Author: Harriet Denison

Namibia+Botswana Introduction

For years just a reference to the Okavango Delta made me long to witness Botswana’s magnificent and massive wildlife habitat. This legendary phenomenon is the largest inland delta the world, over three million lush acres when the surrounding areas have become dry. Called the “Jewel of the Kalahari,” this delta teems with more than 530 […]

1. Namibia, Full of Surprises

My tour gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, all of us excited to begin our birding trip to Namibia and Botswana. The five of us introduced ourselves, a couple from Washington State, a woman from British Columbia and man from my city of Portland. I was pleased to see Terry Stevenson striding across the airport lounge […]

2. Wildlife Up Close

(About 2,029 words)   Chapter 2 Wildlife Up Close   After two nights in Sossusvlei, we drove up the Namibian coast for about five hours to Walvis Bay. It is the first deep water harbor north of Cape Town, South Africa and historically was a welcome shelter for sailing vessels rounding the Cape of Good […]

3. Into Botswana and the Okavango

  Chapter 3 Venturing Into Botswana & the Delta   Most of Botswana is around three thousand feet above sea level, the terrain flat and arid. The country is a bit smaller than Texas, its environment lush where seasonal growth flourishes when there is water. The 970,000 square mile Kalahari Basin stretches across almost all […]

4. Center of the Okavango Delta

  Chapter 4 The Center of the Okavango Delta   We boarded our charter flight at Shakawe, a village a short distance from ¡Xaro Lodge. The ten-passenger bush plane flew us over the expansive Okavango Delta brimming with water from rainfall in the Angola Highlands four months earlier. Our plane was high enough above the […]

5. Exploring the Delta

  Chapter 5 Exploring the Watery Environs   The next morning, we were up at sunrise for our first full day of birding in the Okavango Delta proper. The lodge had arranged for a “wake up call,” which was a polite staffer standing outside my tent holding a tray of tea and biscuits.  He quietly […]

Evolution of a Birder

Birding offers more than just seeing a new species of bird to add to a list. In fact, most people who have observed a few birds soon discover that they are not just “watching” birds at all. They are listening for songs, looking for field marks, and noting behaviors like flight patterns or how the […]

Australia Intro

Australia is similar in size to the 48 contiguous states of the U.S. but has only seven percent of the U.S. population. However, this continent is home to over one million native species, of which about 80 percent of its plants and animals are unique to Australia. On my three previous trips to Australia I […]

1. A Primitive Bird in Queensland

My group of fourteen birders and our Audubon guide, Steve Robertson, gathered in Cairns, Queensland in November 2007, springtime in the southern hemisphere. Migrating birds flying north to their breeding grounds were at their peak of color when our tour began. In contrast to birding in developing countries, I knew Australia would be relaxing and […]