Jump to content

Birding guide in Maun, Botswana - REPORT


milesdog

Recommended Posts

As we prepared for our safari to Botswana we found little information regarding birding especially around Maun. After some deep digging we ran across Richard Randall. Reporting back so that others may have some additional information. . . .

Our trip to Botswana was amazing and getting us started on the right foot was Richard Randall, from 'Birding Botswana'. We arrived in Maun on an early June afternoon and were to head out the next morning on the first day of our safari trip. We wanted to take advantage of our free afternoon and get exposed to some of the local birds right out of the gate. Our time with Richard helped us do exactly that. He picked us up at our hotel (Riley's) and, because we just had a short amount of time, took us to a few birding hot spots. Being birders ourselves, we didn't bat an eye when he asked if we were willing to visit the local sewage ponds in Maun (a source of nearby freshwater...even if not perfectly clean). We were fortunate to spot a Black-necked Grebe, last seen in Maun more than 10 years ago. We also visited the town dump where we saw an incredible display of Marabou storks--literally thousands of them. In between, we birded the countryside. In a couple of hours, we got approximately 40 species and were that much better informed when we headed off into the bush. Richard was truly enjoyable to spend time with and was quite knowledgeable about the region. We would not hesitate to book an outing with him again and, for the bird inclined, he's an excellent resource for those traveling in the Maun area of Botswana.

post-49953-0-08906500-1441416442_thumb.jpg

post-49953-0-50805000-1441416609_thumb.jpg

post-49953-0-63486800-1441416700_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As we prepared for our safari to Botswana we found little information regarding birding especially around Maun. After some deep digging we ran across Richard Randall. Reporting back so that others may have some additional information. . . .

Our trip to Botswana was amazing and getting us started on the right foot was Richard Randall, from 'Birding Botswana'. We arrived in Maun on an early June afternoon and were to head out the next morning on the first day of our safari trip. We wanted to take advantage of our free afternoon and get exposed to some of the local birds right out of the gate. Our time with Richard helped us do exactly that. He picked us up at our hotel (Riley's) and, because we just had a short amount of time, took us to a few birding hot spots. Being birders ourselves, we didn't bat an eye when he asked if we were willing to visit the local sewage ponds in Maun (a source of nearby freshwater...even if not perfectly clean). We were fortunate to spot a Black-necked Grebe, last seen in Maun more than 10 years ago. We also visited the town dump where we saw an incredible display of Marabou storks--literally thousands of them. In between, we birded the countryside. In a couple of hours, we got approximately 40 species and were that much better informed when we headed off into the bush. Richard was truly enjoyable to spend time with and was quite knowledgeable about the region. We would not hesitate to book an outing with him again and, for the bird inclined, he's an excellent resource for those traveling in the Maun area of Botswana.

 

~ @@milesdog

 

Welcome to Safaitsalk and many thanks for taking time to update us about your Botswana trip.

It's very nice to have another birder here. If someday you feel like it, a self-introduction in the Introductions section would be most welcome.

I love your Black-necked Grebe shot! Very nice and quite a special sighting!

I'd thought I'd seen fairly sizable Marabou Stork gatherings, but they were little more than impromptu chats compared to your stork convention. Incredible!

It's so thoughtful of you to offer such a strong endorsement of your birding guide, Richard Randall. That's helpful to those considering possible future visits to Botswana.

Again, many thanks for your report and for the nice bird images.

Tom K.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

@@milesdog

 

Thanks for this resource. Your approach mirrors my own. Do some birding and photography for a day or two before setting off on your safari in earnest. Gets the creative juices flowing and gives you time to shake off any jet lag (plus provides a cushion in the event of any flight delays or cancellations).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy