Hallo again all

Thanks for the kind welcome!

@ Edey Hobbies are photography, gardening, reading, birdwatching. I also so some beadwork - really basic stuuf, though

@ Martha Yes, it really captured live in Botswana. See if you can get hold of the books - they are absolutely wonderful

@ Luvd_Lioness Come and visit - Botswana most be the most peaceful country in Africa; awesome scenery

NicciJade:

birdwatching.

What are some of the birds you see most often?  I'm a backyard birdwatcher; since retiring and being home more often I see more than I thought I would.  We have hummingbirds, orioles, scrub jays, mockingbirds, sparrows, finches, crows, flycatchers, starlings, and doves.  We see seagulls flying overhead but don't land in the yard. There are also red-tail hawks, owls and killdeer around, but these last two are more heard then seen. Occasionally a flock of feral (is that the right word) parrots that fly by occasionally, squawking all the way. I do enjoy watching them all.  Edey

Edey, obviously our bird lists won't match - but it sounds as if you have an amazing variety!

Birds I've seen in my garden or the surrounding bush are sparrows, doves/pigeons, mousebirds,  weavers, tchagras, cuckoos, glossy starlings, white-eyes, sugarbirds, hornbills, shrikes, prinias, rollers, swallows, chats, babblers, coucals, crows, plovers, drongoes, egrets, guineafowl, ibis, louries, twinspots,barbets, waxbills, hoopoes. (I've probably forgotten some, but these are the "dependables". Plus, I'm not an expert on raptors.) Eish, what a list - sorry if i bored the socks off you!

Obviously, going to the Delta there are more waterbirds and my all-time favourite - the African fish eagle - and going to the desert there birds more adapted to desert conditions.

I live in a village, with lots of open bush around me, so there are many opportunities for bird-watching.

It's a fascinating and frustrating hobby, especially those lbj's.

Keep me up to date with your lifers!

I did read one of the book but it didn't grab me as much as the show.   all that lovely scenery!!  great actors too.     They also have a 1/2 hr show called botswana a gem which explains the history, the aids problem (what they are doing about it) and the related orphanages, the characters, the music in botswana etc.

I would love to visit one day.

NicciJade:

going to the Delta there are more waterbirds and my all-time favourite - the African fish eagle

Are you in an area that has a lot of water or a more desert area?

  I'm about an hours drive from the Pacific, which offers more variety of bird watching; however the little shore birds I've never been able to see close enough to figure out which is which, but do love watching them run in and out of the waves searching for food.  Edey

NicciJade:

I live in a village, with lots of open bush around me

Just wondering what youre definition of a villiage is? I live in a city that has a population of 50,000 and my ex-h, who was from Kenya, called that a village (where he was from was also 50,000). 

There was a bird that I saw when I was on safari that I never got a picture of was the irridescent blue starling. The most beautiful bird to me. (I was in Tanzania and Kenya in 1997 for 2 wks). 

So is Dumelang directly translated to Hello?

Hallo all

Martha, glad to hear BW Tourism is actively marketing the country - hope it inspires you to come out here one day

Edey, I live in the south-eastern part, which has a relatively high rainfall, but the country as a whole is quite dry and very hot.

Luvd_Lioness, yes, Dumela/Dumelang means Hello

Villages here are determined by population (Tlokweng has about 20 000 inhabitants), and it also determines the infrastructure and government services available. I live on a dirt road, for instance, even though I'm about 5 km from Gaborone, the capital city.

Glossy starlings are lovely (and are quite easy to tame, with some patience) - but have a search on the net for bee-eaters and roller: beautiful, bright-coloured birds.  

 We have grackles in the parks near here that have the same pretty glossy, shiny coat like your starlings. The male makes a very loud screechy sound, which makes you wonder how a small bird can make such a huge squawk. 

The bee-eater and roller are very pretty, colorful birds. Edey

I would love to come one day.   but out of the budget at the moment! I think it would be a $10,000 plus trip for our family.

Hi Martha

Yes, unfortunately it will be an expensive holiday, even with the dollar/*** exchange rate. Apart from plane tickets, you will need a 4X4 vehicle to go into the reserves, and most of the Delta camps are fly-in only.

Camping is cheap, however, once you're here

Keep that dream alive!!!!