I felt so blessed to be back in Botswana, this time with good friends who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
We camped two nights in Khwai, three nights in Savuti and another three nights in Chobe. I had never seen the Chobe River this full (the biggest flood in eight years!). With so much water still in the forest, unusually few animals, especially elephants, came out to the river.
金婚式を祝う友人夫妻と一緒に、またボツワナを訪問した。今回は、クワイ2泊、サブチ3泊、チョベ3泊のキャンプサファリ。チョベ川の水嵩がこれほど多いのは初めて。8年ぶりの大洪水という。森に水がまだ沢山あることから、チョベ川まで出てくる動物がゾウをはじめとしていつになく少なかった。
Pair of little bee-eaters, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Hamerkop on tree trunk, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Verreaux’s eagle-owl (formerly known as Giant eagle-owl), Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Matsebe (well-known mother leopard), Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Wattled crane, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Wild dogs fighting over impala head, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018. Clearly it was not about meat but positions in the pack.
Khwai River, Botswana, May 2018
Waterbuck, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Waterbucks at the Khwai River, Botswana, May 2018
Meyers parrot, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
White-crested helmet-shrike, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Pied kingfisher, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Senegal coucal, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Hamerkop eating frog, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Hamerkop trying to mate?, Khwai, Botswana, May 2018
Red-crested korhaan, Mababe Depression, Botswana, May 2018
Purple roller with millipede, Mamabe Depression, Botswana, May 2018
Purple roller, Mababe Depression, Botswana, May 2018
Baby zebra, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Sacred ibis, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Southern pied babbler, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Bradfield’s hornbill, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Lilac-breasted roller, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Black-backed jackal and double-banded courser, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Yellow mongoose, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Baobabs, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018. There are 12 baobab trees next to each other.
Banded mongoose, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Slender mongoose, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Openbills on tree, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018. There were eight openbills on this tree.
Pair of magpie shrike, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Mother and baby zebras, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Baby zebra suckling, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Impala and red-billed oxpecker, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Brown snake eagle, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Yellow pansy, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Sunset, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Guinea fowl, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Zabras in late afternoon, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Definitely food is more interesting than sex, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Lions eating wildebeest, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Lions eating wildebeest, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Taking a break from eating wildebeest, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
A few hours later, still eating, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Jackals waiting for their turn, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Jackal hoping to run off with some meat, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Jackal, tired of waiting, decided to drink water, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Black-headed heron, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Fish eagle flying, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Fish eagle preparing to land on tree, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Fish eagle landing, Savuti, Botswana, May 2018
Zambezi teak, on the way to Chobe River, May 2018. Normally it doesn’t flower so late in the year.
Grass cutter, on the way to Chobe River, Botswana, May 2018. It jumped into a moving vehicle and landed on my lap.
Leopard tortoise eating leaf, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Pipit, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Pearl-spotted owlet, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018. It’s tiny – only about 20 cm tall.
Red-billed quelea, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Yellow-billed oxpecker and red-billed oxpecker on buffalo, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Pair of long-tailed paradise whydah, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Male long-tailed paradise whydah, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Sunset, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
One of the five lionesses in the pride, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
African marsh harrier, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Fork-tailed drongo, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Juvenile marshal eagle, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Great egret, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Grey heron, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
African darter, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
5pm, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Sunset, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
6pm, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Just after sunset, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
African darter, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Abdim’s stork, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018. It shouldn’t be here in this time of the year.
Spur-winged goose, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
African harrier-hawk, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Dragonfly, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
White-crowned lapwing, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Green-backed heron, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Hippo napping, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
African stonechat, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Yellow-billed stork, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Yellow-billed stork, Chobe, May 2018
Warthog mating, Chobe, Botswana, May 2018
Masako Osada Visual Arts 