This is the last post from our Chobe-Zambezi trip in October.This post shows the scenes you are likely to see while travelling along the Chobe river between Kasane and Serondela’s picnic spot.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

~ Pat Conroy 

A pair of young Lechwe sparing early in the morning on Sedudu island, which is the main island just up river from Kasane.

A pair of Skimmers in full flight above their breeding island

Fish take-aways down next to Elephant Valley.

Elephant bull wading across a channel in the Chobe river with Chobe Savanna Lodge in the background.

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”

~ Lillian Smith

A pair of Carmines were hawking insects from this dead branch. They were flirting with danger! They could quite easily get tangled in the discarded fishermen’s netting caught on the branch, probably swept down during the June high water period.

Purple Heron on a reed island just up river from the rapids which are just downstream from the western side of Kasane.

Sand embankment ideal for nesting Pied Kingfishers. This embankment is under water when the river is at its highest in June.

A view from our boat looking up river toward Chobe Game Lodge.

Elephant crossing at dusk. No passport required for this family who crossed from Botswana to Namibia.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

~ Henry Miller

Just past Pygmy Geese bend we got to a Jackalberry grove next to Baboon bend.

A Hippo surfacing in liquid gold at dusk.

A fisherman’s viewpoint.

Skimmer aerial displays

“…few can sojourn long within the unspoilt wilderness of a game sanctuary, surrounded on all sides by its confiding animals, without absorbing its atmosphere; the Spirit of the Wild is quick to assert supremacy, and no man of any sensibility can resist her.”

~ James Stevenson-Hamilton (first warden of South Africa’s Sabi Nature Reserve)

Elephants and Impala herds grazing on the floodplain.

A flock of Glossy Ibis flying home in formation at dusk.

The three Jackalberry trees at the river entrance to the Chobe National Park  at around 18h30.

The sun was fading behind a bank of cloud casting  glorious splays of colour in the sky which were reflected on the water.

“One cannot resist the lure of Africa.”

~ Rudyard Kipling

On our way up river to Serondela picnic site with Botswana on our left and Namibia on our right.

Not much vegetation but some wonderful perches and good perspectives if the game were to come over the ridge.

Down near Serondela, beautiful tree-lined riverbanks teeming with birds.

Three Elephant mothers having just crossed the Chobe river with their youngsters.

A middle aged Elephant bull wandering along the sandy river bank having just crossed the river.

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannahs of long ago?”

~Brian Jackman

A Buffalo herd on the Namibian side of the river.

Co-existence down at Puku Flats

A herd of Elephant cooling off one afternoon when it was over 40 degrees centigrade.

A wave farewell as the Elephant family disappeared over the sand ridge after crossing the river.

We had a fun-filled nine days. It was really hot, especially at Kalizo Lodge. I don’t think the temperature dropped below 40 degrees centigrade on any of the days. October is know as the “suicide ” month because it can be exceptionally hot but that is Africa!!

“When you’ve acquired a taste for dust,
The scent of our first rain,
You’re hooked for life on Africa
And you’ll not be right again
Till you can watch the setting moon
And hear the jackals bark
And know that they’re around you,
Waiting in the dark.

When you long to see the elephants.
Or to hear the coucal’s song,
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire,
You’ve been away too long
It’s time to cut the traces loose
And let your heart go free
Beyond that far horizon,
Where your spirit yearns to be.

Africa is waiting – come!
Since you’ve touched the open sky
And learned to love the rustling grass,
The wild fish-eagles cry.
You’ll always hunger for the bush,
For the lion’s rasping roar,
To camp at last beneath the stars
And to be at peace once more.”
~ C. EMILY-DIBB

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the sixth post from our recent trip to the Chobe river with CNP Safaris.

“Omnia vivunt, omnia inter se conexa
Everything is alive; everything is interconnected.”
–  Cicero

A small group of Waterbuck had been left behind on one island in the Chobe river. The rest of the herd had crossed the channel leaving these three to look anxiously after them. The channel was about thirty metres wide. These stragglers were very wary and kept looking at the water knowing only too well what was lurking beneath its surface.

On our first evening as we were making our way out of the park and in the rapidly fading light when we came across this pride of Lions. Most of them were youngsters and they were accompanied by two or three lionesses but no adult males that we saw.

These Lions had come down to the river to drink and were probably hanging around knowing that other animals would do the same, so it was just a matter of waiting. The darker it got, the greater their advantage because of their excellent night vision.

Down at Elephant Valley, we found this lone Black-backed Jackal scouting the area and getting chased off by some Sable Antelope for his efforts.

This Black-backed Jackal was persistent if nothing else, but his scavenging did not yield any results while we were watching it.

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

~Aldo Leopold

These Giraffe were on the eastern Botswana bank of the Chobe river.  The shadows falling behind them indicated that it was the afternoon. They are normally very cautious when going down to drink because they have to spread their forelegs to be able to reach the water even with their long necks. Once their front legs are spreadeagled they are very vulnerable. They were even more cautious because of this spot. Not only did they have to watch for crocodiles but the thickets behind them were good ambush spots.

We found this young crocodile sunning itself on a the grass-lined bank down at Pygmy Geese corner.

Also down at Pygmy Geese corner, we found a small group of old “dagga boys”, old Buffalo bulls which had separated from the herd. This character was enjoying is afternoon salad with a Cattle Egret and African Jacana for company. They were benefiting from all the insects he disturbed as he browsed the salad bar.

“Life just seems so full of connections.  Most of the time we don’t even pay attention to the depth of life.  We only see flat surfaces.”
~ Colin Neenan

We saw quite a few Giraffe next to the river. When a Giraffe is finished drinking, we often wait a fraction because as it lifts its head it usually flicks water from its mouth creating a distinctive arc – that is the shot. This character was not a particularly masterful “flicker”.

It is very seldom you will see a Leopard along the Chobe river. This was my third time in seven years. On this particular occasion it was late afternoon when this Leopard came down to the river to drink.

This solitary female Leopard jumped onto a large weathered Jackalberry fallen tree trunk. It was a perfect posing position but the light was almost gone.

“As the natural world grows smaller, so too does its intensity and the size of the window through which it may be viewed.”
~Fennel Hudson

The Nikon D810 does an admirable job of capturing a reasonable image of the subject even in low light. We could not manoeuvre into a better position to improve the perspective as there were quite a few boats with the same idea.

Another afternoon down at Pygmy Geese bend, we found the same group of Buffalo bulls grazing on the grass and aquatic vegetation next to the river. This old “dagga boy” seemed to be unfazed by the young crocodile sunning itself on a small grassed island next to him. Neither creature seemed too concerned about the other. The young crocodile had its mouth open to thermo-regulate and the Buffalo was quite content to munch away at the vegetation while standing in the cool water.

