Our first encounter with painted wolves was during a mobile camping trip in the Okavango region of Botswana, after morning tea we all trundled into the safari truck for a day of exploration.
Read Morepainted wolf puppies
Himba Village in the Kunene Region
Archive Alert
I recently completed a school report regarding the impacts that prolonged drought events are having on the HImba in the Kunene Region. My photographs were taken in 2018 and the drought had continued since then through 2020 with predictions for unpredictable weather patterns to continue in the region at large.
I enjoyed my visit and learning about some of the cultural traditions that the Himba live by. It is humbling how well they have adapted to living in this arid environment for generations.
whattled cranes overhead
Why not Botswana in August?
Okavango Delta region, Botswana
Read More
Himba Village in Northern Namibia
Soil is an organic matter
From an early age my father taught my brothers and I to appreciate good soil. I can hear his instruction now as we cupped soil samples from our organic gardens and orchard in our hands, “feel the texture of it, can you smell the living organisms in the soil?” Good soil takes effort, and the rewards are far greater than production and turnover rate, good soil is the heart of our environment.
soil, climate change, and farmer's field experience
I visited a Himba village in Northern Namibia in 2018, and as a soil aware person I was struck with how degraded the landscape was from overgrazing. I asked our local guide about the state of the landscape. He explained that the land was typically like this at the end of their dry period except that the normal rain systems were not arriving as they had in the past. I pressed him about possible solutions, he shrugged his shoulders.
I thought about this experience as I read my ecological systems assigned readings this week. One author briefly mentioned the possibility of making topsoil. The first step to reclaiming soil is testing and evaluation. I discovered that there is a group of European scientists who are working with Namibian farmers on soil degradation problems similar to I had seen (Prudat, et al., 2018). They recognize that previous reclamation efforts had not included local farmer’s field experience. The renewed approach includes creating a soil testing system that is relevant to the regional farmers by incorporating their local soil classification system and by recognizing all of the actors involved in the farming activities. Finally, a bottom-up approach to developing a soil testing system that could lead to a long-term soil management policy in which all stakeholders are invested in.
Prudat, B., Bloemertz, L., & Kuhn, N. J. (2018). Local soil quality assessment of north-central Namibia: integrating farmers' and technical knowledge. Soil, 4(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-47-2018, 2018.
Giraffe leaving as elephant arrive to water hole in Western Etosha NP
Giraffe in Etosha National Park
At dusk giraffe gather in sheltered locations to prepare for the night. Most of the group will lay day and sleep for a few hours while one or two group members stay alert to watch out for predators. Giraffe’s nocturnal behavior is structured to benefit their community.
Wild giraffe populations are declining due to human development, political unrest, habitat loss, and poaching. We have the responsibility to conserve their habitat. As we learn about their complex social systems the responsibility is even more fundamental. The recent article published in Ecology and Evolution outlines the current studies of giraffe’s nocturnal behavior patterns hoping to provide guidance to human behavior towards wildlife.
Burger, A.L., Fennessy, J., Fennessy, S., & Dierkes, P.W. (Feb. 2020) Nightly selection of resting sites and group behavior reveal antipredator strategies in giraffe. Ecology and Evolution, 10(6), 2917–2927.
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6106
Angolan Giraffe in Etosha N.P. near Dolomite Lodge
Quiver trees in Namibia
An endemic tree species of Southern Africa the Quiver tree is an example of another endangered species that may have a very short future. Quiver trees have been disappearing from the landscape…
Read More
Elusive or Blind
It is helpful to say
there is hope.
You see it
with those you want to meet.
You see it
by the stories you tell.
You probably have hope
by offspring.
Problem is I don’t know
when to look
branding me
vaguely free.
One morning in South Luangwa NP
Strength
Uncontrolled
torrent on salt
damned by a plan
When I was strong,
once,
a rhythm of laughter.
Strength
was a mere shadow
fractured by one breath.
sunset walk outside of Sossusvlei, Nambia
Out it Alone
It came slowly
yet you are shocked?
no question asked
quiet with time.
young Maasai woman beading
Maasai Pastoralists, Their Community and the Amboseli Ecosystem
… hard work with unforgiving physical labor is required of all farmers
Read MoreSangre de Christo Mountains, Southern Colorado
Dark Skies
Our connection with the night sky is calming and is vital to our health!
