After spending just one night at the excellent Hakusembe River Lodge we were on the move again, first visiting Popa Falls on the Cubango River and then crossing into Botswana. Birding at Popa Falls was a bit slow but we did see Giant Kingfisher, White-crested Helmet-shrike and Emerald-spotted Wood Dove.
Once we’d crossed into Botswana we drove straight to Drotsky’s Cabins where we were to spend the next two nights. Cabins doesn’t really describe the accommodation here as we had a very nice large room on stilts that overlooked the extensive gardens around the lodge that led down to the Cubango River.
Almost as soon as we’d settled in to our cabin it was time for our evening cruise down the Cubango River. We love boat trips and with the excellent weather this was a perfect pre-dinner excursion. Birds don’t seem to be so scared of people when they are in a boat and we got some good photos in the gentle evening light.
On our full day at Drotsky’s Cabins (15 August) we had two river cruises, with lunch and a rest period in between. Bee-eaters figured large when we were on the boat and we had hardly set off in the morning before we saw Little Bee-eaters and White-fronted Bee-eaters on the river bank. We soon saw a Chirping Cisticola, which was a new bird for us, but we also saw lots of other interesting birds.
Drotsky’s Cabins has an excellent restaurant with a great view across the extensive grounds towards the Cubango River.
During the evening boat trip we saw a few different birds perched in trees on the river bank or flying over, including Common Bulbul, Black-collared Barbet, African Fish-eagle, African Green-pigeon and Squaco Heron. During the boat trip we landed briefly to photograph a roosting African Wood-owl that our local guide knew was about. After a great day of birding we could enjoy the amazing sunset over the Cubango River.