“When we try to pick anything out by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
~ John Muir

One afternoon while we were editing our images back at the lodge. Fellow photographer, Louis called us to come a see a rock python which had caught and killed a stray cat. This was the second time this had happened in ten days, according to the lodge staff. There were quite a few stray cats around the lodge and they could often be seen wandering around in the stream below the walkway between the hospitality area and the rooms. What I find incredible is that this python had been clandestine and fast enough to ambush a young cat.

A family of Kudu down near Elephant Valley drinking from the river. The bank was quite steep at this spot so I was surprised the Kudu drank from here as it was a ideal ambush spot for a crocodile. Thankfully the Kudu sated their thirst and moved on unharmed.

Down river just above the rapids, we found this Cattle Egret on an ideal perch  to hawk insects.

This Hippo was showing us that we were in his space and that we should move on.

The “yawn warn” worked, he got peace and we moved on.

“We are members of a vast cosmic orchestra, in which each living instrument is essential to the complimentary and harmonious playing of the whole.”
~ J. Allen Boone

The Baboon troop leader having a finger lunch.

We saw our lone “Leopardess” again two mornings later around 8h30 in more or less the same spot down near Puku Flats. It was a fleeting glimpse and she melted away into the undergrowth.

This male Baboon was getting sleepy in the afternoon sun and yawned showing off his massive canines and a few other things!!.

“At the deepest level of ecological awareness you are talking about spiritual awareness.  Spiritual awareness is an understanding of being imbedded in a larger whole, a cosmic whole,  of belonging to the universe.”
~ Fritjof Capra

You can see this youngster’s mother was also quite snoozy in the hot afternoon sun, but her baby was bright eyed, bushy tailed and looking very serious.

A young mother was taking no chances crossing a small channel, which had a little water in it. They know what lurks beneath the water surface.

Upstream at Elephant Valley, this Kudu bull was very interested in a Kudu female who was trying to have a drink of water in peace while keeping a look out for crocodiles.

“The only good cage is an empty cage.”
― Lawrence Anthony, The Elephant Whisperer

Quite human-like, except for the Elephant dung bit!

While its mother was drinking, this youngster was using her as a “Jungle Jim”.

“The deeper we look into nature, the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret and that we are united with all life that is in nature.  Man can no longer live his life for himself alone.  We realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all this life.  From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe.”
~  Albert Schweitzer

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the fifth post from my recent trip to the Chobe river in October. It is purely about birds, but I have excluded Fish Eagles and African Skimmers from this collection of images as I have two previous posts from this trip focused purely on these birds. This post is designed to give you a small sense of the incredible variety of birds you can expect to see along the Chobe river.

“Of course I realize that photography is not the technical facility as much as it is the eye, and this decision that one makes for the moment at which you are going to snap, you know.”
~Ben Shahn

A Goliath Heron wading in the deep. They seem to be unperturbed by the fact that there are plenty of crocodiles in the water.

This particular character waded out to fish. The Goliath Heron has excellent binocular vision and can adjust for the refraction of the light through the water, so is a deadly accurate spear fisherman.

Most Herons are accomplished spear fishermen. That said this fisherman missed – this time!

We saw the odd Long-toed Lapwing close to the river’s edge. At certain times of the year you can see hundreds of them along the Chobe river.

The ubiquitous Reed Cormorant, this one was perched on an overhanging reed for a little aerial perspective. This is unusual as they normally perch on more substantial branch of a dead tree or on rocks overlooking the water.

This Cattle Egret was having a quiet word with a Buffalo bull who was chewing the cud in the grass out of sight on one of Chobe’s islands.

Up river at Pygmy Geese corner we found this Buffalo bull munching away at the aquatic vegetation in the shallow water. As the Buffalo moved it disturbed insects which this African Jacana was very interested in. 

When a Yellow-billed Stork raises its head after probing the river bed for food it always has this surprised look. This character was a little scruffy but they have striking colouring. During the breeding season their colouration becomes more vivid as their white plumage turns pinkish on the upper wings and back; their ordinarily brown legs turn bright pink; their bill becomes a deeper yellow and the face becomes a deeper red.

Pied Kingfisher with lunch. Yes it did get that size fish down its throat. What always amazes me is that they don’t choke and can still breath during the protracted process of swallowing.

Another Pied Kingfisher looking for supper. Usually we see many Pied Kingfishers along the Chobe river but for some reason we saw very few Pieds in mid-October. This was unusual but was perhaps in anticipation of a change in the weather.

Down near Puku Flats we found a few Carmine Bee-eaters.

This Carmine Bee-eater was showing off its gorgeous colouring.

A pair of Carmine Bee-eaters on their hunting perch.

Carmine-Bee-eater just landing with its catch. These Bee-eaters hunt from a perch. They have excellent eyesight and are incredibly fast and agile fliers.

Having caught their prey they beat it to death on a branch before swallowing it whole.

In as much as we saw unusually few Pied Kingfishers, we saw more Goliath Herons on this trip than I have ever seen on all of my previous trips along the Chobe put together. Again nature has a reason for this but I do not understand the subtleties causing these population fluctuations.

A Goliath stretch.

Having speared this fish a Goliath Heron was in the process of manoeuvering it so that it could swallow it whole.

Collared Pratincole – one of the early visitors. Later in the year huge flocks of these Pratincoles can be seen along the Chobe.

These Collared Pratincoles flock in murmurations much like starlings. They are spectacular to watch.

Giant Kingfisher – a perch hunter looking for a meal of fish or crab.

Giant Kingfisher busy eating a freshwater crab. It has already partly demolished it but beating it to death against the log it was standing on.

Juvenile Malachite Kingfisher

Juvenile Malachite Kingfisher, it has not yet got the red colour in its bill.

Adult Malachite Kingfisher not much bigger than the juvenile but much more colourful.

Adult Malachite Kingfisher

Purple Heron with breakfast

Water Thickknee

Bathing time for this Water Thickknee

African Jacana looking for insects in a Water Lily flower

African Jacana looking for insects and small snails on the lily pads and under the leaves of the aquatic vegetation.

African Jacana – the lily trotter flies to the adjacent raft of lily pads

African Jacana – got to keep moving or else sink.

African Jacana – lily trotting

African Openbill with a mussel gathered from the riverbed.

This African Spoonbill stopped its mussel hunting to wait for the waves from a passing boat to subside. 

” For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.”

~Henri Cartier-Bresson

This African Openbill was alarmed by an incoming noisy White-crowned Lapwing.

This Openbill had cracked open the mussel to extract the edible portion. They are remarkably effective mussel crackers.

A side view of an Africa Openbill showing its unique bill.

Sacred Ibis in flight.

Sacred Ibis coming in to land near Puku Flats.

