Birding Kalahari Botswana

Kalahari Gemsbok National Park where the raptorphile can indulge in some of the best raptor-watching in the world with vacationtechnician.com Birding Safaris

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Humm-humm-huuuummmm! Humm-humm-huuuummmm! A ghostly booming deafens the shrill kek-kek-kek-kek! chorus of barking geckos across the dusty river-bed to the moonlit dunes above. The Cape fox pauses momentarily, eager ears pitched to catch the source of the sound, before continuing its relentless search for unseen morsels. As it trots along the calcrete banks of the Auob River, a Spotted Eagle Owl Bubo africanus follows the fox with imperious, yellow eyes. Its young are sitting on the rocky ridge, wheezing at their mother to solicit hunting activity from her. A sun spider scurrying from the approaching fox attracts the attention of a White-faced Owl Otus leucotis perched on the branches of an ancient camelthorn tree. A quick swoop scoops the hairy arachnid into the talons of the little owl.

Once more, the booming of the male Ostrich Struthio camelus reverberates across the dark dunes. Outlined on a dune crest, the attentive ears of a small clan of cheetah prick to the Ostrich's call, but, being heavy-bellied from their meal of springbok that afternoon, they remain lying in the cool sand.
The rolling, red dunes of the Kalahari are one of those inhospitable regions of the world largely untrammelled by man. Here a spectrum of wild creatures live out their lives as they have done for millions of years, offering scenes of breath-taking beauty to those seeking a respite from a frenetic modern life epitomized by the cellphone and fast-food outlets. The Kalahari encompasses the greater part of South Africa's Northern Cape Province north of the Gariep River, together with large expanses of Botswana and Namibia. On its eastern border lies the town of Kuruman, halfway between the proverbial 'somewhere and nowhere'. It was here that Robert Moffat established his mission station as the first white man to settle in this hinterland. No doubt he was drawn to the Kuruman Eye, a bubbling fountain delivering a seemingly inexhaustible supply of fresh, subterranean water. This may also have been the source of water for the hominids that occupied the Wonderwerk Cave, south of Kuruman, nearly a million years before him. It is a haunting experience to stand among swooping Bradfield's Swifts Apus bradfieldi at the entrance to this giant cavern and study the gridwork of diggings where archaeologist Peter Beaumont has painstakingly traced use of fire back to 800 000 years ago.

In those ancient times, birds of prey must have been abundant throughout the Kalahari. Unfortunately, the few white people who crossed the Gariep River from the south, had only one intention - to tame the land and its wild creatures. In the face of indiscriminate hunting, trapping and poisoning, the teeming wildlife retreated before the advance of these settlers. Reservoirs built to store water for livestock proved an additional scourge as eagles, and even entire flocks of vultures, were lured to a watery death in half-full reservoirs. The relentless attrition was finally stemmed in 1931, when 959 103 hectares of the remaining wilderness was proclaimed the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP). An additional 1 807 000 hectares was added on the Botswanan side in 1938. But by then, raptors such as the Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus and Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus had been eliminated from the stock-farming areas south of the park, while others survived with severely reduced populations.

Raptor rehabilitation
Today, raptors that fall victim to pesticides, trapping, shooting and other injuries, find their way to a mission closeto that of Robert Moffat's, but one which is very different from that built by the man of God. A display board on the Hotazel road announces the Kalahari Raptor Rehabilitation and Information Centre, the missionary of Kuruman-born veterinarian, Dr Erik Verreynne. He operates this centre as part of the Raptor Conservation Group's commitment to the conservation of birds of prey in the Kalahari. Here he applies his considerable talent, patience and perseverance to treat the likes of White-backed Gyps africanus and Lappet-faced vultures for poisoning or near-electrocution on power lines, Black Aquila verreauxii and Martial Polemaetus bellicosus eagles with legs injured by gin traps intended for jackals, and owls hit by vehicles on the roads at night. Gunshot victims, with their shattered bones, cast a spell of despair among raptor conservationists. Many such victims end up as display birds at the information centre, where they at least serve their free-flying mates by educating people about their species.

