Gospel on Safari: Domtshetshu Pan

Early in June I had the enormous privilege of spending 9 days at and around Elephant Sands Lodge, located near Nata in north-eastern Botswana, participating in Gospel on Safari where I and eleven other believers spent time with our Creator and His Word in the most amazingly unspoiled natural surroundings. Without a question it was one of the most impactful experiences of my life and I am immensely grateful for and humbled by all that was revealed to us, both physically and spiritually.

For three nights, with special permission granted by Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks, our group camped out in the wild at a waterhole called Domtshetshu Pan. The sense of freedom, space and wonderment was amazing!

The cutline leading to Domtshetshu

Camping at Domtshetshu Pan

Foxy Emperor Butterfly

Elephant from ground level

lephant from ground level

Elephant Silhouettes

Elephant Silhouette

Domtshetshu Pan

Domtshetshu Pan mud cracks

Elephant bulls after enjoying a muddy portion of the waterhole

Elephant bull after enjoying a muddy portion of the waterhole

Elephant bulls in procession

Elephant bull drinking

Joker Butterfly

African Migrant butterfly

Kudu cow and calf

Giraffes got a fright at my approach

Cape Turtle Doves gathering for a drink

Magpie Shrikes

Golden-breasted Bunting

Unidentified Pipit

Red-billed Spurfowl

White-browed Sparrow Weaver

Southern Pied Babbler

Camel Thorn

Domtshetshu Pan was the site of one of my most memorable wildlife encounters ever, and I will tell you more about it in the next installment!

Gospel on Safari: Elephant Sands

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Located just off the A33 main road linking Nata and Kasane, Elephant Sands offers accommodation and camping at the main lodge as well as a very comfortable bushcamp a few kilometers deeper into the bush. Both are unfenced and frequented by a wide range of wildlife day and night. The main lodge’s campsites and units, as well as the main building housing the swimming pool, restaurant, bar and curio shop, surrounds a waterhole that is supplied with pumped water and is a real magnet to elephants and a wide variety of birds. The bushcamp – Eco Lodge – has a plunge pool and 12 comfortable two-sleeper tents serviced from a large kitchen and open plan dining area that also overlooks a pump-fed waterhole.

Elephants drinking from the waterhole in Elephant Sands Lodge

Camping at Elephant Sands

Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Elephant drinking from the pool at Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Red-billed Spurfowl

Bradfield’s Hornbill

Immature Shikra

Cape Turtle Doves drinking from the waterhole at Elephant Sands

Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Flocks of Sandgrouse drinking from the waterhole at Elephant Sands

Pied Crows

African Red-eyed Bulbul

Speckled Pigeon

Sunrise over the waterhole at Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Red-billed Teal

Blacksmith Lapwing

Cape Teal in flight

White-crowned Shrike

Crimson-breasted Shrike

Tsamma fruit

Elephant Sands serves as an excellent base from which to explore the immense wilderness that surrounds it in all directions, and wildlife viewing is especially rewarding at and around many of the waterholes that are currently being provided with pumped water, seeing as Botswana is being hard hit by one of the worst droughts ever recorded in the country.

Early morning at a waterhole near Elephant Sands

Elephant and Leadwood

Elephants abound in northern Botswana

Sandgrouse, doves and elephant sharing a waterhole

African Wild Cat

Black-backed Jackal

Kudus, impalas and ostriches sharing a waterhole

Mummified juvenile Boomslang found in a thorny shrub

Giraffe

Blacksmith Lapwing

Bradfield’s Hornbill

Cape Glossy Starling

Cape Teals

Fork-tailed Drongo

Impala

White-backed Vulture

White-crowned Shrike

Pied Crow

Red-billed Spurfowl

Red-crested Korhaan

Burchell’s Sandgrouse in flight

Burchell’s Sandgrouse in formation

Female Burchell’s Sandgrouse

Yellow-billed Hornbill

Our group spent three nights “wild camping” at one such waterhole, called Domtshetshu Pan, and I will tell you more about that experience in the next installment!

