Saddle-billed stork repositions along Savuti Channel
© Bill Given
Saying Botswana during the green season is a spectacular time for birds should not be equated to the blind dating reference of "she has a great personality". The amazing birdlife is a strong positive for visiting Botswana during the green season (December through March) as many migrant species are down for the Southern Africa summer and the scenery is a vibrant compliment to the increased birdlife but just as some people may have a great personality and be attractive Botswana’s green season still delivers a great all-around safari that the birds are a wonderful part of but not in place of excellent mammal viewing. That disclaimer out of the way let me share some of my recent Botswana birding experiences.
Vigilant tawny eagle looking to hunt near Sankuyo Bush Camp
© Bill Given
Most of my clients only mention mammals when stating their safari desires, with some throwing in that they will also enjoy birds and other small animals along the way. Once on safari, most discover that they can be overwhelmed with the beauty and variety of the birds, without having to transform themselves into hard core twitchers.
A dainty malachite kingfisher perches in between hunting sorties near Mapula Lodge
© Bill Given
One nice thing about birds is because they are active throughout the day you often get some of your more interesting photos with them as subjects. In Botswana because of the wetland environment larger wading birds and extremely active kingfishers are some of the best to observe and photos of them help show the dynamic environment.
With luck you sometimes observe very unique behaviors as well. On my last trip I was very fortunate to find the stunning combination of a colorful carmine bee-eater riding in a jockey position upon Africa’s largest flying bird, the kori bustard. This is thought to be an example of mutualism where both species benefit from being associated with one another. It’s clear that the carmine bee-eater benefits from eating insects kicked up by the large kori bustard and if you watch the head movements in the video you can see that the bee-eater is indeed plucking insects from the air. It is believed that the carmine bee-eaters will detect danger quicker than the kori bustard and thus provide the benefit of greater safety.
Barred owl just outside my tent at Sankuyo Bush Camp
© Bill Given
In my wildlife biologist career I have spent many nights walking miles through dark forests playing taped calls to survey for owls and that’s likely why they are my favorite to see. The above photo is probably my favorite African bird sighting as I discovered this little barred owl just outside my tent as I walked home and then I was able to call him to above my open-air loo at Sankuyo Bush Camp. This last trip was an excellent one for owls and in addition to the barred owl we found pearl-spotted owls, white-faced owls, giant eagle owls, and a spotted eagle owl. The owls are a real indicator to me that the continents were connected at one time because each of these owls we saw are in the same genus as a North American counterpart and in each case they look very similar demonstrating a shared ancestory.
Lilac-breasted roller at Mapula
© Bill Given
More than anything it is the palette of extraordinary colors that grabs attention of safari goers. The rollers, bee-eaters, and kingfishers in particular have unbelievable colors that often surprise with unexpected bursts of new shades when they take to flight.
Perhaps the only thing more beautiful than the dazzling colors of the lilac-breasted roller is three together
© Bill Given