Large eagles that are successfully rehabilitated at the centre are often released into the wild from a raised platform on Abrie Maritz's farm Damhoek, south of Olifantshoek. In 1993, SA Eagle Insurance Company donated a very generous R250 000 to kick-start the Kalahari Raptor Project. As field officer for the project, Maritz's brief is to convert the farming community of the Kalahari into a raptor-friendly society. Through a vigorousawareness and educational campaign, the project aims to develop a conservation ethic among farmers, and thereby create an environment conducive to the return of the great raptors. Before the start of the project, the Lappet-faced Vulture and Bateleur were confined within the safe-haven of the KGNP. Today, no fewer than 27 Lappet-faced Vulture and eight Bateleur nest sites have been discovered south of the park. Landowners, who may previously have contributed to the plight of large raptors through ill-considered use of poisons and traps, are now proud of the presence of these birds on their farms and extremely protective of any nest sites. The dedication of people like Abrie Maritz and Erik Verreynne has paid handsome dividends.
The Raptor Route

As an integral part of their awareness campaign, the Raptor Conservation Group, in collaboration with the South African Tourism Board (Satour), designed a tourist route to showcase the incredible diversity of raptors in the Kalahari. The Raptor Rehabilitation and Information Centre outside Kuruman was chosen as a natural departure point for the Kalahari Raptor Route, since it accommodates the captive birds of prey that one can expect to see in the wild on the route, and also a keen raptor conservationist in the figure of Erik Verreynne. From here, the route snakes west, through the farmlands of the Kalahari, to end in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park where the raptorphile can indulge in some of the best raptor-watching in the world.

From the town of Hotazel, the route follows the dirt road to Van Zylsrus. Already, birds of prey abound and are easily seen atop their favourite perches, the roadside electricity pylons. Look out for Brown and Black-breasted snake eagles Circaetus cinereus and C. gallicus. They are easy to identify, the one completely brown, the other a smaller version of the Martial Eagle with naked tarsi and white underwing. The fun starts when a juvenile Black-breasted Snake Eagle presents itself. It is completely brown until the age of two, when this 'brown' snake eagle moults into a Black-breasted Snake Eagle. So, travel slowly and study each and every raptor carefully!

From Van Zylsrus to Askham, the road winds through the camelthorn woodland fringing the usually dry bed of the Kuruman River. Here the real excitement begins. White-backed Vultures are fond of building their nests in the tree-tops, and are best seen basking in the sun in the early morning. Don't be surprised if a lonely Lappet-faced Vulture joins the White-backs for the morning ablutions. If the gods favour you with a dead animal in the veld, it will probably be covered with vultures. While most will be White-backed Vultures, look out for any larger, paler brown Cape Vultures Gyps coprotheres. Cape Vultures (mostly youngsters) straggle into the Kalahari, but do not breed there. Maritz has recorded up to 42 Lappet-faced Vultures on a carcass, probably day-visitors from Botswana; these birds can fly long distances in search of carrion. Vulture gatherings in the Kalahari always seem to have Lappet-faced Vultures among the smaller White-backs. Late morning may be the time to search for Lappet-faced Vultures sitting on the red dunes - they love this, sitting in the blazing heat, their dark plumage glistening in the bright light of the Kalahari.

It may prove more than worthwhile stopping at the vulture roosts because these large camelthorn trees are the favourite hang-outs of Gabar Goshawks Micronisus gabar and Red-necked Falcons Falco chicquera. Gabars are common in the Kalahari and are not shy to fly out in the open to award the sharp-eyed bird-watcher with a view of its white rump. Another common goshawk is the larger Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus. Unlike the Gabar, which perches within trees, the 'PCG' prefers a good view and perches on the top of trees and poles. The PCG is the first raptor to call before dawn, beckoning early risers with its melodious chanting.

In contrast to the PCG and Gabar which are easy to find, the Red-necked Falcon is highly secretive and very fast in flight, and often only allows for a view of the tail feathers dipping into the thick cover of an acacia tree. In cool, cloudy weather, however, the species comes out in the open and will happily perch on an exposed branch. So, finding the Red-necked Falcon may be difficult, but always be on the lookout for Black Crows Corvus capensis, because the red-necks breed in abandoned crows' nests.

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