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approximately 280 species, some 92 are resident. This desert environment of sand, dust and dry riverbeds is a place where you can find something interesting to photograph every single day, and sitting at the waterholes is the best place to do so. The dry riverbeds make this place unique because they provide habitat for a large number of smaller mammals, like mice and rats, as well as vast numbers of insects after the first big rains. This abundance of food means that there is plenty of bird activity. The extremely diverse birdlife ranges from large raptors, like the martial eagle, to small colourful canaries and finches.
The Kalahari is best known in birding circles for its remarkable diversity and abundance of raptors such as bateleurs, martial eagles, red- necked and pygmy falcons, and pale-chanting goshawks, this last being the most common. These medium sized raptors are easy to photograph in interesting poses. They are master hunters and are often seen on the ground, stomping their feet in a bush to make a meal of mice and
Above: A Lanner Falcon swoops down at a speed of almost 150 km/h to catch a dove in mid-air. A thunderous thump and feathers are flying. These acrobats of the sky in the Kalahari desert are very active around the water-points in the dry season. I spent a month there and to capture the impact in mid-air does not present itself often.
Facing page: A Marabou Stork lands on a dead tree to settle in for the evening. A few white-backed vultures are not happy especially the one closest to the stork and a scuffle breaks out. Wings open and bigger than the vulture the stork tries to intimidate the vulture with sheer size.
KALAHARI
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