October 2021
Safari Notes: Khwai Leadwood Bush Camp, Drive #3 – Botswana
Afternoon drive (bird photography!)
- Baby zebra with mom, elephants, waterbuck – everyone out the afternoon.
- Purple roller (not picture – flew away too fast!) and lilac breasted roller.
- Hippos
- Warthog, red lechwe antelope, crocodile
- Black mumba snake (neurotoxic)
- Long tail magpie
- Fish eagle
- Marabou stroke with antelope and zebras
- Two male lions
- Africa cookoo – brood parasite, these guys are crazy! They manage a way to put heir babies with other birds so that the other birds raise the cookoo.
- Whalberg eagles mating – other birds distressed by their presence
When we drove back to the camp, the fires had spread very close to the village. We had dinner early to attempt a night game drive since we had not done a proper one. We hopped back into the vehicle but unfortunately, the fires continued to spread at an alarming rate so it was not safe for us to cross. We had never seen anything like this as the fire illuminated the dark night sky. The staff were hopeful that the rain would pick up a bit to help extinguish the flames and that the sand roads would help break the spread.