Read More
dried Elderflower and fresh Lavender. for fragrance and skin.
Flowers and Herbs
Surprise yourself with your own power to be healed and to heal. Understand that your daily habits affect your long term health
Read More
Lion pride at Savuti Channel
Morning at Savuti Channel
The Savuti Channel
A dry channel meandering through an equally dry landscape, the Savuti Channel is now a legendary area for lion sightings. Once a vast marsh the area has dried out over the course of time, though inexplicably the channel will produce water some years. Savuti is located right on the very tip of the East Africa Great Rift Valley, it’s theorized that the associated tectonic activity influences the water flows into the channel. Other theories point to extended droughts as being the cause of Savuti’s lack of water.
Our visit coincided with a dry spell at the Savuti channel. We drove into our remote camp on a blazing hot spring afternoon wondering what our chances were for catching sight of wild game in such an unforgiving environment. Waking at 5 am the next day, we saw lion tracks close to our campsite. The lions of Savuti, hardened by the dry conditions, are known for their ability to hunt down the largest of mammals including; giraffe, buffalo, and elephant. With anticipation of what may lay ahead we drove slowly out of camp to the channel. As if on cue we came across a pride of lions relaxing after a night of hunting, their bellies were full and the youngsters were in good spirits playing and chasing doves.
flocks of doves flew in and out of the channel, attracted to the small water hole that the lions watched over
We spent 2 hours photographing and watching the lion pride that morning. A photographic safari allows for extra attention spent with wildlife sightings, time given for careful observation of the subject, and opportunities to play with composition and camera settings.
Considerations when choosing a guided safari company include:
Is your guide a trained naturalist, familiar with the region?
Is your guide a photographer, able to position the truck for the best photographic opportunities?
Is the truck suitable for photographers; room for gear, removable windows, outlets for charging?
Are your travel companions agreeable to staying with a sighting for a couple of hours?
The Savuti Channel has been a life source of water off and on for centuries. Catch the documentary Stolen River, by Derrek and Beverly Jobert, for a gripping description of Savuti as it dried up in the early 1980’s.
The Okavango Delta region finally had a decent wet season this year so perhaps Savuti has water again. Any trip planned to Chobe National Park should include a side trip here, whether or not the channel has water. There is a particular mood associated with Savuti- I wasn’t particularly seeking it but it was there.
Botswana Safari Company was our agent for this trip
Sesriem Canyon is right there at your feet. February 2018
Sesreim Canyon
Canyons are crevices in the earth that I see as an escape from the hot sun. Climb down a canyon and suddenly the environment around you is cool and quiet. Sesreim Canyon outside of Namib-Naukluft National Park is such an experience.
From the distance there isn’t anything to see, but pull into the car park and climb down that gorge and you will see. You will see ancient earth pulled apart by by geologic upheaval, you will see the trees and plants thriving in the coolness of the canyon, and you will feel the still, quiet air.
Sossusvlei blog linked here
Silliness has no Bounds
Ostrich on pan in Estosha, Namibia
Are you a clever one
with just the right response?
You probably didn’t blurt out
“It’s just like ostrich sauce,”
Or tell your neighbor
“Have a gooey gooey day”
not one for sharp retorts
my native silliness
abounds.
Halali Waterhole
Halali Waterhole Estosh NP
I just found a series of photos I took at the Halali waterhole in Etosha NP. I wasn’t keen on taking my camera to the waterhole that night but my friend insisted that I try my hand at a bit of nighttime photography.
Here are our results.
The images I captured that night barely hint at the unique beauty we observed. When you stay at a nationally run lodge in Etosha you will have access to the waterhole situated in your lodging area. The waterholes are protected so you can literally get up in the middle of the night and go view animals. Different lodges have different situations for instance the waterhole at Halali is quiet, small and intimate. Another waterhole, by our first lodging area, was vast. I woke at 2 in the morning and walked to it without my camera. There I observed herds of zebra, springbok, and impala move in and out of the waterhole with grace and silence. Sometimes the most amazing images are not captured on film.