This place is also a lovely campsite with hot water for showers provided by what seemed a constant burning 'donkey' and a local restaurant of wooden poles, open sides and on a raised deck. The menu on the blackboard had a small foot note "Meals will take 45min/1hour" - at least you knew how long it would take!
Anyway, very soon (with life jackets on board - these help when there are hippo's around??) we set off with our brilliant guide Moses who was also the skipper.
1st up was a Pied Kingfisher who seemed intent on committing suicide by trying to swallow a fish the length of its body - only got some if-ish shots of that part but here it is still swallowing hard to get it down;
A few metres on - pair of Black-crowned Night Herons (my smile quite big at this stage already)
Hammering off the shots, Moses had started the motor again and almost instantly switched it back off "White-backed Night Heron!!" he hissed Very excitedly. True as nuts - a pair of them!!! Lifer for me, I had to recover from my shock quickly and start hammering away at the shutter - AND change memory card !!! and carry on again.
AAAAND, to crown it all - both Night Herons in one frame!!
As the last WB Night Heron flew further into the undergrowth I was speechless, and so was Moses! This was too much excitement in only 10-15min. While we're trying to converse through our stunted speech organs, Papyrus Gonolek and Greater Swamp Warbler called next to us - WTH!! This a damn bird circus?! We knew the calls and the birds, so set off further on the lake to allow our heart rates to return to normal-ish.
Anyway, very soon (with life jackets on board - these help when there are hippo's around??) we set off with our brilliant guide Moses who was also the skipper.
1st up was a Pied Kingfisher who seemed intent on committing suicide by trying to swallow a fish the length of its body - only got some if-ish shots of that part but here it is still swallowing hard to get it down;
A few metres on - pair of Black-crowned Night Herons (my smile quite big at this stage already)
Hammering off the shots, Moses had started the motor again and almost instantly switched it back off "White-backed Night Heron!!" he hissed Very excitedly. True as nuts - a pair of them!!! Lifer for me, I had to recover from my shock quickly and start hammering away at the shutter - AND change memory card !!! and carry on again.
AAAAND, to crown it all - both Night Herons in one frame!!
As the last WB Night Heron flew further into the undergrowth I was speechless, and so was Moses! This was too much excitement in only 10-15min. While we're trying to converse through our stunted speech organs, Papyrus Gonolek and Greater Swamp Warbler called next to us - WTH!! This a damn bird circus?! We knew the calls and the birds, so set off further on the lake to allow our heart rates to return to normal-ish.
Part 3: Fish Eagles galore and more heart-racing sightings!
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