A DAY AT ONGAVA AND ETOSHA
After a good night's sleep, we were awakened at 5:45 in order to be ready to take off at 7:00 for our first game drive into Etosha NP. We each took two blankets to the safari open vehicle as it is cold here at night but hot during the day and the vehicle is completely open - no windows - so that game viewing is optimized. Good thing we did as we froze for about three hours until it started to warm up. We enjoyed some good birding and game viewing along the way - grateful for the stops that allowed us to warm up a bit. We stopped at a camp which had a huge waterhole and could see all kinds of herd animals heading in single file on different routes towards the water. Norma said each line reminded her of a train. The animals seemed to speed up as they got closer to the water. There were springbok, oryx, wildebeest, elephants, kudu, black-faced Impala, black-backed jackals, waterbuck, and many birds refreshing themselves. Some, not content with just drinking, dove right in.
We headed back to the camp for lunch and a nap and some blog updating before heading out for the afternoon at 4:30. We saw some beautiful birds drinking from a tap near the pool at lunch - most notably, the Violet-eared Waxbill.
Had a delicious South African milk pie as a treat as we started out. We do not get served dessert at lunch here but instead, nummies are available at 4:00 o'clock tea time. Norma decided to opt for a swim in the pool and a relaxing outdoor shower instead so it was just Glen, me, and Teacher on the drive. For the first hour, we baked in the hot sun and saw very little. We settled down at a waterhole and enjoyed the antics of the many species of birds that came to drink here. Teacher found us another Pearl-spotted Owlet. We saw one on yesterday's drive and I purchased a wooden replica at a market outside Etosha that morning to add to the collection hanging in my kitchen window. A call came over the radio that two white rhinos were in the area. They were a two-minute drive away. We admired them for awhile then headed back to the waterhole. We were entertained by approximately 2,000 Red-billed Quelea descending in a horde to the water and then performing a ululation. Awesome sight. We were about to leave when another call came in about a white rhino sighting. Again, the mother and her calf were only a two-minute drive away.
We decided to skip the Sundowner and returned to the lodge. Norma was waiting for us with our lists, so we did them and admired a black rhino at the water hole. I came down to the room to wash up for supper. Just as I was leaving, I ran into Glen, who had spotted two African porcupines. I managed to get a look at them as they disappeared up the path by the pool. They are huge compared to our North American ones. We were sitting in the lodge when, lo and behold, a cry arose as two porcupines climbed the stairs, entered the lodge and exited out the door we leave to get to the vehicles. Then they came back. Norma is terrified of them and hid behind the bar the first time they entered the lodge. The second time they came through, we were seated at our table and Norma jumped up onto my chair. I didn't have my camera but apparently this happens regularly so I will try to get a picture tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll send one that Glen took. His wife has never seen one and is quite jealous. I predict a stay here in their future. I thought the porcupines were quite stunning looking with their black and white quills which we could hear rattling as they walked. They reminded me a bit of a gigantic insect or strange beast in a horror movie.
To top off the day, we were treated to seven black rhinos at the water hole at once including a mother and her young calf.
After a good night's sleep, we were awakened at 5:45 in order to be ready to take off at 7:00 for our first game drive into Etosha NP. We each took two blankets to the safari open vehicle as it is cold here at night but hot during the day and the vehicle is completely open - no windows - so that game viewing is optimized. Good thing we did as we froze for about three hours until it started to warm up. We enjoyed some good birding and game viewing along the way - grateful for the stops that allowed us to warm up a bit. We stopped at a camp which had a huge waterhole and could see all kinds of herd animals heading in single file on different routes towards the water. Norma said each line reminded her of a train. The animals seemed to speed up as they got closer to the water. There were springbok, oryx, wildebeest, elephants, kudu, black-faced Impala, black-backed jackals, waterbuck, and many birds refreshing themselves. Some, not content with just drinking, dove right in.
We headed back to the camp for lunch and a nap and some blog updating before heading out for the afternoon at 4:30. We saw some beautiful birds drinking from a tap near the pool at lunch - most notably, the Violet-eared Waxbill.
Had a delicious South African milk pie as a treat as we started out. We do not get served dessert at lunch here but instead, nummies are available at 4:00 o'clock tea time. Norma decided to opt for a swim in the pool and a relaxing outdoor shower instead so it was just Glen, me, and Teacher on the drive. For the first hour, we baked in the hot sun and saw very little. We settled down at a waterhole and enjoyed the antics of the many species of birds that came to drink here. Teacher found us another Pearl-spotted Owlet. We saw one on yesterday's drive and I purchased a wooden replica at a market outside Etosha that morning to add to the collection hanging in my kitchen window. A call came over the radio that two white rhinos were in the area. They were a two-minute drive away. We admired them for awhile then headed back to the waterhole. We were entertained by approximately 2,000 Red-billed Quelea descending in a horde to the water and then performing a ululation. Awesome sight. We were about to leave when another call came in about a white rhino sighting. Again, the mother and her calf were only a two-minute drive away.
We decided to skip the Sundowner and returned to the lodge. Norma was waiting for us with our lists, so we did them and admired a black rhino at the water hole. I came down to the room to wash up for supper. Just as I was leaving, I ran into Glen, who had spotted two African porcupines. I managed to get a look at them as they disappeared up the path by the pool. They are huge compared to our North American ones. We were sitting in the lodge when, lo and behold, a cry arose as two porcupines climbed the stairs, entered the lodge and exited out the door we leave to get to the vehicles. Then they came back. Norma is terrified of them and hid behind the bar the first time they entered the lodge. The second time they came through, we were seated at our table and Norma jumped up onto my chair. I didn't have my camera but apparently this happens regularly so I will try to get a picture tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll send one that Glen took. His wife has never seen one and is quite jealous. I predict a stay here in their future. I thought the porcupines were quite stunning looking with their black and white quills which we could hear rattling as they walked. They reminded me a bit of a gigantic insect or strange beast in a horror movie.
To top off the day, we were treated to seven black rhinos at the water hole at once including a mother and her young calf.
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