Linyanti River, Chobe National Park
A short six-day getaway to celebrate a week book-ended by a birthday and an anniversary found us on a flight to Maun and then a Cessna Caravan, over the Okavango Delta, to the Linyanti River in northern Botswana. Across the river and numerous lakes to the north lies the jagged end of the key forming Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. It is a pristine wilderness of grassland, wetland and mopane woodland.
We split our days between two Wilderness lodges: King’s Pool Camp and Duma Tau, both idyllically located on the edge of hippoland.
The region is well known for its birdlife and although summer is their quieter green season, it is a perfect time for birding. The days are long, many species are breeding, and the visiting migrants comprise a significant percentage of the regional list (of over 400 recorded species).
At the top of my list of birds that I wanted to photograph were the local endemics: Hartlaub’s Babbler, Brown Firefinch and two cisticolas: Luapula and Chirping.
I was also hoping to add three other lifers that occur in the area: Dickinson’s Kestrel, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, and Western-banded Snake Eagle.
The wildlife in the Linyanti is abundant but seasonal. We didn’t see an elephant for three days – they head south in summer when water is plentiful, as do other plains game – but then on the fourth day, at Duma Tau, we must have seen 20 herds. Hundreds of elephants. The area is famous for its lion, but as happens with truly wild populations, coalitions form, lions age and get injured, and cubs are killed by aggressive males. Prides evolve in this melee. When we were there, a new coalition of six males, the Army Boys, were wreaking havoc within established prides.
Luapula Cisticola
On day three, with almost 100 birds logged, the Luapula Cisticola was the first addition to my image library. My first “Plus One”. A busy-as-bees pair were nesting in reeds beside the track and they were very obliging. Which was just as well, because we didn’t see any others after that!
The Cuando River flows south from Angola, crosses the Caprivi Strip, and then forms the border between Namibia and Botswana in what is called the Linyanti Swamp. Here it elbows east and becomes the Linyanti River which, when the rains are good, can flow into the Chobe River and ultimately the Zambezi. It is a wetland wonderland – a haven for wildlife.
Hartlaub’s Babblers were common, and fortunately a small flock would pass through camp between game drives, affording me the chance I needed.
My third Plus One was a bird I’d seen on a number of occasions but hadn’t quite nailed, photographically speaking. The Linyanti region is a good destination for Verreaux’s Eagle Owl. We had three impressive sightings during the week, including one during the day.
Verreaux’s Eagle Owl
Trickiest of my week’s new images was the Chirping Cisticola. They were common enough but favoured reeds right on the edge of the wetlands, if not in the crocodile-infested lakes.
Approaching them was difficult and they’re tiny. Even with 600mm of length, one needs to get as close as possible, and they weren’t cooperating. I spent an unproductive half-hour crouched in the mud, waiting for a moment, one eye on the nearby hippos, the other on the flitting LBJs. Eventually a midday cruise on a barge passing close to the reeds proved successful. Their call and wetter habitat – they prefer a different type of reed – made differentiating them from the Luapula Cisticola easy enough.
Western-banded Snake Eagle
Whilst out on game drives, our lucky stars kept shining. We saw less-common mammals: two families of side-striped jackals, as well as a honey badger. We had a handful of lion sightings: single females and big-maned brothers. The bigger prides had melted into the mopane woodlands that week.
My fifth Plus One was on our last morning drive – a handsome Western Banded Snake Eagle. It was the penultimate bird on our 151-long list for the week.
We had brief views of a pair, and then a single, Dickinson’s Kestrel, but not good enough for a capture. It’s a fairly reliable spot for these uncommon specials. Other notable sightings included Lesser Jacana, Rufous-bellied Heron, both golden orioles, Pink-backed Pelican, African Crake, Red-necked Falcon, Wattled Crane, a pair of White-headed Vultures, and Slaty Egret.
Our non-avian highlight was spending time with two separate painted wolf packs, Africa’s second-most endangered carnivore. The second pack had just successfully hunted, and promptly devoured, an impala. These have been my favourite mammals since I first saw them as a kid.
Striated Heron
Spectacular landscapes, an incredible Wilderness experience, a firefinch and a sandgrouse… there are many good reasons to return to this pristine and attentively conserved tract of African wilderness!