Squacco Heron hunting in a reed bed at the edge of the river.

“You learn to see by practice. … The more you look around at things, the more you see. The more you photograph, the more you realize what can be photographed and what can’t be photographed. You just have to keep doing it.”
~Eliot Porter

Squacco Heron hunting close to a small herd of Impala.

Squacco Heron moving to another feeding spot.

Yellow-billed Kite scavenging on a dead fish on an island in the Chobe river.

A Yellow-billed Kite comes into investigate a dead fish on the river bank.

Yellow-billed Kite – masterful fisherman and thief.

Yellow-billed Kite in full glide – with fingers gently feeling the wind.

Black-crowned Night Heron – full frontal

Black-crowned Night Heron in the late afternoon getting ready for its crepuscular hunting.

“There is so much more to the things that we think we know from afar. The closer you get the more complex it is, not the simpler it is to understand.”
~Susan Meiselas

Glossy Ibis making it clear to passers by that this was its feeding spot.

Glossy Ibis side view.

Adult Black-winged Stilt in flight

Black-winged Stilt hunting for edibles in the shallows around an island in the river .

White-crowned Lapwing which can be confused with its Wattled cousin. Both have yellow wattles but the Wattled Lapwing as a red patch on its forehead above its bill and only a white patch on its forehead. The Wattled Plover’s neck is streaked whereas the White-crowned has a grey neck and white throat and belly.

This White-crowned Lapwing was letting us know in no uncertain terms that it did not want us around.

African Darter or Snakebird. It is so called because when it is hunting in the water its neck and head stick out of the water and it looks very snake-like.

The ubiquitous resident Lilac -breasted Roller. There is a pair who have their nest in a tree stump next to the trio of Jackalberry trees close to the park entrance.

You will always find an African Spoonbill close to water because their bill is adapted to feeding in water.

The Spoonbill’s spatula-like tip of its bill is very sensitive. It swishes its slightly open bill back and forth in the water. As soon as something touches something moving it snaps its bill shut. They use their feet to disturb fish, frogs or aquatic invertebrates from the sediment on the riverbed.

A Marabou Stork probing the water for something to eat. Marabou is a French word that means “ugly, misshapen old man”. Ugly certainly, we nickname this stork “Dr Death” because they can be seen standing in the trees outside Skukuza camp in Kruger park in South Africa at dusk with their heads hunched on their shoulders and they look quite sinister. Marabou Storks are kleptoparasites. who feed on carrion. There bills are not shaped to tear meat off a carcass so they wait for vultures or predators to do the work and then feed off the scraps. They can often be seen harassing vultures to get them to drop the meat they have just torn off a carcass.

The ugliness lies mainly it its pigmented face and bald head with little tufts of hair. It lacks any significant head feathering so that it can easily wash off fluids from carcasses that coat their head and neck.

The swollen sac at the lower end of the throat is not a crop or gular pouch, as seen in pelicans. It is a gular air sac and functions as a thermo-regulator.  The gular sac can be filled with air in hot weather to increase surface area for heat dissipation (with the capillaries dilated). Conversely, the capillaries are constricted and the sac inflated to be warmed by the sun on cold winter mornings. It is likely that it also serves as a dominance indicator (depending on size and possibly colour) in social interactions. This sac is generally used when threatened and during courtship.

This Marabou is scooping up water in its bill much like a hawk or Ostrich.

This was first time I had ever seen a Marabou Stork bathing. It was particularly hot that day so it was probably also cooling itself.

Grey Heron in its Flasher Pose. They normally strike this pose facing the sun. The sunning or wing drying stance does not appear to be strictly for thermo-regulation or drying in the Herons. At times this pose looks to be for cooling purposes. It was very hot that day so its open wing pose, with open mouth and rapid breathing and vibration of the throat looked to be for cooling. The heating up of the feathers seems to also force out pests which are easier to remove when preening.

This was the first time I had seen a Grey Crowned Crane along the Chobe river. A pair were walking and looking for food amongst a herd of Buffalo.

I hope I have given you a sense of the incredible variety of birds you are likely to see along the Chobe river. Photographing from the boat gives an all together better perspective and the birds seem to accept your presence more.

“The process of photographing is a pleasure: eyes open, receptive, sensing, and at some point, connecting. It’s thrilling to be outside your mind, your eyes far ahead of your thoughts.”
~Henry Wessel

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the third post from my recent trip to the Chobe.

Elephant Valley is about six or seven kilometres upstream along the Chobe river from Kasane. It is so called because of the frequency with which you are likely to see Elephant herds coming down to drink. The valley is created by a gap in the ridge along the Chobe. Of course, Elephant are not the only species which come down to drink there. It is a thirsty land at the end of spring while everything waits for the first rains. We often also see Baboon, Kudu, and sometimes Jackals drinking from this spot.

“In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.”

– Aaron Rose

The surprise was that we got to see Sable Antelope on two separate occasions at Elephant Valley. Many people pass this spot and never get to see Sable Antelope. Here are a few images from those two sightings. I know I put out a post on Sable before I went on this trip but these are my favourite antelope, perhaps because they have such usual colouring, look so majestic and are fearsome scimitar swordsman.

On this occasion, we saw a small herd of young Sable which had come down to drink. They had to compete with the Elephants and of course size counts.

The Sable steered well clear of the Elephants but that did not stop one young bull giving the young Sable a scare.

Elephant Valley is a perfect ambush location for predators. Not that we have seen a kill in this spot but the vegetation on the sides of the shallow valley slopes are perfect ambush spots. The animals that come down to drink here know how dangerous this spot is and usually drink quickly and leave.

“I am not interested in shooting new things – I am interested to see things new.”

~Ernst Haas

The Sable come down to drink in a small herd which gives them more ears and eyes to scan for danger.

The Sable are skittish. They are well aware of their vulnerability in this spot, so when one of their own spooks the rest jump.

Invariably, they do not wait to find out what gave them a start but just galloping away from that immediate area.

These Sable were thirsty so they did not go too far but far enough to get out of possible harms way. After the immediate dash, they stopped and turned around to assess what is going on. Sable are grazers and browsers but all the Elephant in the park have destroyed much of the bush adjacent to the river so the gazers must move some distance away from the river to find food. They are therefore usually very thirsty when they arrive at the river.

“Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep.”

– Le Corbusier

You can see the ambush spots all around them and so they stand equidistant from each of the bush clusters. This tells me they are acutely aware of the dangers around them and are continually measuring their options.

This group seems to work in a co-operative way. They all looked out in different directions.

One of the advantages of moving in a small herd is that you can post sentries to keep an eye out for danger while the others have their heads down drinking.

It does not take much to startle them and they are off.

