September 2, 2019: Under The Botswana Sky

Kalahari Sunset

“Most game reserves in Botswana are large tracts of totally undeveloped wilderness. There are no paved roads, fast-food stands, water fountains, campgrounds, restrooms, or any of the other “improvements” found in parks and reserves in more developed countries.” 
― Mark Owens, Cry of the Kalahari

It’s particularly difficult to describe a day in an African game reserve camp. The hardest part is knowing where to start. Should it be with the nightly lullaby frog-chorus near the tent on the banks of the Gomoti River? The frightening footfalls in the night that provoke concern about the sturdiness and tomfoolery of the structure you sleep in whilst protected under mosquito netting against Africa’s small, but most deadly animal? Coming from first world cities, you gain an appreciation for the meaning of darkness, perhaps for the first time. Or perhaps I should write about the alarm clock of disputing ducks that commences at 6 am sharp?  

Maybe it makes more sense to concentrate on coming and going of  the light--- the gradual morning crescendo of silver from the east that outlines the resting kudu’s horns and eventually produces his shimmering shadow in the calm, receding waters. Or was the golden sunset better? Watching the hippo family breaking eyes barely above the river’s surface as the giant orange orb of sun drifts down below the horizon.  Possibly I should concentrate on the feast of the eyes that is a daily routine here for the animals making a life here in the Moremi Game Reserve. They seem entirely exotic and wild, but they are, in fact, merely going about their day. It’s almost laughable in a way to imagine switching places . A Land Cruiser full of zebras, elephants, impala, warthogs and screeching baboons roving by my house, stopping in the kitchen to watch me eat eggs, staring me down as I walk to the hospital, marveling at our team’s ingenuity in  the operating room, or  “oohing and ahing”  as they snap photos of life and death in the emergency room with their cell phones and cameras. And the whole while I ‘d attempt to run away or at the very least, shun them. In some ways, it makes me ashamed to disturb their routine. But the struggle of their lives and the integrated dance of sound and sight set in the backdrop of African sage and the shallow life-sustaining river is more temptation than I can resist. 

And so, I'm going to let a series of photos tell a story that is too large for words... or even images. And maybe bigger than the expansive human imagination.  All the advice I can give is this: COME TO AFRICA.

“You know you are truly alive when you’re living among lions.” 
― Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

Paul's Ponderings:   Wow, what an incredible couple of days looking at wildlife and scenery in Botswana.   I can't recommend the area highly enough.  We saw an abundance of wildlife with the help of the great staff and drivers at our lodge and could easily have stayed a couple more days.   It's been quite warm here during the day, even though it is winter, but at night quite cool.    After spending two days at the Moremi reserve, we now move up to Kasane and some no doubt new experiences there.   More to come.....

SETTING

We are staying at the Mmadinare Bush Lodge--which means the Mother Buffalo. And we have a motherload cool tent on the Gomoti River banks where we constantly see wildlife. 

We are in northern Botswana, near the Zimbabwe border on the Gomoti River which noticeably recedes daily in the drought.

BEASTS

A Cape Buffalo herd on the move. Our drivers said this member of the "big five" is the scariest to them, as it gives no warning prior to attacking the jeeps.

The Tsseseb. An animal I didn't even know existed, but a pleasant surprise on the game drive.

The hyenas usually travel in pairs or groups.

A close-up of a potentially dangerous fellow.

The impala are frequent sites, to the point you rarely get excited about seeing them. They often travel in herds of 20-30 females with one lucky guy lording over the harem.

This guy is a "lonesome loser." There are way more than two girls for every boy, but only the toughest buck in the lot gets the privilege of the ladies.

A magnificent kudu on his lunch break

These "river horses" are responsible for more human injuries than any of the other mammals. Fiercely territorial, they enter the water early in the morning and waddle out at night.

Team Zebra

Yes, this is in fact an elephant scratching his bum on a tree.

Apparently, the tastiest leaves are far overhead

Baby elephant walk

Wildebeest in migration after sunset

There were so many animals, many of them shy and retreating. And then there were the lions who tolerated us at very close and somewhat uncomfortable range with a significant amount of ennui.

Male twins ousted at about two years of age and now learning hunting skills on their own.

A lazy lion pose

We saw quite a few giraffes but these triplet brothers at sunset were a particular joy.

The African Wild Cat. About the size of a big housecat and its ancestor.

We saw baboons in many places, but especially along the river getting water. We also saw them running  in droves out of trees in the morning. They sleep there at night as partial protection from the big cats.

The bat eared fox is the size of a small fox. And too cute!

We only saw the bush baby at night.

I am sure I am forgetting one of the beasts we saw. As far as the "big five" go, we did not see leopard or rhino.

BIRDS

There was absolutely no shortage of birds, many colorful ones we don't see in the states. It's very hard to get a photo of the birds as they enjoy flitting about just in time to completely ruin any photograph, but here are the more common or in some cases, least jumpy species. This doesn't even start to cover all the available bird life in the Okavango Delta. 

The fish eagle greatly resembles of American Bald Eagle. We got the pleasure of watching one catch a fish, but that happened too quick to get a snapshot.. The nest in pairs. The female is larger than the male

MR Ostrich was NOT happy to make our acquaintance and made quick work of leaving the premises.

The remaining photos are not mine, but I did want to share some shots of either very common or unbelievably beautiful ones. We actually saw all these and more.

The African hornbill was everywhere and frequently barely got out of the way of the Land Rover

The glossy starling was one of Paul's favorites. The iridescent color shifted between black and shades of blue.

The lilac crested roller is the national bird of Botswana. It really is this gorgeons.

The pied kingfisher. There was one that hung out on the porch of the dining area of the lodge.

The secretary bird was quite funny to watch and apparently seeing one is right up there with seeing a unicorn.

Storks feeding on the corpse of a baby elephant. Apparently they die of Anthrax sometimes in this area. We were so sad to see this scene. To show the balance, however, vultures and storks have a meal for about a month.

It was a rare pleasure to see all these animals in their native environment. 

Pirate bird out of native environs enjoying the sunset, Botswana style.