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.

Legedema’s Cubs Come of Age
Mombo Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
May 4, 2009
Photos courtesy of Peter Myburg

Pula and Maru are the 18-month-old cubs of the famous Legadema, female leopard star of the multi-award winning National Geographic documentary ‘Eye of the Leopard’.

As they reach their age of independence and are spending less and less time with their mother, all three leopards have of late been very difficult to find. This all changed towards the end of April when Legadema decided to bring both cubs into camp where they spent about three days. Pula, went so far during this time as to climb onto the main lodge deck while we were seated by the camp fire. Following a short, sniffing investigation, Pula turned back and walked down the walkway to the vehicle turning circle in front of camp.

The next day, Maru (the sister) and Legadema left but Pula stayed within the vicinity and was then followed to Limpy’s Island. She was found on a sub-adult impala carcass. Our initial thoughts were that Legadema must have made the kill but try as we might we could not locate either Legadema or Maru. It was then that we began to suspect that Pula had upgraded from squirrel kills to impala kills.

When Pete and Malinga later went to check on the carcass to see how much was left, the story unfolded further. On arrival they found Pula busy feeding and as they sat and watched, she suddenly bolted out of the tree in which the kill was hoisted.

Not knowing what was happening, the guides quickly manoeuvred sufficiently to notice a sub-adult impala ram that had wandered into the sighting, blissfully unaware of the leopard. Pula managed to leap up and grab the impala by the throat, pulling it down after a few seconds.

The inexperienced huntress then left the impala as if she had given up. The impala of course tried to run away and Pula sprang back into action, almost playing with the impala and practising all her inexpert techniques. Her instincts then told her that there might be someone hungry and bigger nearby and she finally dispatched the hapless impala and decided to take the whole kill up the same tree in which she had her first kill – and placed it right on top of the first kill without disembowelling it.

This was four days ago and today she was still in the same area with some of her bountiful windfall remaining.

Botswana is a landlocked country about the size of France. Two thirds of the land is arid Kalahari savanna unsuitable for agriculture. Large areas have been set aside for wildlife reserves and these include some of the very finest in Africa.

The magnificent Okavango Delta, home to the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, fans out across the north-western corner and creates a paradise of islands and lagoons teeming with birds and wildlife. In the northeast, the famous Chobe National Park supports great concentrations of Elephant and Buffalo. Botswana’s Tuli Block lies at the south eastern corner of the country, with Zimbabwe to the north and South Africa the south.

Here some of Botswana’s only commercial farming coexists with magnificent game reserves. A unique array of wildlife can be seen in Tuli, with its most notable highlight arising in its immense elephant population.