On this particular occasion it was a Black-backed Jackal which startled them. After a short gallop, they stopped and returned to crowd the Jackal away from that spot. They were not afraid of this small irritation. The real issue is that the Jackal’s yelping can alert larger predators to the Sables’ whereabouts.

Sable, like many antelope, are very wary of drinking directly from the river. They all know that the river is seething with crocodiles. It is in this context that it is unusual to see a Sable kneel down next to the water’s edge to drink. Crocodiles strike very fast from their unseen underwater attack positions and a kneeling Sable would probably not be able to get away fast enough.

“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

~Diane Arbus

As you can imagine there are many scents wafting around this drinking place. One particular scent on this piece of driftwood caught this young Sable’s attention

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”

~Alfred Stieglitz

Sable have unusually large eyes. They are diurnal, but I am not sure whether they have especially good night vision.

This Sable which had moved away from the group got spooked and ran away from the water’s edge on a number of occasions. Time and time again it would trickle back down to the water’s edge to drink.

“Light, that first phenomenon of the world,
reveals to us the spirit and living soul of this world
through colour.”
~ Johannes Itten

Confidence and safety in numbers.

Some of these young Sable were starting to get their adult colouring. Their coats were changing colour from a reddish-brown to jet black. Another indication of their age is the curve of their horns. The horns of these youngsters were not especially curved so I think they were young adults. The curve in the female’s horns is not a full as the male.

The Sable’s horns are lethal weapons and their ability to use them would impress any swordsman. They are quite capable of impaling an attacking lion.

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
~Albert Einstein

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the second post from our recent trip to the Chobe and Zambezi rivers in mid-October with CNP Safaris. This post is focused on African Skimmers and dedicated to fellow photographers Peter and Susanne Scheufler who were especially charmed by the African Skimmers, so much so that Peter’s nickname is now “Skimmer”. Both are great photographers and I am sure they have much better images than I, but I wanted to share some of the wonderful sightings of African Skimmers we were privileged to see.

“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
― David Livingstone

There are three geographically separated species of Skimmer and are all from the genus Rynchops. All three species look similar but with colour variations. The Black Skimmer (Rynchops Niger) is found in North and South America. It has a dark bill tip and to all of its plumage and a black nape in breeding plumage. The African Skimmer (Rynchops Falvirostris) is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and the adults have a yellow tip to their red-orange bill. The Indian Skimmer (Rynchops Albicollis) is similar to the African species but has a white collar. These differences disappear in the non-breeding season when all Skimmers have white collars around their neck. I intend focusing on the African Skimmer because this is the species we saw.

The African Skimmer is an attractive long-winged, short-tailed tern-like bird. The back, nape, crown and top of the wings are black. Their neck and belly are white as is the underside of the wings and tail. When standing on the ground their little vermilion coloured legs look disproportionately small making them look like a tern. Their feet are structured for standing on sandbanks rather than perching on branches.

Their bill is one of the most unusual and interesting aspects about this amazing bird. The top mandible is red-orange and considerably shorter than the bottom mandible, which is also red-orange at the base but the colour fades from red-orange to a yellow becoming almost translucent at its tip. The bill is vertically narrow where the lower mandible narrows further into a blade and this is for cutting the water’s surface. The African Skimmer has relatively big deep-brown coloured eyes, which have enhanced night vision.

Another special adaptation is that this bird has unusually long and relatively narrow wings. These long albatross-like wings enable these birds to be acrobatic in flight and turn very sharply in any direction.

Another special feature of these birds is that when skimming over the water, they are able to fly with a half wing flap rather than a full up and down wing stroke – a sophisticated flight adaption –  and they are able to hold their head steady in this flight mode.

At times the flying displays these birds provide make it look as if they are doing it for the pure exhilaration of flying. It is amusing to watch the juveniles when they start to fly. It is as if their wings are too powerful and they initially struggle to control their flight and when landing, until they get the hang of it, the lower mandible ends up digging into the sand and the youngster comes to an abrupt halt, unharmed.

The African Skimmer is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, but is absent from arid and semi-arid areas given its reliance on small fish as a food source. The African skimmer is found from Senegal to northern Congo River, Uganda and southern Nile Valley, southern Tanzania to the Zambezi Valley, Angola and the Okavango Delta and along the Chobe and Zambezi rivers and in isolated parts of South Africa such as KwaZulu-Natal.

“Wild rivers are earth’s renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away and eventually always winning.”

~ Richard Bangs

They live along large tropical rivers with sandbanks, lake shores, and coastal lagoons. In Southern Africa, the African Skimmer is generally uncommon but can be seen in localised spots in the Caprivi Strip in eastern Namibia, northern Botswana, northern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.

On this particular trip it was unusually hot. Even the Skimmers needed to swim to cool down. Some of the adults ventured to the water’s edge and submerged themselves in water and repeatedly putting their heads under the water – wary of the ever-present threat of crocodiles big and small.

After having “dunked” themselves under the water they would jump up and flap their wings vigorously to remove the water.

Other adults took to bathing in the middle of the river. Here they would “belly land” in the water and take-off again and in the process completely soaking themselves. This did not impair their flying in any way at all. 

When not bathing or protecting their nests, there were other times when a pair of Skimmers would break off and fly in formation in what almost looked like a chase. It was difficult to know whether it was combat or a ritual mating display.

The displays were acrobatic, fast and usually high in the sky giving the birds time to recover the aerodynamics over their wings.

It was spell-binding  watching these acrobatic, aeronautical wizards in full display.

Their aeronautical displays were something to behold.

“Night and day the river flows. If time is the mind of space, the River is the soul of the desert. Brave boatmen come, they go, they die, the voyage flows on forever. We are all canyoneers. We are all passengers on this little mossy ship, this delicate dory sailing round the sun that humans call the earth. Joy, shipmates, joy.”

~ Edward Abbey

The displays would go on for some time and at the end, amazingly, these birds did not seem to be tired or panting heavily, even in the extremely hot conditions.

Sometimes in the ritual displays, the pair would fly vertically at high-speed until they almost stalled before peeling off .

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

This unusual bird seems to prefer large rivers and lakes with expansive, exposed sandbars and islands which they use for roosting and breeding. The African Skimmer is a partial intra-African breeding migrant. It arrives in southern Africa when the water level of rivers starts falling in the period from around mid-year, especially along the Chobe and Zambezi rivers. This is when the river’s sand bank become exposed again.They move north  after breeding, when rivers start rising again from in the new year.

The truly remarkable aspects of a Skimmer are its bill and method of fishing. Skimmers use their “half-wing flap” method to fly very close to the water’s surface. They lower their bottom mandible into the water while flying and the blade-like foremost part of its lower mandible cuts through the water. Its lower mandible is highly sensitive and snaps shut on any fish that is not quick enough to get away.

