As I hope you have already surmised, the internet was out again yesterday, at the otherwise wonderful Mondjila Safari Camp. The good news is that we had two great days in the Etosha National Park, and then we drove southwest today to Swakopmund, on the Atlantic coast and the second largest city in Namibia, and the internet appears to be working just fine here.
The driving has been fascinating. We’ve been on gravel roads a lot, we got a flat in Etosha, just as we were hustling to get out of the park before they locked the gates at sunset, and we got a nice chip in the windshield as an oncoming truck barreled passed us on a gravel road today. We should definitely have sprung for the extra windshield and tire insurance they offered. Oh well.
Anyway, the wildlife continues to be amazing, and here’s a darling pririt batis, pririt puff-back flycatcher, or just pririt puffback (Batis pririt) that was just outside our cabin in Windhoek before we drove up to Etosha. I saw one there, too, but this picture is definitely the best of the bunch.
When we first arrived at the Mondjila Safari Camp, we were warned that driving could be tough in the park, and so we accepted the offered guided safari ride on fancy seats in the back of a pickup truck. We saw rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras, and wildebeests, of which I’m sure you’ve already seen plenty of pictures, but a favorite of mine was this black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) that Deb spotted as the guide drove right by.
One of the most common birds in the park, besides little brown birds pecking at seeds and gravel on the roads, were these gorgeous black-winged kites (Elanus caeruleus), of which we saw at least a dozen.
Back at the camp, as I tried for a repeat of the owlet encounter, I came across this tiny Anchieta’s agama or western rock agama (Agama anchietae), instead. I’d say its body was about the size of my middle finger, and it seemed sleepy. I had to time my shots for the moments when it opened its eye.
Finally, the most colorful sight in Etosha has to be the lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus). I’ve had the good luck to show you one before, from Malawi, but it was pretty far away and backlit, so it’s hard to see all the colors, but the beauty below was posing right next to the road and in good light, so you can get a better sense of how amazing they are.
Lastly, I have a ton more to show you, but we had a long drive today, and I’ve gotta hit the sack. We’ll be here for a couple of nights, so I should be able to start chipping away at the backlog.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 