Botswana

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Blackbird
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Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

I recently had a fantastic 10 day holiday in three different locations in Botswana, the first in Chobe, the last two in the Okavango Delta. The wildlife and birdlife is really outstanding. Here are just a few of the 4,300 photos I took!

Spoonbill
Image[/url]https://flic.kr/p/25SKZpP by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Pied Kingfisher
Image[/url]564A0189 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Leopard with cub
Image[/url]_T9A6657 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Shaft-tailed Whydah
Image[/url]_T9A6459 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Wood Sandpiper(?)
Image[/url]_T9A5595 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Brown Mongoose
Image[/url]_T9A6322 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Saddle-billed Stork
Image[/url]564A0891 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Crested Barbet
Image[/url]564A1216 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Cheetah
Image[/url]564A9278 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Southern Carmine Bee-eater
Image[/url]564A1229 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Southern Ground Hornbill
Image[/url]564A9943 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Hippo
Image[/url]564A9709 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Lilac-breasted Roller
Image[/url]_T9A6010 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image[/url]_T9A6289 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image[/url]564A9846 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Just one of a number of stunning sunsets
Image[/url]P1010190 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

C&C always welcome.

Andy :smile:

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Jetnoise
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Re: Botswana

Post by Jetnoise »

What a great set Andy - particularly like the reflecting Lion.

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Re: Botswana

Post by Airwolfhound »

Enjoyed these, hope to see more :-)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24874528@N04/

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Tuckat
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Re: Botswana

Post by Tuckat »

Stunning! Would be very interested in seeing more, thanks for sharing :clap:
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Blackbird
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Re: Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

Thanks all.

Here's a few more - since you asked!
Image_T9A5887 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6395 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A5824 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A5802 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6795 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A9582 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A0799-1 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A0433 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A5963 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6147 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A1300 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6121-1 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A9418 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Andy :smile:
Last edited by Blackbird on Mon 04 Jun 2018, 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

verreli
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Re: Botswana

Post by verreli »

Having done over 100 days on safari over the years in Kruger I can safely say you hit the jackpot on many of those sightings. To see a leopard is special, to see it with cub is rare, to get a nice composition is like winning the lottery. Similarly, the male lion with reflection is a good sighting and I particularly like the hippo above. Thanks for sharing and like others have said, if you have any more...

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Re: Botswana

Post by FarnboroJohn »

Stunning set. Great cat shots, and Wild Dog as well.... what a trip!

Courser the pick of the birds I reckon.

And yes, its a Wood Sandpiper.

John

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Blackbird
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Re: Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

Thank you!

A few more for you...
Image564A1389 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A1122 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6924 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A1393 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A9899 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A9774 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A1050 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A0927 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A0006 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image_T9A6444-1 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

Image564A1354 by Andrew Shaw[/url], on Flickr

I hope you like these too!

Andy :smile:

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Re: Botswana

Post by verreli »

I think your post(s) show the variety that you get on a safari. Nice pose on the lion above.

Can I ask where the two sunsets were taken and if you did self-drive or via a safari vehicle? I'm thinking of a change from South Africa next time.

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Re: Botswana

Post by helired3 »

great set thanks for sharing :clap:
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Blackbird
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Re: Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

verreli wrote:I think your post(s) show the variety that you get on a safari. Nice pose on the lion above.

Can I ask where the two sunsets were taken and if you did self-drive or via a safari vehicle? I'm thinking of a change from South Africa next time.


Thanks for the comments.

From what I can work out, both sunset photos were taken while we were staying at Nxabega our first stop in the Okavango Delta. We were with a tracker and guide in a safari vehicle. I believe that you can't do self-drive safaris in the Botswana National Parks.

As an aside, they have been very successful in countering poaching to the extent that it is virtually no longer a problem. Why's that? They have a shoot to kill anti- poaching policy with an unwritten understanding that there won't be any further questions. Works a treat.

Andy :smile:

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Re: Botswana

Post by verreli »

Blackbird wrote:
From what I can work out, both sunset photos were taken while we were staying at Nxabega our first stop in the Okavango Delta. We were with a tracker and guide in a safari vehicle. I believe that you can't do self-drive safaris in the Botswana National Parks.

As an aside, they have been very successful in countering poaching to the extent that it is virtually no longer a problem. Why's that? They have a shoot to kill anti- poaching policy with an unwritten understanding that there won't be any further questions. Works a treat.

Andy :smile:


Thanks, looks like great accommodation too.

If you've got the safari bug and want a different experience I can recommend Kruger. You can drive the park in any hire car, I've done it in a Polo a couple of times, very easy. Good accommodation is the Protea Hotel- Kruger Gate which is very convenient for getting into the park. A good compromise between comfort and convenience. You may not get as good sightings as your photos above but it's always memorable. I don't remember any two days being the same. If you get peckish, stop off at a rest camp and get an ice cream to keep you cool then go and watch some hippos while munching away. I've seen pretty much everything in Kruger including Black Rhino which sadly are now extinct in Kruger. They too have armed rangers and drone patrols but when you're covering the size of Wales, it's not easy to patrol. Poverty is so rife over the border in Mozambique it's understandable why they take the risk. There's many stories of lions feeding on those that are unlucky. Stay in your car and you'll be OK.

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Re: Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

Thanks for the info - I did have a brief visit to Kruger a few years ago and enjoyed it.

I'd also recommend Namibia - not just a good deal of wildlife, including desert elephants in the Damaraland area, but also some stunning scenery.

Andy

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Re: Botswana

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

Some great images here, really quite something. I've been mulling over a trip like this for a while, and I've had more people with experience of safari travel say Botswana is the place to go.

Great set. :clap:

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Re: Botswana

Post by verreli »

All African safari locations are good, it just depends on what you're looking for. South Africa has the advantage of having things to do other than watch animals in the park (Cape Town / shark cage diving / vineyards/ whale watching) and is less expensive if that's a factor. The best safari overall is is a loop through Kenya and Tanzania through the Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater for diversity of landscape and animals. You can also climb Kilimanjaro and have a beach holiday on Zanzibar but this is a big bucks holiday, especially if you want good accommodation. With Botswana, Chobe is not far from Vic falls which are a must see, especially if you are on the Zim side, get in the park first and stand on the eastern point. Guaranteed to be a top 10 memorable moment and you can only imagine what it must have been like for Livingstone. You can also do the smaller parks but I never found them authentic. The animals are still wild but the rangers tend to bait them due to the lack of range.

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Re: Botswana

Post by capercaillie »

Wow, love these, something I must try and do sometime in the near future.

The courser is superb, and love the Bateleur as well. As for your mammal pics, some are without doubt, publication worthy, the lion reflection, hippo splash and hyaena lookback especially. Great stuff :worship: :clap:

Any idea what that critter is the spoonbill has just flattened out in its beak, they seem to be insect legs? It looks a monster! :shock:
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Re: Botswana

Post by FarnboroJohn »

capercaillie wrote:Any idea what that critter is the spoonbill has just flattened out in its beak, they seem to be insect legs? It looks a monster! :shock:


How about a crab, crayfish or other crustacean?

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Re: Botswana

Post by Blackbird »

Thanks for all your kind comments - much appreciated.

Andy :smile:

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Re: Botswana

Post by PeteFenwick »

Andy, excellent set of wildlife photos, particularly like the birds and the leopard with cub.

Botswana is on my bucket list. Can also recommend Namibia and when I visited in the dry season lucky to see desert elephants and in Etosha lots of wildlife (black rhino and double zebra kill by lions stand out).

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