African Skimmers are usually seen hunting over calm waters because that they fly so close to the water surface. They feed mostly at dawn and dusk when the water surface is usually calmer.Although the African Skimmer is active throughout the day, it is largely crepuscular (active in the dawn and dusk) and even nocturnal. Its good nocturnal vision and use of touch to catch fish enables its hunting success in low light and darkness.

Skimmers do hunt in open water but are more often found hunting along the edge of reed beds and along rivulets where the water surface is calmer.

Skimmers hunt in the late afternoon, and often at night to avoid competition with other fish hunters. They will, however, hunt throughout the day to make up for the demand when feeding chicks. It takes about three months for the chick’s lower mandible to grow long enough for fishing, during which time they are reliant on their parents for food. Food is caught almost exclusively by skimming the water in flight with mouth open and lower mandible submerged.

What is unremarkable about this method of fishing is that the probability of the Skimmer hitting a log or a crocodile or something solid is quite good, yet they survive. The reason is that when their lower mandible strikes something, their head recoils absorbing the impact as their head and bill folds under their body.

Skimmers are social birds, nesting in colonies, but they usually forage alone and sometimes in small group. Skimmer’s nest on sand banks and are highly protective parents. They have a number of threats which range from egg raiding Marsh Harriers, to Water Monitors and even Herons and Marabou Storks. Skimmers take no chances, anything venturing close to their nest will be attacked from Elephant and Buffalo to innocent Blacksmith Lapwings who have to duck to avoid the Skimmer’s attentions.

We found many African Skimmers up at Kalizo, on the Caprivi strip in Namibia. The sand banks were ideal breeding grounds for these inter-African migrants.

“In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibration of beauty.”
– Christopher Darlington Morley

Skimmers are monogamous, nesting either solitary or in a small colonies, and sometimes along with other birds such as Collared Pratincoles, Pied Avocets and White-fronted Plovers.

The nesting parents, with eggs and chicks, were attentive and wary guards.

The nest is probably built by both sexes, consists of a simple relatively deep scrape in the ground. The nest is usually selected from multiple scrapes and is typically located  close to the water level on a riverine sandbar to keep the nest cool in the very high temperatures. The temperature averaged 44 degrees centigrade at midday and in the afternoons, when we were there.

The egg-laying season is mainly from August-October and usually  two to four eggs are laid, though I only ever saw one egg in the nests we found. Both parents take turns to incubate the eggs for about 20-22 days.

The eggs are cryptically camouflaged so we had to be very careful when venturing on to the sandbank to photograph them and the chicks. Needless to say the parents attacked us. Unlike Lapwings, which dive bomb you, Skimmers are skilled fliers and fly horizontally straight at you and veer off to the side at the last second.

At times when we were on the sandbank photographing the chicks the parents flew to an adjacent sand bank and pretended to be injured trying to lure us away from their chicks, much the same way Lapwings and some ducks do.

The chicks were well camouflaged and lay dead still. Certainly any predator flying past would not see these chicks from above as they blended in so well with the surrounding sand.

In the evenings at sunset, we would often see the Skimmers flying in pairs over golden, star-spangled waters.

Hopefully, in some small way, I have given you a sense of the wonder and privilege we feel when watching and being able to photograph these special cameos of wildlife.

“Advice from the river:

Go with the flow, immerse yourself in nature,

Slowdown and meander, go around obstacles,

Be thoughtful of those downstream,

Stay current,

The beauty is in the journey.“

~ Ilan Shamir

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter-connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

I was fortunate enough to spend five wonderful days on the Chobe river photographing wildlife from CNP’s photographic boat with some super people who were passionate about their photography and wildlife, and loved being out in the “bush”. This blog is the first of five and shows a few images of the many Fish Eagles we saw while on the boat cruising the Chobe river.

“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

– Sir David Attenborough

The African Fish Eagle is not a ‘true’ Eagle but belongs to the Haliaeetus genus of Sea Eagles, alongside seven other species worldwide that include the American Bald Eagle and the Eurasian White-tailed Eagle. This is one of the most ancient genera among all living birds. Eagles are seen as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence and admired for it. Watching these incredible raptors in the wild it is not difficult to understand why!!

Adult African Fish Eagles are large raptors, readily recognizable, with their pure white head, neck, chest, and tail, dark chestnut brown body, and black primaries and secondaries. They have broad, relatively long wings, and a fairly short, rounded tail. The face is mostly bare and yellow, as is the cere, The eyes are a dark auburn and the feet are light yellow covered in what looks like scales.

African Fish Eagles are kleptoparasites, which is to say they habitually steal prey from other species. Common victims of this piratical behaviour include Goliath Herons and Saddle-billed Storks.

A Fish Eagle’s toes, similar to the Osprey, are coated in sharp barbs, called spiricules, which help it to grasp fish and other slippery prey.

Fish are not the only item on the menu of this versatile predator. Other prey includes ducks, terrapins, baby crocodiles, mongooses, small waterfowl and even – in the soda lakes of East Africa – Flamingos.

This bird’s conspicuous nature and charismatic presence ensure it figures prominently in the folklore and heraldry of several nations. You will find it on the coat of arms of Namibia, Zambia and South Sudan.

With its distinctive plumage and evocative cry, the African Fish Eagle is probably the most recognisable bird of prey in Africa. This was the male of a pair which had caught a large catfish and were feeding on it on the ground. It must have been too big to carry up to the safety of a large Jackalberry, of which there are many along this river.

“Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”

~ Jimmy Carter

The Fish Eagle is a perch hunter. Usually it is seen perched majestically on a high branch on a waterside tree. From its elevated perch it can watch for fish moving close to the water’s surface. Once prey is sighted, the African Fish Eagle launches from its perch, swoops low over the water, and at the critical moment throws both feet forward to seize hold of its target with powerful talons. African Fish Eagles normally take their fish in long shallow dives and prefer snatching them from the surface in one fluent movement. They usually target surface-feeding fish such as tilapia and catfish and mostly catch individuals that weigh between one-and two kilograms. They have very powerful wings and talons to deal with this form of hunting. Larger fish are usually dragged across the water to shore. If the fish is too heavy, the fish eagle has been know to use its wings to paddle to shore.

Adult African Fish Eagles are normally seen in pairs, but on large, productive lakes and rivers such as the Chobe, nests and roosts can be only a few hundred metres apart, and many birds can be found together in one area. The nests are usually built in a large tree and constructed with sticks lined with grass and water reeds. It can be used year after year, growing in size over time with the addition of reeds, papyrus heads, bulrushes and sometimes Weaver nests.

This  raptor stands up to  0.7m tall and weighs up to 2.8kg. The female is the larger of the two. There is no sexual dimorphism in their colouring, only their size.

