A rare African Owl

 April 30th

Today was a free day; we could do what we wanted, and although I suppose we should have relaxed and just chilled out, this was not something us Jameisons could do. On offer was a cruise along the Okavango River, so we and one other couple, Nessie and another Ian, decided to go. Initially, the time was set for one hour, but the guide said we would see more if we went upstream to where small channels had formed through the reeds. So another hour was added, and wow, we couldn't have asked for a better guide.  So many birds pointed out, and he even pulled out sweetroot, which is a delicacy here in Africa. Taken from the web,

  Sweet reed, often described as a thinner, easily chewable wild sugar cane, is harvested and eaten along the Okavango River in Botswana. It tastes similar to cultivated sugar cane, providing a sugary, fibrous treat. It is often enjoyed fresh, broken by hand, and acts as a natural treat, often gathered along the riverbank 

We all had a taste, it's sweet, almost like sugar cane. 

After 90 minutes, he decided to come out of the channels and head to Shakawa. In trees near the river, owls have been seen. These owls are rare and can only be found in Botswana, and as luck would have it, three were perched in branches just off the river. The only way to truly see these magnificent birds was to alight the boat, clamber up the bank filled with undergrowth to an advantageous point further up. Gosh, these birds were big! One flew off as we stood looking, and the wingspan was huge. I took this from the web

The Pel's Fishing Owl (Scotopelia peli) is a massive, rare, and highly sought-after owl species found in sub-Saharan Africa, often considered a "holy grail" for birdwatchers. They stand 2ft tall and have a wingspan of 5ft. Only about 100 pairs are left in the Okavango region.

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I think we went well over the 2-hour trip; a hefty tip was given as a thank you for a great morning.

The rest of the day was spent chatting and drinking, not necessarily in that order, needless to say, by the time we had our Braai cooked by team 1, I was well and truly gone!

Braai fire lit. Wood and some coal were used. 

 And more photos