BIRDING IN KASANE/NORTHERN CHOBE

Bateleur Eagle

Vacationtechnician personalized luxury adventure travel transports you to the most exquisite wilderness and chill out retreats on Earth. Conserving rare biodiversity through low volume tourism; our aim is your indulgence -at no one's expense. Plan now to be assured a rejuvenating escape at a restful pace -to an unspoilt gem in the purest sense.

Botswana Safari Field Reports
Meet our expert Safari Guides

" best guides = best safaris ~ a bad guide in the best camp will ruin your safari."

Botswana is fortunate in offering nature enthusiasts vast, unpopulated wilderness, a tremendous variety and quantity of big game … and fabulous birding. Some 580 different bird species have been recorded in the country, and birding may be organised as a dedicated activity in itself, or as part of a more general wildlife experience. In any case, there is every chance that even on specifically bird watching trips big game will be encountered while viewing birds. There are unique opportunities to view birds on foot, by boat, in 4x4 vehicles amidst spectacular African scenery.

The north of the country is especially rich in bird life, with the northern Chobe National Park and surrounding areas and the Okavango Delta boasting over 450 species in a relatively small area. The summer months, November to March, provide the best birding, when migrants from the northern hemisphere have arrived in good numbers and have joined the resident species, many of which are engaged in breeding. Bird watchers, with a good guide, may record 150 or more species in a day during this season.

Birding at other times of the year is good, too, and in the “winter” months, May to August, many small passerine species, now no longer breeding and therefore not territorial, form “bird parties” which forage together. 100+ species in a day is certainly possible then.

Given good rains the vast Makgadikgadi Salt Pans attract staggering numbers of flamingos, pelicans, wildfowl and waders. One of the best places to see these is from the Nata Sanctuary adjoining the northern edge of Sowa Pan.

Birding in the open wetlands and savannas of Botswana is generally very satisfactory with the views of birds easier and better than rainforest regions where thick vegetation and high forest canopies seriously limit sightings. Birders will also be impressed by the sheer abundance of certain species (e.g. francolins, doves, hornbills, bulbuls, weavers, Blue Waxbills) Botswana boasts the species occurring in the largest flocks (Red-billed Quelea, sometimes in aggregations of several million); the heaviest flying bird (the Kori Bustard) and, of course, the largest bird of all (the Ostrich). The region has an array of highly colourful species, too, amongst which one may include Green-Pigeons, Malachite and Woodland Kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, orioles, Crimson-breasted Shrikes, sunbirds, bishops and waxbills.

Passionate vacationtechnician birder-guide Richard Randall, and three friends recorded 290 species in 24 hours in January 2001, a southern African 24 hour “birding marathon” record. Richard, who has been birding in southern Africa since the early 1960s, leads birding itineraries for all levels of birding, from casual birders to outright “twitchers”, and is happy to dovetail birding with other activities such as game viewing and fishing. He has led many vacationtechnician birding trips for individuals, families and small and large groups. In 1998 he had the privilege of guiding the President of the United States and the First Lady on a safari in the Chobe region of Botswana and found the Clintons to be fascinated by the birds as well as by the big game there.

NORTHERN CHOBE NATIONAL PARK and KASANE (FROM NGOMA TO KAZUNGULA)

Introduction
This area has yielded some 450 species of birds (Botswana's longest list) and must rank as one of the top birding spots in southern Africa. A minimum of three days, ideally encompassing sorties by vehicle and by boat, would be required to do the birding justice in this area. In such a period keen birders can expect to see over 100 species in winter and over 200 in summer.

Specials
Western Banded Snake Eagle, Pennantwinged Nightjar, Rackettailed Roller, Collared Palm Thrush, Swamp Boubou, Coppery Sunbird, Brown Firefinch, Broadtailed Paradise Whydah, Goldenbacked Pytilia, Slaty Egret, Rufousbellied Heron, Pinkthroated Longclaw, Chirping Cisticola, Greater Swamp Warbler, Whitecrowned Plover, African Skimmer, Pygmy Goose, Rock Pratincole, African Finfoot, Halfcollared Kingfisher, Whitebacked Night Heron.

