Etosha at last!!!

The 7th of June dawned bright and chilly (1deg), I was delighted to wake to the call of  Bare-Cheeked Babbler, a LIFER. Wonderful birthday messages arrived on my cell phone. After breakfast and a quick walk about the area we packed a very large bag of faith and headed towards Etosha, I say faith because I had tried to book a camp site on line before we left home, I was told that there was not one site available in the whole of Etosha.

The drive from Outjo to Okaukuejo was through interesting habitat.  At the main office we asked for accommodation and were told that the park was just about empty, Priase God, I'm going to spend my birthday in Etosha!!! We drove through to Halali where we set up camp for three days.  Our site was at the edge of the camp site, this meant that many interesting birds visited the dripping tap in our 'patch' I spent many hours at the water hole near the camp.  We had some interesting sightings during our stay in Etosha.  Interesting night visitors in the form of Honey Badger that cleaned out the rubbish bin, a Leopard grunting at the water hole and some interesting owls.

For me this Etosha is not about animals or birds, but about vast areas of nothing, about habitats that one would not see anywhere else in Africa, of quiet times to contemplate the still small voice in my heart that celebrates the vastness of God's creation.

Doug, I wonder what is going on here

The road onto Etosha View site

Forever and ever

Bath time

Doug explaining to tourist truck driver about Batallion 32, Doug had just
finished reading this book when he met this man who's father was in Batallion 32,
the family had just been reunited a few weeks before this photo was taken.

Our camp site in Halali camp

Grey-Backed Camaroptera

Dusky Sunbird

Lion Kill

She made the kill, he claimed the kill, she just looks on?

Old male Ellie, tusks very short due to poor mineral intake,
the tusks break very easliy

Koppie with Maringa Trees

Double-Banded Sandgrouse male

Horns and Thorns

African Wild Cat, my first ever sighting

Familiar sight at water hole

Its a long way across the road when you walk like this

Northern Black Korhaan

Roads leading into Etosha, view from tower