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| BLNG trip to Okavango, Botswana and Namibia (Mahango Game Reserve and Popa Falls): 18-27 March 2011 |
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| Written by Neithard Graf von Dürckheim |
| Monday, 21 November 2011 10:50 |
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Having only joined BirdLife Northern Gauteng at the end of last year, my wife Kathrin and I were thrilled to be accepted for this “trip of a lifetime”, albeit with varying emotions. We wondered if we would “go under” in a large bird club, having done all our previous birding on our own. But, we were pleasantly surprised. The twenty tour participants were briefed on Tuesday 8th March by our leaders and guides Amanda Haggett-Haagner and Adrian Haagner. The group was to meet at Ghanzi, Botswana, on Friday 18th March, for an in-between stop en route to Shakawe, and to have a get-to-know-you dinner. This was well organized and great fun; we were given stickers of special birds to wear on our foreheads which we then had to identify, with hilarious results. We did some good birding at Ghanzi (sightings included Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Burchell’s Starling, Grey- and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, and a host of other birds) and purchased some fresh meat, keeping the receipt. North of Ghanzi at Kuke, we reached the first Foot-and-Mouth-Disease checkpoint. Having proof of our purchase of fresh meat at Ghanzi, we were issued a permit to transport the meat. (Friends had told us that all their meat had been confiscated a few weeks before). Three further checkpoints followed on the 485 km from Ghanzi to Shakawe. The roads were excellent up to Sehitwa (in better condition than the last stretch of the N4) and also good, albeit narrower up to Shakawe. We reached our destination at Drotskys just south of Shakawe and set up camp in our off-road trailer. Twelve participants stayed in chalets and 8 of us camped. After a long trip and having refuelled at Etsha 6 (yes, that is the name of this “frontier town”, with its one fuel station and two bottle stores) Kathrin made sandwichs for late lunch, while unpacking. The pleasure was not to last: Vervet Monkeys relieved me of my hard-earned sandwich and Johan and Jeanette Heuseveldt lost a packet of chips. The monkeys were unimpressed by Johan’s catapult… We did some birding in and around Drotskys, and the “lifers” started rolling in. Adrian Haagner proved to be an extremely good guide and his knowledge of birds is exceptional; his field guide experience being very evident. We saw Swamp Boubou, Brownthroated and Golden Weaver, and Hartlaub’s Babbler, White-browed (Heuglin’s) Robin-Chat, as well as swarms of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, plus Squacco Heron, Pied- and Giant Kingfisher, and Wire-tailed Swallow, to name but a few. The next day, Sunday 20th March started with an (early) morning boat birding outing on the Okavango. Not only did we find the ecology and natural surroundings very beautiful and pleasing, but the morning started sensationally. We saw our first Coppery-tailed Coucal, Green-backed Heron, Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Chirping Cisticola (it did chirp) and Lesser Swamp-Warbler in the papyrus. As the boats came around a curve in the river a commotion broke out; we were treated to our first glimpse of Pel’s Fishing-Owl taking off and landing in a tree. When the boats docked and we all tumbled out chaos ensued. The adrenalin pumped, binoculars shook and cameras clicked steadily. Then we were lerted to the fact that there were actually two Pel’s Fishing-Owls, the second somewhat lower and partially obscured by the foliage of the tree. After a period of time which felt like hours, we returned to the nearby boats with stiff necks and many photos. We were loath to leave behind the Pel’s looking down at us with their large, dark thoughtful eyes. This was indeed a memorable sighting! The lifers did not end there, Luapula Cisticola, (European) Sedge Warbler, Brown Firefinch, White-backed Night-Heron were added as well as numerous others like Pygmy Goose, Malachite Kingfishers, Lesser Jacana, Yellow White-eye, and Little Bittern. What a day! That afternoon we went on a forest walk. It was hot and sticky, but our guides Amanda and Adrian were an example to all. Terrestrial Brownbuls, a Steppe Buzzard, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-billed Francolin and many other birds crossed our path. A small group decided to continue braving the heat and were rewarded with a splendid sighting of an African Golden Oriole. Decidedly exhausted we sank into our camp chairs for a drink and some supper. The next day, Monday 21st March started with morning birding in Shakawe and surrounds from our vehicles. We saw Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Brown-crowned Tchagra, White-browed Scrub-Robin as well as Meyer’s Parrot screeching overhead and settling in some Combretum trees to feed on the seeds. The birding continued with Double-banded Sandgrouse, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, and White-crowned Shrike. Driving further towards Shakawe, we were rewarded with a sighting of Sharp-tailed Starling (a special of this region), as well as Mosque Swallow and my special for that afternoon, some Yellowbilled Oxpeckers, doing their trick of removing ecto-parasites on domestic cattle. The moral of the story: closely observe all animals, even underfed cattle. That afternoon the heavens opened and we fled into our tents. Later on, we sat under the roof on the deck of Drotskys, drinking