Back from the Wilderness – for now

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I’ve just returned from the most amazing two weeks in neighbouring Botswana, which included a day spent across the border at the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. There are thousands of images to go through and lots of stories to tell, and I’ve just made a quick selection here. There’s still two more trips to the bush in the rest of this month; please bear with me if I am a bit slow in responding to your kind comments!

Elephant and Leadwood

Cape Teals

Black Mamba

Foxy Emperor Butterfly

Elephant from ground level

Elephant Silhouettes

Ground Pangolin

Kubu Island

Sunrise over the waterhole at Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Elephant drinking from the pool at Elephant Sands’ Eco Lodge

Sunrise over the Chobe River

Puku

Lioness

Bradfield’s Hornbill

Elephant from Senyati’s underground hide

Schalow’s Turaco

Nile Crocodile

African Fish Eagle

Cape Buffalo

Chobe Bushbuck ewe

Wahlberg’s Striped Skink

Victoria Falls

Red-sided Skink

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Trachylepis (Mabuya) homalocephala

In South Africa, Red-sided Skinks commonly occur mainly along the southern coast, stretching from Saldanha Bay to Durban, and adjacent hinterland, with a few isolated populations deeper inland in Mpumalanga and the Free State. It lives in areas with sandy soils in a variety of vegetation types, ranging from karroid and fynbos to forest, often near water. In the summer months females may lay up to 10 eggs in nests dug in soft soil below logs and rocks. The eggs hatch after approximately 3 months. Leaving the tail out of the measurement adults are about 7cm long.

Red-sided Skink

Veined Tip Butterfly

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Colotis vesta

The Veined Tip is a commonly seen butterfly occurring in savanna habitats and as such is found year-round in Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng and isolated parts of the Northern Cape. Adults have a wingspan of around 4cm and fly relatively low and slow, often landing on flowers.

Veined Tip

Veined Tip Butterfly

Veined Tip butterfly

Marico Flycatcher

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Bradornis (Melaenornis) mariquensis

The Marico Flycatcher is an insectivorous bird that lives in dry, thorny savannas (they are entirely independent of drinking water), and in South Africa occurs from the Lowveld through Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Gauteng and North West through to the Northern Cape and western Free State. Their distribution further extends to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and southern reaches of Zambia and Angola.

Marico Flycatchers live alone, in pairs or small groups of up to 5. They may breed at any time of year. Monogamous pairs raise clutches of 2-4 chicks that hatch in a flimsy cup-shaped nest built by the female. Chicks remain with their parents for up to 2 months after leaving the nest. Adults weigh about 24g and measure approximately 18cm in length.

The IUCN considers the Marico Flycatcher to be of least concern.

Marico Flycatcher

Immature Marico Flycatcher

Barn Swallow

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Hirundo rustica

Barn Swallows are amongst the best known birds in the world, occurring on all the continents (except Antarctica) for at least part of the year. They breed in the northern hemisphere and migrate to the southern continents during the northern winter, covering distances of up to 11,500km between their breeding grounds and non-breeding abodes. Locally they arrive from late September and depart again by April and can be seen in basically every corner of the country during that time. The IUCN estimates that there’s at least 290-million Barn Swallows in the world and lists the species as being of least concern.

in South Africa Barn Swallows can be found in any habitat though they reach their highest densities in areas of higher rainfall. They feed mainly on insects caught on the wing. Barn Swallows are highly gregarious and usually roost in reed beds – some of these have been in use for decades and may host up to 3 million birds! Barn Swallows measure about 14cm in length and weigh around 20g.

Barn Swallow

Barn Swallows

Barn Swallow

May ’24 update from Rietvlei Nature Reserve

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Another month of guiding guests visiting our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve has passed, and with temperatures at sunrise now touching the 0°C mark near the water and the grass slowly turning brown and less dense there’s no denying that winter is upon us in our corner of the southern hemisphere. Sightings have been excellent as usual and I’ve had some thoroughly entertaining and very memorable drives with my guests.