Habitats
Mixed broadleafed woodland, riverine woodland, floodplains, the Chobe River, seasonal pans.

Birding
One may not leave one's vehicle in CHOBE NATIONAL PARK (other than at camp sites), nor may one drive off the road, but satisfactory birding can be done from a vehicle. There are many firebreaks (accessible by 4x4) in the forest reserve bordering Kasane and Kazungula and, while being attentive to the presence of elephants and buffaloes, birders may walk freely in this reserve. Four principal birding habitats are found between Ngoma and Kazungula:

1. Mixed Broadleafed woodland (baikiaea plurijuga often dominant) a few hundred metres from the river and extending far south into the CHOBE NATIONAL PARK and adjoining forest reserves. Within these woodlands are patches of acacia woodland, varying in extent, that are attractive to certain species, e.g.. Penduline Tit, Marico Flycatcher, Crimsonbreasted Boubou, Violeteared Waxbill. The 10km. track in a shallow valley from the Kazungula border post to Lesoma Village - following the Zimbabwe border - traverses very impressive acacia woodland. Threebanded Courser are sometimes found on this track, especially at night. Specials include Pennantwinged Nightjar (Oct. - Dec., especially on the roads around the Kasane sewage works) Rackettailed Roller, Broadtailed Paradise Whydah (annual summer influx from the north, and only easily recognizable Feb., Mar., Apr.), Goldenbacked Pytilia.

2. Riverine woodland with various species including Diospyros mespiliformis, various acacia spp., Berchemia discolor, Croton megalobotrys, Gardenia volkensii and Trichelia emtica. One can drive next to the river from Ngoma to Kasane. Specials include Western Banded Snake Eagle, Trumpeter Hornbill, Narina Trogon (rare in summer), Pels Fishing Owl (rare), Eastern Bearded Robin, Redfaced Cisticola (common from Kasane to Kazungula), Collared Palm Thrush (resident at Mowana Safari Lodge), Swamp Boubou, Coppery Sunbird, Purplebanded Sunbird, Brown Firefinch. Olive bee-eaters have occasionally been reported from Nov. to March.

3. Floodplains largely relict on the south (Botswana) side and seasonally inundated and extensively covered with phragmites reeds and papyrus on the north (Namibian) side of the Chobe River. Specials include Slaty Egret, Rufousbellied Heron, Pinkthroated Longclaw; Lesser Gallinule; Lesser Moorhen; Redheaded Quelea (especially on Sedudu Island, Feb. to April), Chirping Cisticola & Blackbacked Cisticola, Greater Swamp Warbler.

4. The Chobe River itself, inclusive of its banks, from a point just west of Ngoma to its confluence with the Zambezi and including the rapids near Kasane. The river constitutes the border between Botswana and Namibia. Guided boat trips on the river may be organised through one of several Kasane-based operators. From late March to end June (high water) the river is navigable from just above the rapids to Kabulabula. At lower water levels the boating range is more restricted, but the stretch from the rapids to Puku Flats (usually the most productive part for birds) is navigable all year. Our tour to this area would encompass a river trip, which is a must for birders. Specials include Whitecrowned Plover (Puku Flats to Kazungula), African Skimmer (best place is "Hippo Pools" just off Watercart Drive), Pygmy Goose, found in quieter backwaters, but less frequently than in the Kasani Channel. In the rapids area look for Rock Pratincole (from Sept. to Feb.), African Finfoot, Halfcollared Kingfisher, Whitebacked Night Heron.

5. Kasai Channel A trip up the Kasai Channel (which connects the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers) is also possible. As this channel is in Namibia there are Immigration and Customs formalities to be observed on both sides of the border, but the lily-covered lagoons next to the main channel are rewarding: Pygmy Goose, Lesser Gallinule and Purple Gallinule, African Rail, Lesser Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, and, in the fringing reeds and papyrus, Chirping Cisticola and Greater Swamp Warbler.

Botswana Reading

Botswana Safari Field Reports
Meet our expert Safari Guides

Botswana Specialist Safari Reports