Birding: Okavango Delta Botswana

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Botswana's Okavango Delta needs little introduction when discussing prime birding destinations in southern Africa. It has an enviable reputation, based on a high species count (more than 400 birds recorded), and an immense diversity of bird watching environments, all of which can be experienced within one of the world's most captivating wilderness areas.

Even though it has no endemic species, Botswana always offers the chance of seeing many of the rare or uncommon birds of the southern African region, such as Pel's Fishing Owl, the African Skimmer and the Rufous-bellied Heron. It also forms the southernmost range for a number of species, the White-rumped Babbler and Coppery-tailed Coucal for example, which are more commonly found further north of the Kunene and Zambezi rivers. Besides these noteworthy sightings, the Delta is probably best known for its great variety of water birds, from the tiny Malachite Kingfisher to the iconic African Fish Eagle.

The Okavango can be divided into two distinct regions based on geographic features. These contrasts are in turn the determining factor in the different water patterns of each region. While the system as a whole should, correctly, be referred to as 'the Delta', the top section where the Okavango River remains a single flowing body of water is commonly known as 'the Panhandle'.

The dividing feature between the two regions is the Gumare Fault, a fault line that lies roughly in a south-west/north-east orientation and approximately 100 kilometres south of where the Okavango River crosses Botswana's northern boundary. It is this fault line that breaks the main river into three channels, the Thaoge flowing down the western side, the Jao/Boro flowing through the centre and the Nqoga along the eastern side. These channels in turn splinter into numerous smaller channels that then disperse the annual floodwaters to the middle and lower Delta floodplains, and at a far slower pace because of the gentler gradients.

The Panhandle region has a perennial water pattern, the feature being merely a change in depth level, while the larger middle and lower regions below the fault line are mostly characterized by semi-permanent and seasonal water patterns.

The distinct regions of the Okavango and their respective annual water patterns have a substantial impact on the behavior and movements of the Delta's water bird populations. Being a water bird, by definition, implies that aquatic environments play the major role in its survival. This is particularly so when it comes to food, and many water birds undertake local migrations depending on the feeding conditions associated with the varying levels of the floodwaters. Generally, during late summer and in winter, the water levels in the Panhandle are at their highest, and thus do not provide optimum feeding conditions. So at this time many of the water birds move to the middle and lower regions of the Delta, often following the 'tongue' of the new floodwaters.

The advancing water flushes out insects, rodents and reptiles, all of which are readily preyed upon by the birds. Within weeks of the flooding, the amphibian population and the density of insect life increase dramatically and, together with the variety of fish species, provide a sustainable food source for the coming months. It is also then that many species move to the permanent lagoons to breed. Gadikwe Lagoon is the largest and best-known site, with Marabou and Yellow-billed storks, Sacred Ibises, Darters, Reed Cormorants and egrets comprising the majority of breeding birds during June, July and August. Xakanaxa Lagoon is another frequently used breeding site.

Food remains abundant until the onset of spring and the early summer months, when the seasonal waters begin evaporating, at which time the birds again start to move north. A feature during this period are the numerous 'fish traps' that form as the last of the water in the deeper channels become pools of protein. The floodplains of Jao, Vumbura and Mombo offer spectacular bird viewing in October and November - large numbers of pelicans, storks, egrets, ibises and cormorants congregate to compete for the frogs, bream and catfish that have become trapped during the drying process. By the end of November most of the floodplains in the middle and lower regions have become completely dry, forcing many of the birds to head towards the Panhandle region.

October through to January sees the lowest water levels at the Panhandle - and the birding at its peak. Pelicans, Open-billed and Saddle-billed storks, Hamerkops, Spurwinged Geese, Black and Slaty egrets, and ibises are all attracted to the floodplains, while the smaller channels (such as the Nxamaseri Channel) abound with gallinules, moorhens and jacanas, as well as numerous species of ducks and plovers. The main Okavango Channel becomes a haven for bee-eaters, kingfishers, egrets, herons and the ever-present African Fish Eagle.

Like any annual natural occurrence, no two years are the same, and variations in local weather patterns play a vital role in dictating the characteristics of the birds' behaviour. The Delta is no different, as the amount of local rainfall greatly influences the feeding and local migration patterns of many of the species. Local rainfall is responsible for approximately 25 per cent of the Delta's annual intake of water. The remainder comes from the catchment area in Angola, and this has a far more significant and consistent impact on the overall water levels.

In years when the region experiences exceptional rainfall, the outskirts of the Delta offer an additional birding bonanza. Then, pelicans, flamingos, storks and numerous species of waterfowl converge on areas like the Makgadikgadi Pans, Lake Ngami and the surrounding smaller pans to take advantage of the ephemeral conditions. The nomadic instincts of waterbirds are strong and it is not unusual to encounter teals, whistling ducks, jacanas, terns, moorhens, snipes and ibises also responding to these urges to make the most of the limited breeding opportunities in these drier outlying areas. In years of unusually high rainfall, breeding in these localities will normally occur during March and April.

The beginning of summer heralds the arrival of the Delta's Palaearctic and Ethiopian migrants. First in are usually the Yellow-billed Kites and European Swallows. They are followed by many of the waders and, very noticeably, by the vibrantly coloured Carmine Bee-eaters, which usually breed during September and October in three separate colonies in the Panhandle. Then it is time for the cuckoos, shrikes and raptors. The count is usually complete once the Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have arrived and the wonderfully shrill call of the Woodland Kingfisher cuts through the air.

The migrants' return journey usually begins in March and by the end of April most of them have departed for the warmer weather further north. The Delta's next water cycle and the local migrations associated with it, are by then already well under way...

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