A quiet corner of the Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Autumn colours in Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Phragmites Reeds thrive at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Grass influorescence

Doll’s Protea is in fact a member of the daisy family, despite its resemblance to protea flowers

Female Giant Mantis / Common Green Mantis

Green Milkweed Locust

Painted Lady Butterfly

Brown-veined White Butterfly

Grasshopper of the family Pamphagidae

Nile Monitor

Puff Adder

Rietvlei sunrise

Island View on a misty may morning (photo by Joubert)

We managed to identify 94 bird species while out on guided drives this past month.

African Black Duck

African Darter (photo by Joubert)

Immature African Fish Eagle

African Pipit

African Reed Warbler (photo by Joubert)

African Snipe (photo by Joubert)

African Stonechat

African Stonechat female

African Wattled Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Black-chested Snake Eagle (photo by Joubert)

Immature Black-chested Snake Eagle (photo by Joubert)

Immature Black-chested Snake Eagle in flight (photo by Joubert)

Blacksmith Lapwing

Black-winged Kite

Buffy Pipit

Cape Longclaw (photo by Joubert)

Cape Sparrow (male)

Cape Wagtail

Cattle Egret

Chestnut-vented Warbler

Common Fiscal

Common Moorhen

Common Waxbills

Crowned Lapwing (photo by Joubert)

Greater Flamingoes

Green-backed Heron (photo by Joubert)

Grey Go-away-bird

Helmeted Guineafowl

Levaillant’s Cisticola

Little Grebe (photo by Joubert)

Long-tailed Widowbird (non-breeding)

Northern Black Korhaan male

Northern Black Korhaan pair

Northern Black Korhaan female

Orange River Francolin

Ostrich at sunrise

Ostriches at sunset

Red-billed Teal

Red Bishop

Red-throated Wryneck

Reed Cormorant

Secretary Bird (photo by Joubert)

Swainson’s Spurfowl

Tawny-flanked Prinia

White-breasted Cormorant

Yellow-billed Ducks

Yellow-billed Ducks (photo by Joubert)

And most of the mammals also played along nicely, although the resident cheetah kept herself well hidden!

Blesbok

Buffalo Calf

Buffalo Bull

Buffalo Cow

Buffalo cow

Buffalo Bull

Buffaloes fighting

Common Duiker

Eland

Eland herd (photo by Joubert)

Red Hartebeest

Black-backed Jackal

Slender Mongoose (photo by Joubert)

Yellow Mongoose

Spotted-necked Otters

Waterbuck bull

Waterbuck cow and calves

Black Wildebeest

Plains Zebra

List of birds seen at Rietvlei Nature Reserve during May 2024:

