4 May 2019: Chobe River Camp, Namibia

Chobe River Camp lies just across the border in Namibia, and is a splendid birding destination. The beer is cold, the view over the river spectacular, and the campsite abounds with birds. I booked an early morning boat trip, and Nelson, a local bird guide at the lodge, soon found two of the five target birds for the day.

Chobe River Camp

Several Coppery-tailed Coucals were ticked while sunning themselves on the riverbank, and a Chirping Cisticola was enticed out of a papyrus reedbed. We could not find any Luapula Cisticolas, nor were the Slaty Egrets and Rufous-bellied Herons present on the grass plains flanking the river. A bonus, however, was a Saddle-billed Stork that I still needed for the Big Year list. After a hearty (and expensive) breakfast at the restaurant, I took the long road west to Ngepi Camp on the Okavango River.

Coppery-tailed Coucal, Chobe River Lodge

Chirping Cisticola, Chobe River Camp