Africa 2006 Botswana, Notes: We have moved progressively to environments with more water. This already is my favorite because it is so green here. What we saw:
|
We have been in Africa for 11 days and have seen all of the big 5 except the lion! Everyone that we have meet has seen lions. We have heard the lions, but we haven't seen the lions. Finally, we get to see a lion! This female was stunning. She was large and solid muscle. There is no doubt that this animal could kill you. Remember rule #1 — don't stand up in the vehicle — not even an issue. We are so thrilled, awed and impressed we are whispering! This lion hunts with her mother. Right now they have become separated. She calls out with a deep, loud and mournful call that starts so deep in her body that we can see her tremble as she bellows. We had heard the sound from quite a distance before we found her. |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Left, black-breasted snake eagle Below, we came across a journey of 21 giraffe. We have heard of a group of giraffe also called a bouquet and a tower. |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Upper right, heron Right, female kudu Below, green-backed heron |
 |
|
 |
|
Left, African fish eagle |
This video may take a little longer to load. |
|
 |
|
Back at camp we had a visitor that spent most of the day pruning (obliterating would be more accurate) the landscaping. The elephant did not seem to see us as long as we were in the building. The buildings are raised to discourage the elephants from coming in. They don't like to step up very high. The common areas are covered, but completely open to the outside. Hyena often come through to see if you've left anything out. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
The bar area was totally covered with palms when we arrived. In about 15minutes this elephant had totally cleared out all of the palms. It was interesting to see how he used his trunk to wrap around branches and either strip the leaves off to eat or just pull up the whole plant to eat. |
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Water lilies growing around the camp. Below left, Karl stands in front of the dining area, while the elephant dines on the landscaping. |
 |
 |
|
 |
Scott got some footage of the elephant stripping the trees and bushes. The elephant started to come up the walkway into the dining room, but the guides made some noise and he quickly backed himself up and away from the building. When we left for our evening drive he had a buddy to share the buffet with. The next morning it was impressive to see how much foliage had been removed by just two animals. |
 |
Back to: Africa 2006 Page Links• Nature Gallery Page • Wild Woman Design Home Page Back up one page • Go forward one page ©2006 Wild Woman Design, all rights reserved |
|