coffee, watching the rain and reflecting on the wonderful sights we had seen. On Tuesday, we left early for our day outing to Tsodilo Hills which was just as well. We kept on stopping to view a variety of birding parties. The star of the show was a Wood Pipit, further good sightings included Purple Roller, Black Kite, Bateleur, Rattling Cisticola, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Tinkling Cisticola, Striped Kingfisher, Fawn-coloured Lark, Eurasian Hobby, Brubru, Yellow Canary and Fan-tailed Widowbird. We had a fleeting glimpse of Bradfield’s Hornbill but in flight it was quite difficult to make a positive ID. Tsodilo Hills consist of Inselbergs in the middle of the flat sandy Botswana landscape. They are best known as an archaeological site of significance, displaying San rock art from the latter period of the Middle Stone Age and into the Later Stone Age (25,000 years ago to more recent times) and were declared a World Heritage Site in 2001. Van der Post’s panel, was of particular interest. It depicts well preserved paintings of Eland1. But our admiration of the San rock art was cut short when we were inundated by an African thunderstorm, which ended our archaeological excursion – a great pity. The “main road” which had been a rough surface most of the time turned into a series of small dams. We had to engage 4-wheel drive and slid back to camp, with our vehicles looking as though we had participated in the Dakar Rally. Wednesday saw another early start when we left at 06:00 for the Caprivi in Namibia, whilst it was still dark, dodging the donkeys on the road, who stubbornly remain standing even if you hoot at them. Our first surprise of the day was a sighting of three Bradfield’s Hornbills at the border post. Heavy rains in the catchment area of the Kavango/Okavango in Angola had led to extensive flooding and the Popa Falls were an impressive torrent. Unfortunately, the rocks where we had hoped to see the Rock Pratincole were inundated. Faced by a similar situation in the Mahango Game Reserve, we visited the Buffalo Game Section instead. After struggling through a free 4x4 obstacle course and crossing a flooded drift, the next drift proved too deep and we were forced to turn back, settling down in the middle of the track in the shade of some trees for our lunch. We did have one very good sighting of a group of Long-toed Lapwing noisily feeding in the shallow water of a drift (a “special” tick for our list), plus Wattled Lapwing, Comb Duck, Abdim’s Stork, Pale Flycatcher and Gabar Goshawk. In the late afternoon we relaxed on a double-decker boat which took us for an evening booze and Pel’s Fishing-owl cruise; we enjoyed the peace and tranquility while sipping sundowners in style and admiring the landscape, vegetation and birds. The next day, we were treated to a full day boat trip. Our rather late wake-up call saved us from meeting the large resident hippo that had ambled down the path linking our campsite with the ablution block, on his way back to his watery habitat. During our boat trip we saw a great number of special birds, such as Purple Heron, Willow Warbler, Banded Martin, Lesser Jacana, and Allen’s Gallinule. During lunch on Xaro Island, a conglomeration of reeds forming a little “island” came floating past on the current with an African Jacana perched on top. One of the group remarked: “A Jacana on a taxi!” After lunch, we went for a walk to explore Xaro, which netted Lesser Honeyguide clinging to the trunk of a baobab tree, as well as White-faced Duck, Goliath Heron, and Great Reed-Warbler. Friday was reserved as a “return to hotspots/free day”. Some birders drove off in various directions, while others stayed in camp, took a walk and saw Narina Trogon. Late that afternoon we had our second booze and Pel’s Fishing-Owl cruise. It was a splendid ending to a fantastic birding trip. We saw a great number of birds we had seen previously, such as Coppery- tailed Coucal, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters in great numbers, Water Dikkop (somehow, I can’t relate to Thick-knee, please forgive me). Saturday saw us break camp at 04:30 by torch light and head for Lake Ngami, en route back to Ghanzi, again doing the “donkey-slalom” before daybreak. We expected to board mokoros (dugout canoes, which proved to be fibre-glass replicas) to get through the dense vegetation and shallow waters to more open waters, hoping to see rarities such as the African Skimmer. The skippers however did not manage to find the correct channels into open water and after a number of abortive attempts, we returned two hours later with stiff limbs and sore behinds. Despite these frustrations, we did see quite a few birds including Comb Duck, Moorhen, Lesser Jacana and a number of sandpipers. We met again at Ghanzi for a communal braai in the boma near the camping site, where the total bird list was discussed; our grand total came to 296 birds! Amanda had also reached her coveted 700! All this was accompanied by lively conversation, exchanging of addresses and the impromptu one-man-band, Ben Huddle, entertaining us to guitar-led songs. The next day we left for home, taking along a camera full of photographs, a list of new “lifers” and a host of good memories. Thank you Amanda and Adrian! Nicer and more knowledgeable guides would be hard to find. They acted with professionalism, engaging kindness and great enthusiasm, combined with exceptional knowledge and skill. Amanda and Adrian, you allowed us to experience the wonders of the Okavango in a special, unforgettable way. References Van der Post, L. 1962. The Lost World of the Kalahari. Penguin Books, Clays Ltd |