Due to WiFi issues, my posting plan has lost all semblance of reason. I am just posting any photos in no particular order. Here the photos are from Botswana and Victoria Falls. Additionally, thanks to Cedar CEDIE BOI for providing the photo of the Victoria Falls Bridge! 🙂
This is a Slaty Egret, one of the specialty birds of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. It is restricted in range and somewhat rare, so seeing it was a very good addition to our Moremi/Khwai birds.
Southern Ground Hornbills are some of the weirdest birds we saw on our trip. They can grow up to be over three feet long, and travel in packs, working their way across the ground searching for food.
The second-to-last of the Big Five for us to see. Despite their reputation, it is not the huge herds that are very dangerous, only the lone old males.
Almost immediately after seeing the buffalo we found this leopard. Apparently practically everybody else in the entire campground had also heard about it, so there was a huge group of safari vehicles clustered around this one forested area, with the leopard clearly visible among the trees.
Along with the Slaty Egret, Wattled Cranes are one of the Okavango Delta’s “Big Three” birds. They are classified by the IUCN Red List as globally Vulnerable with a population of 6,000-6,300 birds. We saw two on the ground, with one sitting on a potential nest.
Driving back from our day trip along the Khwai River we spotted this owl. At first we thought it was a Spotted Eagle-owl, but once it gave us a good view we identified it as a Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, one of the birds I most wanted to see.
Upon arriving in Victoria Falls we found this pair of White-fronted Bee-eaters, some of the most colorful birds in the region.
At the same place where we saw the bee-eaters I noticed this Red-winged Starling, drinking from the fountains near the pool where we were having lunch.
While going on a walk in Vic Falls I spotted a flock of White-crested Helmetshrikes, and got this photo.
One yard near our Air BnB had a tree that overhung the fence. In one tree I found this Black-collared Barbet along with Southern Masked-weavers, Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Collared Sunbirds, and more.
This is a photo of the Victoria Falls Bridge. We were at the Victoria Falls Hotel when Cedar CEDIE BOI 🐓🐱🐈🐶🐕🐹 wanted to take a photo, so I let him take this one.
On the lawn of the Victoria Falls Hotel there was a large group of warthogs, letting people get close and letting me get this photo.
