AAC Safari Concierge Ciara recently traveled to Botswana. In addition to her wildlife sightings of lion, elephant, hyena, hippo, leopard, giraffe and zebra, she enjoyed many spectacular bird sightings. She joins us on the blog to share more.
If you had told me years ago that I would be making birds the focus of my safari adventures, I would have definitely laughed. I have always loved wildlife, but even as recently as four years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between a hornbill and a heron. Fast forward to today and I am officially a self-described birder, complete with binoculars glued to my face, a camera slung over my shoulder and a bird checklist longer than my packing list. Now that I am all in when it comes to my feathered friends, there has been one place that has truly swept me off my feet. It’s Botswana’s famous Okavango Delta!
October in the Delta is like nature’s big finale before the rains come through. It’s also hot (really hot!) with temperatures regularly climbing above 95 degrees. But as a reward for braving the heat, the sky looks as if it is made of gold, which is excellent for photos, and every tree is alive with birds. Migrant species like the European bee-eater, woodland kingfisher, wattled cranes, and many species of storks, herons and egrets arrive from the north. The sky is consistently filled with lilac-breasted rollers, carmine bee-eaters, African fish eagles, and pied kingfishers. On my first night at Kiri Camp I logged around 45 new species to my life list!
One of the best ways to bird in Botswana is while you are enjoying the waterways of the Delta, either by boat or while gently floating on a mokoro. A mokoro is a traditional canoe-like boat that is pushed through the reeds by a poler, who is often from one of the local tribes. A mokoro safari allows you to move silently and stay close to the action, leading to some excellent sightings along the way. That was the method I personally used to get most of my favorite kingfisher photos!
In addition to spending time on the water, the game drives in Botswana are spectacular and all of my guides were not only excellent birders but also overjoyed to have a fellow birder in the vehicle. Each one was so excited to point out every new species, and Inno, my guide at Okuti, made it a mission to hone my skills by quizzing me whenever the opportunity arose. Make sure that when you plan a safari that you let your Journey Specialist know about your focus on birds so they can make sure your guide is just as eager to join you in the fun.
A few tips for your next birding adventure:
Four years into this birding journey and I am still learning, still fumbling with my field guide, still mistaking cormorants for darts and still getting overly excited over every quick flash of color flying by. But the Delta’s rhythm is unhurried and timeless, and I feel like birding makes you notice it all even more deeply. Whether you are an experienced twitcher or a curious beginner like yours truly, Botswana is waiting to welcome you!
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Photos courtesy of AAC Safari Concierge Ciara Manning