few Scaly-feathered Finches. At Namutoni Fort, Charly located a stunning Red-necked Falcon perched in a Palm tree, and we also saw Long-billed Crombec, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Red-chested Swallow and at least two Icterine Warblers.

Violet-eared Waxbill

I think the 3 hours rest we had back at the lodge was very much appreciated by everyone before setting out on safari and headed 42kms north of Namutoni Fort to an area where some Blue Cranes had been seen yesterday. It was a long straight road to the area but along the way we called into a waterhole where a family of African Elephants were drinking. We didn’t stop long and continued along a never-ending road until dropping down to a huge, wide-open grassy plain. At the far end was another waterhole and here we found the treasure at the end of the rainbow in the form of 21 beautiful Blue Cranes. 

Blue Cranes

What a great, elegant bird this is and we lapped up the views through bins and scopes, whilst photos were being taken by the dozens. The pool was also home to lots of Little Stints and Kittlitz’s Plovers, plus a single Common Ringed Plover and Banded Martin. After a few unsuccessful attempts at finding any new larks we headed back, finding a pair of Burchell’s Sandgrouse along the way and a Fawn-coloured Lark.

Burchell's Sandgrouse

Etosha Day 2

We had an early breakfast before packing the luggage into the trailer and checking our the Okaukeujo waterhole one last time where a pair of Tawny Eagles were new for the trip. This was a great day in Etosha beginning with a Red-crested Korhaan crossing the road in front of us as we drove to the entrance gate to pick up our safari vehicle, where another Secretarybird was seen. 

Red-crested Korhaan

This converted truck offers all-round viewing from an elevated position and is perfect for a safari – and off we set. In all today we had five different encounters with Lions today, including this cracking young male. 

Another Lion

On the opposite side of the road a non-breeding plumaged Caspian Plover was a really good bird to see and we spent quite some time watching it. 

A distant Caspian Plover

Further on, we called in a stunning Rufous-eared Warbler before coming across three Spotted Hyenas that were hiding in a culvert under the track. 

Rufous-eared Warbler

Spotted Hyena by Tom Bray

They had obviously just been feeding on something as they had blood around their muzzles and kept trying to return to their hiding place, coming very close to our vehicle. Then a Black Rhino was seen, followed by Rufous-chested Swallow, a group of White-crested Helmet-Shrikes and a pride of Lions at a waterhole.

Black Rhino

Burchell's Courser

We kept criss-crossing the flat, stark Etosha landscape and found several pairs of Burchell’s Coursers including some recently fledged young before reaching yet another waterhole. This one was crowded with a variety of animals including a group of African Elephants, Blue WIldebeast, Burchell’s Zebra, Black-faced Impala and Springbok. The interesting thing about this spot was a Lioness was hunkered down behind a fallen tree waiting in ambush but she never had any prey close enough to pounce on. 

Meanwhile two young male Lions were sleeping in the shade of some bushes a little further away! A Lanner was also present here along with an African Jacana.  As we headed to Halali in a gale and sandstorm a pair of Bat-eared Foxes were seen running alongside the road – a really good quality mammal.

Bat-eared Fox

At Halali we had lunch, saw a day roosting African Scops Owl and best of all a few Bare-cheeked Babblers. 

Bare-cheeked Babbler

Moving on, there was Purple Roller, Bateleur, and another Lioness with a small cub.

Purple Roller

 The undoubted highlight was a family of 3 Cheetahs walking across a vast, open plain and this sighting came totally out of the blue – a great 18^th birthday present for Tom.

Cheetahs - wow!