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air@karell.com

By now we have all seen the tragic images coming out of Haiti as a result of the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that struck on Tuesday. Haiti and its people need the world’s support now more than ever as they begin the process of recovery.

If you want to make a quick and easy donation to the relief effort in Haiti, you can do the following:

To donate $10 through the Red Cross, text the word HAITI to 90999. The charge will be added to your phone bill.

To donate $5 through Wycleaf Jean’s Yele Haiti non-profit, text the world  YELE to 501501. The charge will be added to your phone bill.

http://www.redcross.org/

http://www.yele.org/

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Call 800-327-0327 or email air@karell.com for additional info and availability.

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Boma, Sudan (CNN)

The director of the region’s Wildlife Conservation Society, he is tasked with surveying a wilderness that has been off-limits to international researchers for the best part of 30 years.

“It’s one of the last wilderness areas in Africa, one of the last great wilderness areas in the world,” Elkan told CNN. “You have a very large savannah ecosystem that is adjacent to the largest wetland in Africa. So there are a lot of superlatives here in southern Sudan.”

For many years, conservationists feared the distinctive wildlife documented by researchers in southern Sudan before the conflict had been hunted to extinction.

But recent surveys in the region have revealed that not only did many animals survive, they are thriving.
Read the full article and watch a video clip at CNN.com

Location:  Chitabe Camp, Chitabe Concession, Botswana
Date:   27 October 2009
Observers:  Grant Atkinson and Helena Faasen

The 2009 high water levels in the Okavango Delta are now a thing of the past.  One result of this year’s big flood is the exciting bird watching opportunities that are currently possible as thousands of fish become trapped by the receding waters.

These fish are a magnet for many species of water birds, and on a recent visit to Chitabe Camp we got to experience some of the action associated with these so-called “fish traps.” Instead of viewing birds just flying overhead, or standing somewhere, the fish traps bring many species together and the interaction that occurs between them is fascinating.

Forced into close proximity with one another, the birds compete, cooperate, fight and steal from one another.  The particular pool that we spent most time at near Chitabe was dominated for a while by a pair of Saddle-billed Storks. The pair were happy to share the pool with several smaller species of birds, but objected to the later presence of a flock of Yellow-billed Storks and some Pink-backed Pelicans, that joined in on the action. For almost an hour the two Saddle-billed Storks chased all the other storks and pelicans away, but eventually they either grew tired of the effort, or else they had caught enough fish for themselves.

Also seen was the interesting mantling behaviour of Black Heron and African Spoonbills with their peculiar feeding action working the shallower areas.

The birding action that we have observed will be happening all over the Okavango Delta over the next few months, and it will last until the annual floodwaters arrive and once again bring the sanctuary of deep water to all the beleaguered fish species.

Sasol eBirds – $29.99

An interactive version of the best-selling Sasol Birds of Southern Africa field guide boasts specific features aimed at enhancing your birding experience:

• Images, distribution maps and text descriptions of over 950 bird species found in the Southern African region.
• Audible calls for over 630 bird species
• “Smart Search” helps identify birds using beak shape, bird size, bird color and habitat.
• Set a specific region so that only birds of that region display throughout the program.
• “Bird Compare” allows you to compare two birds on the same screen (including calls).
• Personal bird list stores your bird sightings * (ability to upload list coming soon)
• View the Bird Index by English or Afrikaans bird names.

eWildlife of Southern Africa – $9.99

An easy to use, interactive version of the popular Wildlife of Southern Africa field guide forms the perfect companion for a visitor to any part of the region.Features more than 2500 species most likely to be found as well as images of over 1600 species with the rest identified by references to similar species in the text.

• Lower invertebrates
• Spiders and other arachnids
• Insects
• Freshwater fishes
• Frogs
• Reptiles
• Birds & Mammals
• Grasses, sedges, ferns and fungi
• Wild flowers & Trees