By Lori DeCarlo, University of Vermont
For our final field trip this semester we returned to Khwai (NG18), the very first place we did our transects this season. It was amazing to come back to the first concession we started our bush experience in. It was cool to see how the area changed over the last few months, it is more green and lush now that the rainy season is starting and this made the landscape even more beautiful than it was before.
This time around we got to work on our final project papers. We also trained two guides from the concession, Rob and Teenage, on how to collect data for herbivores and in return they taught us how they track large carnivores in the area. This constant rapport and exchange of knowledge we have had with local guides is with no doubt one of the most valuable experiences I had during my time here.
In one of our drives we tried to find Kaggie’s favorite owl, the Pel’s Fishing Owl (Scotopelia peli). A pair of this rare and territorial owl has been seen a few times before on this island in the concession, so we decidead to try our luck and see if we could spot them. Unfortunately, they weren’t in the area, but we were treated to another exciting tracking class. Teenage and Rob found hippo and lion tracks very close by. The guides told us that there was some action in that patch of dirt the previous night. The hippo was chased by a lion, fell into a small ditch, but managed to get away safely into the reeds. By looking at the tracks, they found where the chase started, where the hippo dropped some of the grass it was eating onto the ground, and where the hippo tripped. They also found urine on the ditch (which meant the hippo was much stressed at this point), and the tracks finally fading into the reeds. It’s amazing how much they can tell of the animals’ behavior just by looking onto the ground!
The wrap up what already was an epic trip, on our last day in the concession we stopped at a gorgeous fishing spot where some of the guides were catching numerous fish. We got to fish with them and sit down and watch yet another perfect sunset. I have had an amazing experience here in Botswana and I can’t wait to explore more of Africa after the program ends and in the future.