Tag: Botswana

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2025-08-11: Sunrise Panorama

This is a stitched panoramic created with 9 images taken on an early morning game drive in the Okavango Delta. The landscape and sky were absolutely perfect for trying to capture a panoramic image, and the sleepy lioness at the base of the termite mound was just an amazing extra.

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.

I remember this morning well not only for the beautiful sighting and amazing morning sky, but also for working through camera malfunctions while driving along a dusty and bumpy path. Thankfully, I got things sorted well enough by the time we stopped here to be able to capture lots of images, and then sort out a more proper fix once out of the vehicle.

I may have explained it previously, but I shoot with Fuji cameras and was having an F0 appear on my camera (basically, the camera didn’t think there was a lens attached). It turned out that my 300mm zoom lens had been on that body so long and used so much it had loosened some of the screws inside of the camera where the lens connects, causing the error. I didn’t find that out until I returned to camp and could get online, but my temporary fix was to swap my zoom lens to my other body, as my lighter weight lens didn’t return the same error codes. One of the people on my tour had a small screwdriver and I was able to fix my problem with ease (thanks again, Richard).

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2025-06-21: Chobe Elephants

I have really let my photo editing and posting slide over the last 6 weeks. Looking at the timing of my last post, it was right before the start of the serious yard work season (as well as golfing). As much as I enjoy working on images, after a long day or week at work (staring at computer screens) having the opportunity to do things outside during our short decent weather season is a big priority.

I decided on some elephant images today because elephants make me happy. That’s as good a reason as any. I’ll be away for the next few weeks on a summer holiday, so there will be another pause in posting, but I am hopeful I can get back into some type of routine once I get back.

These images were all taken from the water in Chobe National Park. We had a mid afternoon boat cruise along the river which provided some lovely sightings of elephants coming down to drink. This particular area is one I have been to a few times, and the difference in the landscape from the first trip to this one is stark. My first trip was at the end of a very lush and abundant wet season, while the more recent trips were in the midst of a drought.

These three were racing towards the water. They were part of a larger herd that had been browsing on the trees and then made there way to the river in smaller family groups. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
The youngsters are kept in between the older elephants for safety. There were several crocodiles and hippos in the river nearby. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
The groups of elephants came to this specific part of the shoreline one after the other to browse for minerals and salts deposited on the ground. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.

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2025-05-04: Lazing Lion

I was looking for a single photo to edit today due to both time constraints and not wanting to miss posting two weeks in a row, and this lion cub caught my eye. It was part of a large group that we found at the start of our afternoon drive in Savute. It was quite a hot afternoon, probably around 38C, and the lions were doing exactly as expected; moving as little as possible in the shade. It reminded me of the way my dogs like to lounge around while I am working, relaxed and belly up. It was nice to have this posture and direct gaze, rather than just seeing sleeping brown lumps under the bushes.

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2025-04-20: Early Morning Game Drives

I love being outside in the early morning, and watching the sky progress through a multitude of colours as the sun climbs higher and higher. Waking up for early morning game drives while on safari is never a chore for me since I naturally love the time of day. Here are a few images from various early morning drives on my last trip.

A lioness passes close by our vehicle with the sun rising behind her. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of zebra in the shadows. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A group of giraffes grazing while the clouds are lit up in cotton candy colours. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A prime of lions sprawled out surrounding the road as the sun comes up. There were eight individuals in the shot, but more in the group. They were amazing to spend time with as they were all very frisky in the cool morning. Savute Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.
A pair of young giraffes following not too far behind an adult. Moremi Game Reserve, April, 2024.
An impala showing off its agility in the early morning. There were several racing around and displaying their fitness. Makadikadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.

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2025-04-13: Full Moon

While the full moon was yesterday, a one day difference is close enough for me to use it as a theme and share some travel images.

There was a full moon during my time in Savute, Botswana, and we had beautiful clear skies to watch the moon rise and sun set. Taking photos while also holding a glass of wine isn’t going to yield the best images, but it does yield some pretty fantastic memories, and that’s the most important part.

A zoom lens makes the full moon look even more impressive. We were all wandering around the vehicles during our sundowner stop and I kept having to find sturdy surfaces to set down my glass so I could take a photo. Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.
One of the people in our group commented that the sky was the colours of a lilac breasted roller, and now every time I am out and glimpse the sky in these tones, that’s what I think of.
We only stopped for a moment so I could capture this shot, as we were on a fairly long drive back to our camp and had set out a little later than planned from our drinks stop.
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2025-03-30: Lion

We were fortunate to see a lot of lions the last time that I was in Southern Africa. Both South Africa and Botswana provided some amazing lion sightings – from cubs playing to mating to lounging away the heat of the day, we had a little bit of everything.

This male was seen in Chobe National Park during a morning game drive. He was following in the footsteps of a female, and she was leading him around to a variety of different places. Here, we were parked on the road and had the opportunity to watch him walk directly towards us, and then after he passed in front of the vehicle, off into the bushes.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see a lot of lions now, and honestly, it doesn’t get old. Each time is a thrill and a privilege.

