Wednesday, 6th March. While our guides were not licensed for Botswanan wildlife trips, there was nothing to stop them explaining things if we took established boat rides from Chobe Safari Lodge within the Chobe National Park. So at 9 a.m. we set off for the first of two boats rides today – in which we saw lots of elephants! On the whole, to begin with, we kept to the south bank of the Chobe River.
Facing north. Darter and reed cormorants.This little fellow, a wire-tailed swallow, hitched a ride for a short while.Red bishop. So striking.Brown-throated weaverJacanasGiant kingfisherNile crocodile, not very big, only about 5 feet (1.5 metres) long…
When we saw elephants, I took enormous numbers of photographs and videos. Just a very few are here.
Play fightingThis big bull isolated himself to his own mud bank, very near to us.The eyes have it.Not threatening nor hassling, just cooling I think.I had this taken just to prove that I was really there. I’m still on the boat!
We continued on our way, to a ‘lovely’ muddy area.
Glossy ibisTwo glossy ibisesWe had pulled in, nudging the bank. The local guide had to draw this to my attention – right under my nose. Squacco heron.The Flanders and Swann song is, I believe, about hippopotamuses. Clearly elephants like mud too.As do Buffalos (or Buffaloes – take your pick)
We started wending our way back, mainly along the northern bank of the river now.
These impala were on the far southern bank.
White-crowned lapwingThere’s a water monitor in there
The we became aware of lots, and lots, and lots of elephant lining the southern bank.
On the northern bank was already this leader, presumably the matriarch of at least some of them. She summoned them over.
And they came. The elephants here are well-known for swimming across the river.Just as mum holds her trunk out of the water, so does her tiny baby, keeping very close to her right ‘hip’.Still therePresumably those that crossed were all of the same family.And after a good wallow for some, they continued on their way.
Tuesday 5th March. Last few hours in Namibia. During our customary pre-breakfast walk around the grounds of our lodge, the Zambezi River looks much the same as it did the evening before.
These splendid flowers are those of the Lucky bean tree.Poor early morning light , and distance, made it difficult to get a good take on these woodland kingfishers.Dark-capped bulbuls
On our way to a different border crossing…
Emerald-spotted wood-dove
But before getting there, we stopped for coffee at a very small lodge, with, I think, the hope of seeing a particular bird.
Not this tiny one, spotted first by me (a rare occurrence!), a collared sunbird…but this large pigeon-sized one, very elusive high in the tree, a Schalow’s Turaco, only found immediately round here, and in the same group as the Go-away-birds.This is the young man who showed us round. He was raising the tree squirrel, hoping to release it into nature in due course. It was very tame.
Continuing, and near the border crossing…
Malachite kingfisherAnother of those Openbills
By lunchtime we had reached the Chobe Safari Lodge, right by the Chobe Safari Park, where we were to spend two nights. I have to say, very comfortable and smart as it was, it was my least favourite resting place. It was HUGE! As a result the dining area sounded like a large works canteen, very noisy, though I had no complaint about the food. There was a large swimming pool which had many people around it, as if we were at a seaside resort. And my room, on the second floor (there hadn’t been any second floors so far) was really just a very modern, characterless, hotel room, from which this was the view, onto the Chobe River.
Not to be blamed on the lodge, but the temperature that day was the highest we were to know – 38° C max – and, with an overnight temperature of 20°C min, at last I gave in and put some air conditioning on. I had been resisting up to that point on environmental grounds.
A corridor area and part of the dining area, with, rarely, no-one else immediately around
Our leaders, being themselves visitors from Namibia, were not licensed to show us round the national park, so later in the afternoon, we went out for a drive to … another sewage works. Some good sightings though. Here are a few.
Carmine bee-eaterMagpie shrikeWe kept a wary eye on this buffalo. It does not appear close because I used a lot of zoom. It appears close because it was close!Common mynaImpala, solitary, and a long way off.Red-billed queleaRed-billed buffalo weaverAfrican Golden weaverWhite-winged widowbird, related to the Red bishop.
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