Calling and duetting, whilst perched or soaring, is an integral part of the breeding display, and is combined with dramatic aerial dives and falls, with pairs interlocking talons in mid air. I have still to capture this interaction with my camera – tomorrow!!!

African Fish Eagles can live up to 24 years. Their range is throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. These are confident raptors as shown with the adult Fish Eagle unfazed by all the Impala grazing around it.

“Nature is part of our humanity, and without some awareness and experience of that divine mystery, man ceases to be man.”
~Henry Beston

The African Fish Eagle is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List with an estimated 100 000 and 200 000 pairs in the world, probably because of their long life expectancy.

It is very seldom a Fish Eagle flies straight towards you. This was one such occasion. You really get the sense of the power of this eagle. 

It is also a reminder that the bird is three times the size when its wings are extended compared to when it is perched on a branch.  The wing are very wide apart, ideal for soaring and catching thermals which fish eagles often do and climb to great heights in these modest twisters.

The bird has broad, slotted wings. These wings are best for soaring and gliding because they can use warm air updrafts to fly using almost no energy. Birds with these types of wings include Hawks, Eagles, and Vultures.

“The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery – not over nature but of ourselves.”

~Rachel Carson

On our last morning on the Chobe, we came across this Fish Eagle which had caught a sizeable fish and was busy eating its breakfast.

It did not seem to fuss about us and we were not too close as we were using long lenses. Nevertheless, this character started to ruffle its feathers which seems to re-order them. They often do this before flying away.

Sure enough, shortly after its shake-down it took of prey in its talons.

I am not sure what type of fish it was feeding on as it had eaten most of it.

There was obviously enough meat left on that fish to make it worthwhile carrying it away,

There are many pairs of Fish Eagles along the Chobe. Though they do seem to congregate between the entrance to the park at Kasane and Puku Flats. If you travel up river beyond Puku Flats down towards Serondela you are not likely to see Fish Eagles.

“Only when the last tree has been cut down
Only when the last river has been poisoned
Only when the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.“
– Cree Indian Prophecy

A special thanks goes to Johan Greyling who was our guide on this CNP trip – you were great and  I continue to learn from you – thank you.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its inter -connectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

Happily I will be preparing to go to photograph Carmine Bee-eaters from Kalizo Lodge on the Zambezi by the time you read this post. I wanted to show you a few more images of the incredible diversity of  wildlife photographic opportunities available along the Chobe river. 

“We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths;
In feelings, not in figures on a dial.
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.”
~ Philip James Bailey

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

“Vision is not enough — it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the stairs, we must step up the stairs.”
 ~ Vaclav Havel

“Greet each day with your eyes open to beauty, your mind open to change, and your heart open to love.”
~ Paula Finn

“Life is a boundless privilege, and when you pay for your ticket, and get into the car, you have no guess what good company you shall find there.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Experience is not what happens to a man, it is what a man does with what happens to him.”
~ Aldous Huxley

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all of our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time. “
~ T.S. Eliott

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

I am preparing for a photographic trip to Chobe  in mid-October. One of the things I like to do before a trip is to look back over images from previous trips to the same place. This gives me an opportunity to identify gaps in my image portfolio and find scenes and species which I would like to improve on, if possible. There are always new and interesting stories around the sightings on each trip. While looking at images from previous trips it occurred to me that there were many trips and images taken before I started my wildlife blog in mid-2012. This blog shows a few of the images taken on my Chobe trips before mid-2012. 

“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.”

~ Lewis Carroll

This first scene took place on a sand bank alongside the Chobe river. A troop of baboons was milling around first thing in the morning after spending the night at the top of the large trees next to the river. The youngsters are usually very playful at this time when it is still cool. These two young baboons were nervous as two playground bullies circled them. These two bullies were mischievous teenagers who stalked around them trying to intimidate them. The two youngsters clung on to each other for reassurance. They looked very human-like. Eventually those tempting long tails extended on the sand were just too tempting and the teenagers took their cue.

The next image was taken from a game vehicle in the Chobe National Reserve and not the boat. In relatively thick vegetation, we came across the Sable bull. He had paused for a drink in the late afternoon summer heat . I always marvel at the glossy sheen of an adult Sable’s jet black coat. It looks as if it has been groomed like a racehorse. This male was still relatively young, as his horns had not yet developed the full extend of their curve. 

Along the Chobe river late one afternoon, we came across these three Giraffe. They had come down to drink from one of the pools alongside the river. Most animals prefer to drink from the pools separated from the main river, provided the water quality is reasonable. The reason is their fear of crocodiles. The three comprised a female who appeared to be on heat and two very interested males with their entourage of Qxpeckers. The two attending males would not leave her side.

One morning early, around 6h00, we left the lodge and travelled by boat upstream towards Jackalberry corner.  There in front of us was this magnificent Fish Eagle which had caught a massive catfish (barbel) and was busy having breakfast when we came by. Unfortunately, we disturbed him and he flew off with his partly devoured catfish in one talon. This raptor just oozed power and strength. It was a thrilling sighting and looking this image transports me straight back onto the boat early that morning.

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you travel upstream along the Chobe river by boat past the army camp, just before you come to the first right hand bend in the river, there is a tree standing with its “feet” in the water. In the high water season this tree collects grass and reeds which provides a great nesting site for water birds. In the semi-shade of late afternoon this Black-crowned Night Heron appeared in preparation for its crepuscular hunting session. These night birds have a stunning ruby-red eye and two long white feathers, which look like a head-dress.

In summer, the water level of the river subsides and there are many small rivulets. This young Black-winged Stilt was busy hunting in the late afternoon in one such rivulet all on its own.

We were slowly cruising upstream along the side of the main channel towards the Chobe Game Lodge when this young crocodile climbed onto this dead broken tree stump sticking out of the water. This little crocodile was sunning itself. It is not uncommon to see crocodiles sunbathing to warm up. This little chap posed beautifully for us in perfect light and seemed unfazed by us close by.

The most ubiquitous Kingfisher along the Chobe is the Pied Kingfisher. You also see Giant, Malachite, Brown-hooded, Woodland and Half-collared Kingfishers along the Chobe in summer. The Pied Kingfishers are year round residents. They make their nests in the sand banks of the islands once the river subsides. As you can see they are capable hunters.

The Brown-headed Kingfishers do not feed on fish but the abundant insects down next to the river. They have cobalt blue primary wing  and tail feathers which create a splash of colour when they fly. 

Chobe offers a number of Bee-eaters. This next image is of a Little Bee-eater, the smallest of the bunch but one of the most dazzling with its emerald greens, yellows and oranges finished with some above the eye blue eyeliner. These Little Bee-eaters are also attracted to the river’s edge by all the insects. In summer you will also find the Carmine and Blue-Cheeked Bee-eaters along the river. The Little and White-fronted Bee-eaters are year round residents.

