Okavango Delta Elephant ...

Chiefs Island Walking Safari

Our first evening at the mobile tented camp on Chief’s Island, the frog calls are deafening! (raucous toad, painted reed frogs, and others), and a bull elephant browses in the reeds towards the setting sun. Just an awesome time before darkness falls. This is our first trip to the Okavango Delta and we have chosen an itinerary organised by Africa Geographic Travel comprising flights between Maun and Chief’s Island, the first and last nights at Gunn’s Camp, and three nights at a mobile tented camp. June was a great time for the trip as the seasonal flooding is almost at it’s peak, but also chilly at night. The trip comprised a combination of boat trips from Gunn’s Camp exploring the nearby delta channels, and mokoro trips and walking from the tented camp. We did have our first lesson in piloting the mokoro ourselves which was a lot of fun, and we stayed dry. In our opinion walking safaris are the ultimate adventure, experiencing the environment and wildlife on foot. Our two guides who looked after us for the six days were phenomenal and very knowledgeable and safety aware. Several times we encountered male buffalo on our walks without incident. We respected the distance to them, watched them for a time, and moved on. The birding in the delta is just spectacular and highlights for us included wattled crane, coppery-tailed coucal and a pair of Pel’s fishing owls. Elephant sightings are frequent and a highlight of the trip was watching a breeding herd crossing a river channel feeding as they went. Some excitement as we navigated narrow channels passing territorial male hippos. On this trip no predator sightings for us, but every night we did hear lions calling.

Snow Geese !!!

The photo does not show a lot of snow geese - we saw our first ones on the lakes close to the Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan. We did however head up to Quill Lakes, a designated IBA (International Bird Area). The main visitor centre was flooded and inaccessible. In our drive around the lakes bird watching, we did though see thousands and thousands of snow geese flying overhead heading south. I have never seen so many birds at once!

Plains Bison, Grasslands National Park

One of our stops on the lengthy drive back to Toronto was Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan. Our primary purpose was to see burrowing owls, but we were unsuccessful in that regard, even though we scanned almost every black-tailed prairie dog burrow we came across. We did get to see some spectacular landscapes. Very little is left in North America of natural prairie grasslands. Encountered a couple of bull plains bison close up, a breeding herd much more nervous and remaining in the distance.
We stayed two nights in the tiny town of Val Marie close to the western portion of the National Park. Arriving late on a Sunday afternoon our only eating option was to buy   a few burgers at the local kid's rodeo that was taking place in the town ice rink. We were just in time and purchased the last ones available!
 

Grizzly Bear: Close-up video ...

Grizzly Bears: Two of the better photos ...

 

Grizzly Bears !

Among many highlights of the whole trip, easily the best day was a boat trip out of Telegraph Cove, Vancouver Island to view grizzly bears. We had picked up our tent trailer and taken the ferry to Vancouver Island and headed to the north of the island. The day of the boat trip was overcast with drizzle, and we were informed once boarded, that typically this was ideal weather to view grizzlies. In hotter weather they retreat into the dense forests. Unbelievably, once on the viewing 'pontoon' in the estuary, we saw a minimum of 26 individual grizzly bears, including cubs, within an area of no more than a square km ! The salmon run to date had been poor, and the grizzlies were feeding in the marshy areas. Just magnificent animals, and as good a few hours as anything I have experienced. The boat trip got better, as on our return trip we found a single black bear feeding on the shoreline below the dense forests. This sounds like I am making it up, but this was followed by a sighting of a transient orca pod. We followed at a distance for some time, and at one point two of the orcas tried to wash harbour seals off a small rocky island, one of them spyhopping to get a better view. Interesting fact is that the transient orca pods feed on mammals, whereas the resident orca pods in the area feed on fish, mainly salmon.

Swift Current, SK to Richmond, BC

Made it safely with 3 days of solid driving, ~ 16 hrs of driving each day. A solitary pronghorn close to the road was a highlight for animal sightings while we drove. Beautiful drive through the mountains with rain and sun and a spectacular rainbow. Four National Parks ... Banff, Yoho, Glacier and Mt Revelstoke. Heather and Carol fly into Vancouver this morning. We collect our tent trailer later and start getting organized to head to Vancouver Island via ferry tomorrow.

Thunder Bay, ON to Swift Current, SK

A good days driving and we are ahead of our planned schedule. Crossing time zones provided for extra hours of daylight driving. Interesting driving watching the changing landscapes, and around Swift Current, a number of large pans provide birding opportunities to investigate on our return trip in ~ 2 weeks time. Unfortunately not a single moose or deer to be seen from the road since Toronto, but many, many warning signs ?

Driving Toronto to Vancouver and back again !

Our 4 week trip started today making it to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 16 hrs. Lots of roadworks causing some delays. Sean, a good friend from South Africa arrived yesterday. The two of us are driving to Vancouver in 3 1/2 days, meeting the wives who fly in to Vancouver on Fri. Lots of overcast weather today, but still some spectacular scenery on the northern shores of Lake Superior.