Scientific	Afrikaans	English
Acridotheres tristis	Indiese Spreeu	Common Myna
Acrocephalus gracilirostris	Kaapse Rietsanger	Lesser Swamp Warbler
Afrotis afraoides	Witvlerkkorhaan	Northern Black Korhaan
Alopochen aegyptiaca	Kolgans	Egyptian Goose
Amandava subflava	Rooiassie	Orange-breasted Waxbill
Amblyospiza albifrons	Dikbekwewer	Thick-billed Weaver
Anas erythrorhyncha	Rooibekeend	Red-billed Teal
Anas sparsa	Swarteend	African Black Duck
Anas undulata	Geelbekeend	Yellow-billed Duck
Anhinga rufa	Slanghalsvoel	African Darter
Anthus cinnamomeus	Gewone Koester	African Pipit
Anthus vaalensis	Vaalkoester	Buffy Pipit
Apus barbatus	Swartwindswael	African Black Swift
Ardea melanocephala	Swartkopreier	Black-headed Heron
Ardeola ralloides	Ralreier	Squacco Heron
Asio capensis	Vlei-uil	Marsh Owl
Batis molitor	Witliesbosbontrokkie	Chinspot Batis
Bostrychia hagedash	Hadeda	Hadeda Ibis
Bubulcus ibis	Veereier	Western Cattle Egret
Burhinus capensis	Gewone Dikkop	Spotted Thick-knee
Butorides striata	Groenrugreier	Green-backed Heron
Calendulauda sabota	Sabota Lewerik	Sabota Lark
Cecropis cucullata	Grootstreepswael	Greater Striped Swallow
Centropus burchellii	Gewone Vleiloerie	Burchell’s Coucal
Chalcomitra amethystina	Swartsuikerbekkie	Amethyst Sunbird
Circaetus pectoralis	Swartborsslangarend	Black-chested Snake Eagle
Cisticola juncidis	Landeryklopkloppie	Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola tinniens	Vleitinktinkie	Levaillant’s Cisticola
Corvus albus	Witborskraai	Pied Cow
Corythornis cristatus	Kuifkopvisvanger	Malachite Kingfisher
Crinifer concolor	Kwevoel	Grey Go-Away Bird
Crithagra mozambica	Geeloogkanarie	Yellow-fronted Canary
Curruca subcoerulea	Bosveldtjeriktik	Chestnut-vented Warbler
Dendropicos fuscescens	Kardinaalspeg	Cardinal Woodpecker
Dessonornis caffer	Gewone Janfrederik	Cape Robin-Chat
Dicrurus adsimilis	Mikstertbyvanger	Fork-tailed Drongo
Elanus caeruleus	Blouvalk	Black-winged Kite
Estrilda astrild	Rooibeksysie	Common Waxbill
Euplectes orix	Rooivink	Southern Red Bishop
Euplectes progne	Langstertflap	Longtailed Widowbird
Falco peregrinus	Swerfvalk	Peregrine Falcon
Falco rupicolus	Kransvalk	Rock Kestrel
Fulica cristata	Bleshoender	Red-knobbed Coot
Gallinago nigripennis	Afrikaanse Snip	African Snipe
Gallinula chloropus	Grootwaterhoender	Common Moorhen
Glaucidium perlatum	Witkoluiltjie	Pearl-spotted Owlet
Icthyophaga vocifer	Visarend	Fish Eagle
Jynx ruficollis	Draaihals	Red-throated Wryneck
Lamprotornis bicolor	Witgatspreeu	Pied Starling
Lamprotornis nitens	Klein Glansspreeu	Cape Glossy Starling
Laniarius atrococcineus	Rooiborslaksman	Crimson-breasted Shrike
Lanius collaris	Fiskaallaksman	Common Fiscal
Lophaetus occipitalis	Langkuifarend	Long-crested Eagle
Lophoceros nasutus	Grysneushoringvoel	African Grey Hornbill
Lybius torquatus	Rooikophoutkapper	Black-collared Barbet
Macronyx capensis	Oranjekeel Kalkoentjie	Cape Longclaw
Microcarbo africanus	Rietduiker	Reed Cormorant
Mirafra africana	Rooineklewerik	Rufous-naped Lark
Motacilla capensis	Gewone Kwikkie	Cape Wagtail
Netta erythrophthalma	Bruineend	Southern Pochard
Numida meleagris	Gewone Tarentaal	Helmeted Guineafowl
Passer diffusus	Gryskopmossie	Southern Grey-headed Sparrow
Passer melanurus	Gewone Mossie	Cape Sparrow
Phalacrocorax lucidus	Witborsduiker	White-breasted Cormorant
Phoenicopterus roseus	Grootflamink	Greater Flamingo
Phoeniculus purpureus	Rooibekkakelaar	Green Wood-hoopoe
Plectropterus gambensis	Wildemakou	Spur-winged Goose
Ploceus velatus	Swartkeelgeelvink	Southern Masked Weaver
Prinia subflava	Bruinsylangstertjie	Tawny-flanked Prinia
Psittacula krameri	Ringnekparkiet	Rose-ringed Parakeet
Pternistis swainsonii	Bosveldfisant	Swainson’s Spurfowl
Pycnonotus tricolor	Swartoogtiptol	Dark-capped Bulbul
Sagittarius serpentarius	Sekretarisvoel	Secretarybird
Saxicola torquatus	Gewone Bontrokkie	African Stonechat
Scleroptila gutturalis	Kalaharipatrys	Orange River Francolin
Scopus umbretta	Hamerkop	Hamerkop
Sigelus silens	Fiskaalvlieevanger	Fiscal Flycatcher
Sphenoeacus afer	Grasvoel	Cape Grassbird
Spilopelia senegalensis	Rooiborsduifie	Laughing Dove
Streptopelia capicola	Gewone Tortelduif	Cape Turtle Dove
Streptopelia semitorquata	Grootringduif	Red-eyed Dove
Struthio camelus	Volstruis	Common Ostrich
Tachybaptus ruficollis	Kleindobbertjie	Little Grebe
Tachymarptis melba	Witpenswindswael	Alpine Swift
Telophorus zeylonus	Bokmakierie	Bokmakierie
Threskiornis aethiopicus	Skoorsteenveer	African Sacred Ibis
Turdoides jardineii	Pylvlekkatlagter	Arrow-marked Babbler
Turdus smithi	Geelbeklyster	Karoo Thrush
Upupa africana	Hoephoep	African Hoopoe
Urocolius indicus	Rooiwangmuisvoel	Red-faced Mousebird
Vanellus armatus	Bontkiewiet	Blacksmith Lapwing
Vanellus coronatus	Kroonkiewiet	Crowned Lapwing
Vanellus senegallus	Lelkiewiet	Wattled Lapwing
Zosterops virens	Kaapse Glasogie	Cape White-eye