The Giant Kingfishers do not have the vivid colours of the Bee-eaters and other Kingfishers but are nevertheless strikingly coloured. This is a female identified by the ochre-brown feathers on her breast which look like a bib and in some cases like a bra whereas the male has a waist coat in the same colour. These are the largest Kingfishers on the river and are very skilled fish and crab hunters.

Providing it is not too windy there is a good chance of finding a Fish Eagle perched on a dead tree stump protruding out of the river, watching and waiting for a hunting opportunity. This was a fully fledged juvenile Fish Eagle. Already it looked like a powerful hunter. Just look at the size of those talons!!

“Never forget: We are alive within mysteries.”
~ Wendell Berry

A little gem found in the reeds along the Chobe river. There are plenty of Malachite Kingfishers along the Chobe river. They usually operate in pairs and are very fast fliers dashing from one section of reeds to another. This is the smallest Kingfisher you will find along the Chobe. I have never seen a Pygmy Kingfisher along the Chobe river. The Malachite Kingfisher is a very skilled fisherman diving into the water at blindingly fast speeds. These are very small birds but their brilliant colouring gives them away in the reeds as they sparkle like gems..

In the next image, it had been heavily overcast the whole day but we had gone out that afternoon on the boat anyway. Often even when the light is poor it is fun to just have a “game drive” by boat. At times when there is a thick layer of cloud, there is a break in the clouds when the sun breaks through and the colour of the light can be very unusual as was on this occasion as we slowly floated passed this family of Elephants having an afternoon drink.

You have to be aware of all the animals in and out of the water along the Chobe river. This is especially true of Hippo. On one occasion we had stopped along the sand bank of one of the islands in the Chobe river. We saw a huge Hippo bull lying asleep about 30 metres away. We were very quiet so as not to disturb him and were photographing the water birds nearby. The next minute the guide shouted to the boat driver to gun it. This Hippo bull had woken up and took objection to us close by and was blundering towards us at speed. Had it not been for the quick reactions of the guide and boat driver we could have had a couple of tonnes of angry bull Hippo on the boat with us, in which case I probably would not be writing this post. That was a close call and we all learnt a big lesson that day. Hippo are territorial and often display their dominance and frustration. The next image shows one of those occasions.

When on the boat, it is evident how careful the game is when it comes down to the river to drink. The reason is that there are many Nile Crocodiles in the Chobe river, and some are enormous. This large Crocodile rushed into the water as we passed. It had been sunbathing on a sandbank on one of the islands  in the middle of the river. It decided the water was a safer place to be.

There is an abundance of fish for the Crocodiles to eat but they will take almost anything that comes down to the water to drink with the exception of Elephant and Buffalo. Though even the old Buffalo bulls cross the channels in a group for fear of the larger crocodiles or “flat dogs” as we nick name them. When a Crocodile catches a catfish it will rise out of the water and shake the fish violently from side to side to break off its head, after which it devours the body of the fish.

The next image shows a bachelor herd of Elephant running along the bank of the Chobe river on the Namibian side. They were being chased by a group of fishermen. You can see a Makoro pulled up into the grass on the left hand side of the water’s edge. These Makoros are a type of canoe which can be up to six metres in length. In the more remote areas these Makoros are crafted from tree trunks, which are painstakingly hollowed out using hand-tools. We could not work out why these fishermen were chasing the bull Elephants. Surprisingly, the Elephants did not stand their ground but perhaps they had some nasty experiences with these types of humans before.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
~ Albert Einstein

Up near Jackalberry Corner, where three large Jackalberry trees stand as guardians of the channel, there are two inlets with reed beds on each side and large rafts of floating water lilies. These water lilies have large leaves which float on the water’s surface and they attract many insects. The African Jacana’s inhabit these beds of water lilies hunting for food. There is one particular inlet which is called Jacana Alley, where there are many pairs of Jacanas. They seem to be intolerant neighbours because there are frequent spats which make for great photography. The next image is of a juvenile Jacana hunting for insects and little molluscs which live just under the lily pad.

The Jacanas have long legs and  feet with huge toes which helps them to lily trot. They tend to walk quickly over the lilies so do not sink. If they stand on a lily pad for too long they do start to sink, especially the adults. Jacanas are also good swimmers. The adults usually fly but the youngsters are capable swimmers. Very small Jacana chicks are known to hide under the lily pads when there is danger around.

In summer, the Yellow-billed Kites migrate back to this area. They are good fishermen and can often be seen catching fish on the water’s surface. This male Yellow-billed Kite was offering a female a gift but she seemed indifferent to his attempts to get her attention. 

There are many pairs of Fish Eagles along the Chobe river. They perch, roost and nest in the large trees which line the river on the Botswana side. When an adult Fish Eagle takes off from its perch you get a sense of size of these raptors. Obviously, one of the images every photographer wants to get is a Fish Eagle snatching a surface swimming fish from the water. We do not bait the birds so it is very rare to get a natural, unbaited shot of Fish Eagle catching a fish. 

“And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.”

~ Shanti

At the end of an afternoon when making our way back to the lodge to be out of the park by 18h30 in summer, we stop to take some images of the sunset from the boat. Often we are graced by a spectacular show of light and colour at sunset.

This next image was taken of two young elephants mock fighting in the last of the day’s light. They were on the main island just upstream of the lodges.  We would love to spend more time on the water once darkness falls but the National Park does not allow it probably to give the animals and birds some peace and a break from the human gaze.

There is a wonderland of animals and bird life to photograph along the Chobe river. One of the big attractions of this forthcoming trip will be the Carmine Bee-eaters. I have been to the Chobe river to photograph many times and each trip is different and each day on every trip is different.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”

~ Roald Dahl

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

I was looking through some images from a previous trip to Chobe. One of the special sightings you are quite likely to see are Sable Antelope. These are, for me, the most magnificent antelope in Africa.

“It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators.”
–Ansel Adams

Sable belong to the Hippotragini tribe, according to Trevor Carnaby’s “The Antelope of Africa”, the horse like antelope. They certainly look horse-like with their manes. This group includes the Sable, Roan, Gemsbok, Oryx and Addax.

According to notes from F.C.Selous in 1899, Sable were plentiful in the whole of South-East Africa at that time. Today you consider yourself privileged to see one in the wild, as they are rare.

This is a herd of young Sable. You can tell by the brownish colouring and and the horns are partially curved.

The older animals are either very dark brown or jet black. The females have shorter, more slender horns which do not curve back as much as the males. The males can have magnificent backward curving horns which can grow as long as 120 centimetres.

The Sable are usually quite skittish when coming down to the river. They do not linger. They drink and move off quickly.

