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Everyone loves owls: African edition

10,000 Birds

There are few families of birds where despite a cosmopolitan distribution I’m always so pleased to see any species of the family. So imagine my delight to seeing a pair of African Scops-owls on the side of the road on a recent trip to Botswana. Who doesn’t love a good owl? Can you see them?

Owls 219
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“The Birder’s Guide to Africa” by Michael Mills

10,000 Birds

Family accounts for all 142 bird families recorded from the region. Since I used to live in and know Botswana, let’s see what the guide says on that country in one and a half pages. The family accounts is the only illustrated chapter and that sudden outburst of photos looks a bit strange compared to the rest of the book.

Africa 167
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Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, 5th edition

10,000 Birds

And so, back to political entities, this field guide covers Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , the southern half of Mozambique (south of the Zambezi River), South Africa , Lesotho and Eswatini ( Swaziland ). Yet, unless you live in the region, you are likely to have a vague idea where the Zambezi flows and no idea where Kunene is.

Africa 264
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African Pygmy Geese – Diminutive Ducks

10,000 Birds

True geese belong to the tribe or sub-family Anserini within the larger family Anatidae that encompasses ducks, geese and swans. And the Magpie Geese of the same country are believed to be neither ducks nor geese nor swans and are now placed within their own family Anseranatidae.

Geese 178
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Botswana’s Private Reserves

10,000 Birds

The reserve, in the eastern corner of Botswana near Zimbabwe and South Africa, isn’t open to the public in general, so I figured I’d share a few images here by way of showing off. Red-crested Korhaans are attractive members of the bustard family. I mean education. Red-faced Mousebirds are common African specialities.

Zimbabwe 100
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Birding Botswana’s Borders

10,000 Birds

But I do have rules about whether I can have said to have visited a country, ie does the country “count” which I have inherited from my family, particularly my Dad. I bring this up because birding the Chobe River in northern Botswana gave me the interesting opportunity to bird a country I technically wasn’t in.

Botswana 162
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Collins Birds of the World by Norman Arlott

10,000 Birds

When I moved to Botswana, to learn my birds I got myself the thickest local field guide. of January 2019, which resulted in 10,711 species, 40 orders, 246 families and 2,313 genera. Have you ever used illustrated checklists in the field, as opposed to full scale field guides? The author’s decision was the IOC list, version 8.2

Birds 239