This guy definitely had swagger, and was looking good from the front.
And looking good from the back.
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2025-03-16: Herons

Continuing on with the bird theme from a couple of weeks ago, I decided to focus on herons this week. When I used to live near Vancouver, I loved taking my dog for a walk along a river and would usually spot a great blue heron or two along the route. My current walking area doesn’t feature herons, but it does sometimes have animals like deer and moose (as well fox and coyotes tracks left overnight for the puppies to enjoy), so, I definitely can’t complain about a lack of things to see. At some point, I am hoping I will have both my dogs comfortable and calm enough while walking to take my camera out with me, but that is still a work in progress. But back to the herons.

The variety of herons that I have seen in Southern Africa is impressive, boasting a wide range of sizes and colourings. The striated, purple and squacco herons are on the smaller side, the grey heron is the size that comes to mind when I hear the word heron, and then there is the goliath, which is truly impressive in its stature. The one thing I never really understood was the naming of the purple heron, as the bird is more grey and rust coloured than what I would call purple. But, bird naming conventions (or renaming, as that seems to happen fairly frequently) isn’t something I can claim to understand.

On to the photos.

The grey heron is very similar in size to the great blue heron that we see here in BC, just with different colouring. The grey heron is a fairly common heron to see, and I’ve come across them on most of my travels in Africa. This one was spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana, April 2024.
A striated heron alongside a dam on a dull morning. Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa. November, 2022.
A squacco heron spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. This particular afternoon drive was a bonanza of water birds, including the black heron that I shared a couple of weeks ago, amongst others. Botswana. April, 2024.
A purple heron spotted during a boat trip along the Zambezi River. Zambia, November, 2022.
Another grey heron, this one spotted while on a game drive in Madikwe. South Africa, November 2022.
The largest of the African herons, the Goliath heron. These birds are massive and so impressive to see up close. This one was perched in a tree at the edge of the Zambezi River, spotted during a boat cruise. Zambia, November, 2022.
A squacco heron alongside a dam. I spent quite a long time watching this heron from the hide at our camp; it is amazing how still they can remain. Botswana, April, 2024.
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2025-03-02: Water Birds

When I chose the ostrich images last week, I flagged quite a few other bird images to work through, and settled on a few water birds seen in Botswana on my most recent trip. All of these images were taken during the Okavango Delta portion of the trip.

I think this year finally needs to be the year that I get my act together and start my E-Bird list to track all the birds I’ve seen. Thankfully, my last two trips I’ve travelled with an incredibly organized, avid birder, so hopefully I can get some screenshots of her lists to get me started from the most recent trips. The rest will be scanning through my image catalogues; and to be honest, I can think of worse ways to pass the time. Who knows what images might jump out at me, wanting to be revisited.

The African jacana often appears to be walking on water, but is really just taking advantage of slightly submerged plants like these water lilies. They have incredibly large, wide spread feet to distribute their weight on sparse vegetation.
The distinctive profile of an African spoonbill. I love that the spoon shape of the bill is reflected in the water.
I’d have to go through a lot of photos to be sure, but I think this was my first sighting of a black heron. We were even lucky enough to see it in the umbrella posture that it uses to create shade to hunt.

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2025-02-23: Ostriches

While I have seen ostriches on several of my African trips, they aren’t the most common bird to come across, so they are always special to see. Until you are right alongside one, it is easy to misjudge just how enormous these birds are.

This past trip we had a couple encounters with ostriches; first a group of them at sunset, who were all moving like they had somewhere to be, and second a lone female and a lone male (though the lone male was too far away to bother trying to capture any pictures).

A lone female ostrich feeding in the early morning in Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana, April, 2024.
I love that you can see the dust being kicked up so you know that this group was really on the move. Our guide was desperate to find the ostriches so everyone in our vehicle would have the chance to see one (there were quite a few safari newbies on my trip, which is always fun), but we didn’t know he was also desperate to get us to a special spot for a wonderful sundowner party at the top of a hill. We did miss most of the sunset, but spending time with animals and birds is why we were there. Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.
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2025-02-02: Elephant Connections

I’ve often said that if there was only one animal I could watch on safari, it would be elephants. They are always doing something: feeding, drinking, fanning themselves with their ears, and most importantly, interacting with one another.

It’s the interaction that I wanted to highlight with my selection of photos today.

This group of young elephants were having a lot of fun alongside the waterhole, where the rest of their herd was drinking and splashing. These guys were enjoying a bit of trunk wrestling in the late afternoon heat. Botswana. April, 2025.
A classic trunk hug from a mama to her baby. Botswana. April, 2025.
The type of mama and baby photo you normally see in illustrations, with baby holding on to mama’s tail. Botswana, April, 2025.
A small family heading to the waterhole, passing by a large, solitary male. Here you see the matriarch leading the way, followed by the youngest, with older elephants protecting the youngster from the rear. Elephants are so protective of their young, and it is very common to see groups walking in this manner, to provide as much protection from danger as possible. Botswana, April, 2024.
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