Sable, like all the animals, are wary of the crocodiles lurking in the water and there are some massive Nile Crocodiles in the Chobe river.

“Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.”
 –Paul Strand

Usually the Sable will drink of small pools of water just away from the water’s edge, for fear of surprises from Crocodiles.

The Sable herds are expanding in South Africa mainly on game farms and conservancies. The African Sable population is estimated to be over 70,000, though wars, politics and game fences have badly affected the population in the last thirty years.

Sable need to drink daily so there is a reasonable chance of seeing this antelope in the morning down at the river.

“A photograph is like a recipe memory the finished dish.”
– Carrie Latet

An older Sable and you can see the colour becomes black and takes on that groomed glossy sheen. This was a lone thirsty female.

Sable are a savannah woodland species, mainly grazers of the higher grasses but will also browse if there is too little grass or the quality of the grass is poor.

The distinct white markings on the face with the patch in front of the eyes separated from the white patch from the muzzle along the jaw by a black stripe.

I am really hoping to get more images of these magnificent antelope during my next trip to Chobe in October. I have included a video link to Youtube of Lions attacking a Sable along what looks to be the Chobe river. Don’t focus on the quality of the video or its title which must be wrong. The video shows how fast these antelope are and how dangerous Sable can be with the backward swipe of their horns.

https://youtu.be/nrija9Sdvu4

I can remember John Condy telling me as a child that as part of a wildlife veterinary research project in Zimbabwe they had darted a Sable Antelope and it was sitting on all fours as the sedation drugs took effect. To be sure the drug had sedated the animal enough to approach it they threw a stone at it. The Sable, even in its sedated state, batted the stone away with its horn. That is how accurate they can be with their horns. A Lion needs to be extra careful with these antelope, they are fighters and are known to impale their attackers.

Sable are generally smaller than Roan Antelope and I don’t think you find Roan in northern Botswana along the Chobe. With luck I will have better images to show you in the next few weeks.

“I think life is too short not to be doing something which you really believe in.”
– Steve McCurry

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

This is the last post from our CNP safari on the Chobe River in August, but certainly not the last trip to the Chobe.

I have entitled this post “Chobe – a photographic wonderland”. The images I have included show in a small way the vistas, moods, light and vast opportunity to photograph mammals, bird, reptiles and landscapes.

“Light makes photography.

Embrace it, admire it and use it.

But above all, know light.

Know it for all you are worth and you will know the key to photography.”

 – George Eastman

In winter the sun rises a little later so we normally have coffee around 6h30 and leave the lodge around 6h45. For the first 15 minutes of the journey the sun is still behind the ridge on the east of the river and the new morn light  creates soft pastel colours exuding sense of serenity and peace – an in-between time.

This is the time when I feel I am experiencing heaven on earth. It is exquisitely beautiful, calm and quiet and we are bathed in soft beautiful light.

On a clear morning the sky turns a reddy-orange at sunrise making it look like it is on fire.

On this first part of the river there are two pairs of Fish Eagles and they normally herald the morning with their iconic call, reminding us that a new day is starting in Africa.

We normally travel up river passed the army camp towards “Pygmy Goose” bend.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Just passed “Pygmy Goose” bend we often see Baboons, Impala and at this time of the year many Spurwing Geese.

It is such fun photographing Baboons because they are always up to something, especially the youngsters. They are human-like in so many ways which normally causes many chuckles on the boat.

The “Oshkosh band” invariably remind us to respect their space. We call Hippos “Oshkoshs” because they sound like the air brake of an Oshkosh truck when it is slowing down.

This last trip we were fortunate to see a reasonable size herd of Waterbuck just passed “Pygmy Goose bend”. It is flat on the flood plain which are intersected by gullies which are filled with water. The Waterbuck are extremely wary of these gullies, probably because lurking in their dark waters are “flat dogs”, our nickname for crocodiles. The Waterbuck and Lechwe jump high over these gullies making sure they clear the gap easily. We only get to see just how strong their legs are when you see how high and far they are able to jump.

The Lechwe graze with the Waterbuck. Presumably there is greater safety in numbers.

This lone Puku caught sight of a Lioness some distance off at the edge of the treeline. He was very nervous even though the Lioness was a long way away.

Down near Skimmer Island we saw a small herd of Buffalo cross the channel between the main island and Skimmer Island. Unlike Wildebeest, they have one good look at the water and then go for it on mass. No crocodile would get in the way of the mass of thrashing hooves under the water.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
– Henry Miller

August is early blossom time for the Knob Thorn tree. This Knob Thorn was amongst the trees at the water’s edge at Chobe Game Lodge. I have never before noticed  how beautiful they are in blossom.

On upstream toward “Elephant Valley” and  you pass steep tree-lined banks where you will see Giant and Pied Kingfishers, Baboons, Impala and the odd family group of Kudu. Once you get to “Elephant Valley”, especially in the afternoons, you are usually rewarded with close sightings of Elephant  families drinking and having fun in the water.

Even the opportunists need to sunbath in the warm late winter sun.

On up river toward Puku Flats you often see Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo and plenty of birdlife. You may even be lucky enough to see a Roller display.

“Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your Mother and all things as your Brothers and Sisters”.

– Unknown tribe

Mother Oshkosh does not like to be caught on land. When you are moving into position to photograph wildlife, it is always wise to see where the Hippos are and watch and wait to see their intentions.

Further up river beyond Lechwe Flats you travel along a wide bend in the river on your way up to Serondela. At this point, if you are lucky you can get some great perspectives because the boat is below the elevated sand bank.

Once you having been travelling for at least an hour up river you come to the Serondela part of the river. Here the river is tree lined. The trees are home to Black -crowned Night Herons and many species of Kingfishers. This is where we saw the African Harrier-Hawk lazily hunting along the treeline.

“Walk lightly in the spring; Mother Earth is pregnant”.

– Kiowa

This is about as far up river as you can go in an afternoon.

Late winter produced an unexpectedly beautiful and colourful treeline along the river’s edge.

On our way back to Kasane just past the Chobe Game Lodge it was early evening. This is the time when the Skimmers start using the evening light and still water surface to start skimming.

The unusual hunting technique in the golden light is special – you have to remind yourself that what you are seeing is real.

We must be out of the park by 18h00 in winter. The trick was to get on the east side of the main Chobe island to be able to get evening silhouette shots. Elephants make ideal silhouette subjects, especially if they are mock fighting.

This bull Elephant was slowly making his way up along the island at last light grabbing swathes of grass with his truck and trashing them around to remove the water and soil.

Photographers are not the only ones enjoying the river at sunset.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”
– Miriam Beard

These images, show in a small way the photographic wonderland along the Chobe river. I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun

Mike