Botswana 2010 : Matseleng Pan to Kaa Gate
We left Matseleng Pan after two nights and were hopeful that the work put into clearing grass seeds from the radiators had sorted out our overheating problems. The short drive back to Ngwatle was...
Bird of the week – Week 15 : Southern yellow-billed hornbill
The hornbills are a very distinctive and curious group of birds, with their enormous bills, often decorated by a casque. On the ground, they look as though they should have great difficulty in holding...
Botswana 2010 : Kang to Matseleng Pan
I guess you could say that our holiday’s fate was sealed in the planning stages of our 2010 Botswana trip when I courageously gave Hillary the brief to take us to the most remote...
Bird of the week – Week 14 : Scaly-feathered finch
Don’t you find “Scaly-feathered finch” an odd and rather unflattering name? I prefer “Baardmannetjie”, this small bird’s Afrikaans name that can be translated as “little man with a beard”. Take a look at the...
Bird of the week – Week 13 : Great egret
The Great egret is the largest of the white egrets. At almost a metre in length and with a wingspan of up to 1.3 metres, it is almost as large as the more familiar...
Only in Africa
There are some pretty elaborate irrigation schemes out in the world today, but we came across a rather ingenious and typically African one on a visit to a farm in Namibia recently. Namibians never...
Bird of the week – Week 12 : Verreaux’s eagle
Visit any part of Southern Africa blessed with mountainous terrain or rocky hills and gorges inhabited by dassies (or hyraxes) at a time when the thermals are rising and there is a good chance...
Mysterious Crystal Skulls
At about the same time that I was learning to do Reiki healing, I came across a book called “The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls” by Chris Morton and Ceri Louse Thomas. I was...
Bird of the week – Week 11 : Lilac-breasted roller
One of the most delightful avian sights to be seen in the central and northern parts of Southern Africa is that of the male Lilac-breasted roller in his courtship flight. He ascends to up...
Agamas and lizards
I’m always excited to come across Agamas and lizards on our travels. They are usually such colourful subjects to photograph, but even those that lack colour are still fascinating because of their beautiful scales,...
Bird of the week – Week 10 : White-tailed shrike
The white tailed shrike is one of the most easily recognized shrikes in the Southern African region. Looking a bit like an overgrown batis in its black, white and grey plumage, it gives the...
Weekend at Dusternbrook Guest Farm
One of the things that strikes us about living in Windhoek is the fact that once you leave the city you are immediately out in nature and you really don’t have to drive very...
Bird of the week – Week 9 : Swainson’s spurfowl
Chicken-sized, brownish francolins and spurfowls are quite common in Namibia. Vaguely similar in size and build, closer examination quickly divides them up into several different species. The Swainson’s spurfowl distinguishes itself from its relatives...
Swakopmund – Namibia’s favourite seaside spot
No holiday in Namibia is complete without a visit to Swakopmund on the west coast. This quaint little town with its German architectural influence is much-loved by Namibians and tourists alike. With its temperate...
Bird of the week – Week 8 : Red-eyed bulbul
The African red-eyed bulbul is near endemic to Southern Africa, its range extending only marginally into southern Angola and Zambia. It is extremely common throughout most of Namibia, with the exception of the Namib...
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