![]() ![]() “I won’t be truly happy until I know everything in this book,” Malatsi said. One evening during our brief stay at Drotsky’s Cabins on the Okavango River, Malatsi, the guide, brought to happy hour his copy of the regional ornithological Bible, “Roberts Birds of Southern Africa.”Īfter much discussion about the contents, he picked up the massive book, pressed it to his chest and gave all 1,296 pages a big hug. Since they appear to walk on water, jacanas are sometimes called “Jesus birds.” They boated an hour up the river specifically to find a lesser jacana, which has disproportionately long toes that allow it to stroll on lily pads and slightly submerged aquatic vegetation. ![]() They were keen on seeing apex predators such as leopards, but they were giddy one afternoon in the Okavango Delta after checking off the secretive Pel’s fishing owl. Their ears perked up to detect species by their songs and calls.Īs much as the gang and our guides already knew, they were constantly referring to field guides and iPads with birding apps for more information and verification. Their eyes locked-in on nanoscopic clues of color, movement or shape that gave away the location of an otherwise well-camouflaged bird in the distance. The serious birders weren’t just interested in birds, but also eager to learn about the grasses birds inhabit, what types of trees on which they perch and which insects they eat. Search for cluesīeing a relative novice in “a gape of birders” (I made up that collective term, and it’s dead-on) allowed me to observe how tuned in they are to nature in a global way. Yet the enthusiasm of the feathers-first group was admirable and infectious. It was a bit discomfiting to be embedded in the major leagues of birding while lacking the qualifications to even be their bat boy. Indeed, sightings of flapping, squawking birds often tipped us off to prized sightings of, say, a python or black mamba hiding in a tree. Guides Johnny Ramsden and Pat Malatsi of Royale Wilderness ( injected birding into every moment when we weren’t locked in on leopards, giraffes, hippos and other leading safari attractions. Our gang had four wildlife professionals, including two PhDs in ornithology, another who did post-graduate work on spotted owls, and other birding hot shots who have checked off more birds on their life-lists than I have accumulated on my life-list of sins. Idaho’s Big Year record is 319 by Carter Strope of Boise in 2020. Our group of 11, with the help of two expert guides (and no help from me), recorded a whopping 310 bird species during a 22-day wildlife safari to several national parks and preserves in northern Botswana.įor comparison, the Big Year record for the entire state of Washington is 376 species set by Will Brooks of Tacoma in 2021. When the elephants hid from the sun, the focus shifted to 12 species of larks to identify.Ī birdwatcher’s binoculars have little down time in the African bush. When the lions left a kill, circling vultures converged.
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