Deception Valley Lodge - February 2010 – Newsletter

This time of the year the Kalahari is usually beautifully green and this summer is no exception.  We had plenty of rain therefore the bush is dense and this does not make it easy for the guides on safari. They are having a hard time finding antelope, lions and leopards. However, tracking animals is not the only reason you should visit the Kalahari. Now is also the time to appreciate the smaller fauna and flora, such as birds and butterflies in all different shapes, colours and sizes.   We are fortunate to have as many different species this year, and this can surely be attributed to the rain!

This February has been one of the most amazing months for bird watching; birds that you would never expect to see in the Kalahari were everywhere
Greater moorhen
Lesser moorhen
Wattlecrane
Fish eagles
Black Indigo Bird
Dab Chick
Knob Billed Ducks
just to name few.  They all gather at the natural waterholes that have been filled with rain and food is abundant.  

Another example of the prolific bird life is the Red-billed quelias. They are nesting here in their flocks! We have never seen such a massive number of nests. Driving past the nests you can hardly hear yourself speak.

Interesting FACT: 

It takes a red-billed quelia’s eggs 10-15 days to hatch and then in another 10-15 days the young chicks are ready to fly.  Bird watchers have seen them in flocks of thousands, this year it’s our luck to witness this spectacle. 

Kalahari greetings from all of us at DVL!
Can’t wait to see you again!

To all the Travel and Tourism partners, visit us at Indaba, Durban: 8 – 11 May 2010 at The Botswana Tourism Board stand - SADC HALL. STAND NO: SADC BO 29 - To make an appointment send Wanda an e-mail - res@dvl.co.za.

The two leapard are doing very well! Adriaan got these beautiful pictures of the brother watching them very closely from a treetop!

Photos by Adriaan Barnard, Jerry & Kim Thornton

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