The Lake Kariba Smorgasbord

While visiting the lovely Lake Kariba, we came upon this stunning bird.

He would hover like this before dive bombing for food. He was amazing to watch.

An African Fish Eagle --- also Zimbabwe's national bird.

Isn't he just beautiful?

A baby hippo and its pod.

Lake Kariba was just awash with birds.

This guy was on the hunt for food.

Success!

Check out how incredibly graceful he was:

And what is an animal posting without my beloved elephants?

Hello, hippo!

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Hope is a thing with feathers

This lilac breasted roller may possibly be one of my favorite photos taken in southern Africa.

I'm a little shocked about it. I don't really like photographing birds, even bird watching bores me.

But there's something about this photo that I just love.

Also while in Chobe National Park in lovely Botswana on safari, we came across this stunning sable.

Hello, bird!

This stork was hanging out on the banks of the Chobe River.

A bird in flight. . . maybe if I paid more attention, I'd remember birds' names. Maybe.

He made me think of a soldier standing at attention!

 Inspiration for the post's title:

Hope is a Thing with Feathers

Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

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Snapshots from the River: Botswana Chobe Style!

The Chobe River in Botswana.

A houseboat on the Chobe River.

Elephants, as seen from a riverboat.

Why hello, African Buffalo!

Tented lodging...

A crocodile sleeping.

One of the unusual cranes in the river area.

Hello, stork!

The scenes on the Chobe River were serene and beautiful---it's amazing that just crossing the border
into Botswana from Zimbabwe had such remarkably different terrain!

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Moving through the valley...

Wildebeest running through the Save Valley in southeastern Zimbabwe, Africa.

Eland moving through the valley.

Birds in flight moving through the valley.

A baobab in Save Valley.  Oh! How I miss the baobabs of Senegal.

A hunter's hide on the Hammond Ranch in the Save Valley Conservancy.

A stork in flight through the valley.

One of the pans.

A zebra moving through the valley.

Anyone who knows me knows I love, love, love (borderline obsessed with?) people jumping photos.

Apparently this transfers to impalas leap, leap, leaping!

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