Birds
Kori Bustard
I think that this is a Kori Bustard. It was three or four feet tall, and stepped around the grass with a very deliberate gait. This one was photographed between Okaukuejo camp and the Pan waterhole.
Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Black-backed jackal
This cute little creature is a black-backed jackal. They are found throughout Namibia, and outside the national parks farmers find them less than cute, because these jackal take young animals of several kinds. They also eat carrion, insects and birds.
When I first saw this jackal, it was walking near the side of the road, several hundred metres away from me. It stood still while I drove up (slowly!) beside it. When I stopped the car, it looked at me quizzically, then resumed walking. When I followed in the car, it stopped, and looked, then continued its walk. This continued for maybe a kilometre along the road.
One of the joys of visiting Etosha is that I could stop in the middle of the road, photograph, drive, stop, photograph and drive without any other human in sight.
Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Ostrich
I found Ostrich difficult to photograph. They are skittish, and run away as soon as I stopped the car to look.
These were photographed at Nebrownii, a waterhole just east of Okaukuejo camp, on my first day at Etosha.
I am reliably informed that males are larger with black feathers; and females are smaller with brown feathers. Therefore, I think I have here a photograph of each.
Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Pied crow
I think this is a Pied Crow. I know it was an inquisitive and raucous bird. As several cars stopped on the road to watch the cheetah, above, this crow hung around for over an hour. He (she?) hopped on to the top of cars, pecked around in the dirt, flew off in the direction of the cheetah, came back to the cars, generally made a great deal of noise, and here is eating some kind of fruit.
Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Lilac-breasted roller
In the north-east of Etosha National Park, on the road to the Andoni Plain.
My previous expertise in identifying birds was probably sufficient to distinguish a sparrow from an emu. Even armed with a guidebook, I couldn’t identify this bird. Brent Huffman of the ultimate unglate website tells me it is a lilac-breasted roller.
Etosha National Park, Namibia. June 2001
Des Moines
Anthony’s restaurant at Des Moines harbour. I recommend the clam chowder.
Sign at Des Moines harbour. So you can’t read the sign, and you can’t tell what kinds of birds are on top of the sign. But the colours are pretty.
Des Moines harbour, near Seattle, WA, USA. 7 February 2003.