List of mammals seen at Rietvlei Nature Reserve during May 2024:

Scientific	Afrikaans	English
Alcelaphus buselaphus	Rooihartbees	Red Hartebeest
Antidorcas marsupialis	Springbok	Springbuck
Canis mesomelas	Rooijakkals	Black-backed Jackal
Ceratotherium simum	Witrenoster	White Rhinoceros
Connochaetes gnou	Swartwildebees	Black Wildebeest
Cynictis penicillata	Witkwasmuishond	Yellow Mongoose
Damaliscus pygargus	Blesbok	Blesbuck
Equus quagga	Bontsebra	Plains Zebra
Herpestes sanguineus	Swartkwasmuishond	Slender Mongoose
Hippopotamus amphibius	Seekoei	Hippopotamus
Hydrictis maculicollis	Kleinotter	Spotted-necked Otter
Kobus ellipsyprymnus	Waterbok	Waterbuck
Sylvicapra grimmia	Grysduiker	Common Duiker
Syncerus caffer	Buffel	Cape Buffalo
Taurotragus oryx	Eland	Eland

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of Rietvlei – on a hike or on an open vehicle drive – you can book through melanie@rietvleicoffee.co.za / +27(0)74-820-9926.

Wild Date Palm

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Phoenix reclinata

The Wild Date Palm is a characteristic tree of forests and moist savannas in the east of South Africa, where it grows from the Eastern Cape through low-lying areas of Kwazulu-Natal and into the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo and is classified as a protected tree. Beyond our borders they’re found all the way to Egypt. It only grows in well-watered areas and is most common along streams or in marshy areas. It may be encountered as dense multi-stemmed clumps of 3-6m high or more typically palm-like tall long-stemmed trees of up to 12m tall.

While the fruit, which appears towards the end of summer, isn’t as large as commercial dates, it is still a favourite among fruit-eating birds and mammals, including humans. Elephants browse the leaves. Several local cultures use the fronds to weave hats, mats and baskets and make brooms and fish traps from the stems, while an alcoholic drink is made of the sap.

Wild Date Palm blowing in the wind

Kudu hiding in the shade of a small Wild Date Palm

Wild Date Palm

Wild Date Palms

Wild Date Palm on the Western Shores of Lake Saint Lucia

Wild Date Palms on the Western Shores of Lake Saint Lucia

Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbia

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Euphorbia cooperi

The Bushveld Candelabra Euphorbia grows as a bush or small tree of up to 7m tall, occurring in the savanna regions of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West and most commonly found in rocky parts.

In keeping with most Euphorbia plants the milky latex contained in the branches is highly poisonous to humans and animals, causing severe blisters on the skin, blindness if it gets into the eyes and even death if swallowed – it is so potent that even just the smell of it causes a burning sensation in the airways. In rural areas people soak bundles of grass with the latex and then tie it to a stone before dropping it into the water – soon after paralysed fish start floating to the top to be scooped up with ease.