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Deborah J. Brasket

~ Living on the Edge of the Wild

Deborah J. Brasket

Tag Archives: Namibia

Into the Wild – On Safari in Africa

02 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by deborahbrasket in Nature, Photography, Wild Life

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Africa, Botswana, Jeff Jones, Namibia, Nature, photography, safari, The Jones Party, wildlife

J&R Namibia water hole 2

Water hole, Namibia, Africa – Photo by Jeffrey Jones

My brother and his wife have had a life-long love affair with the wildlife and habitats of southern Africa. So much so that after several trips themselves they began taking small groups on safaris. Here are just a sampling of some of the fantastic photographs he’s taken from various trips. They take us, not to the edge, but to the very heart of the wild.

I hope you will enjoy these stunning images from Namibia and Botswana as much as I have. If you’d like to learn more about his trips and the safaris he arranges, you can visit his website The Jones Party, Adventure Travel.

J&R Namibia zebra and elephants 2

Water hole, Namibia – photo by Jeffrey Jones

J&R Namibia elephants

Elephant herd, Namibia

J&R Namibia lion

Lion “pride”, Namibia

J&R Namibia red dunes and tree2

The stunning red sand dunes of Namibia

J&R Namibia red dunes 3

Sand sculpture, Namibia

J&R Namibia red dunes

Looks like a scene from Mars, but it’s the windswept hills of Namibia

J&R Namibia rock art 3

Even the earliest humans were fascinated by the wildlife of Namibia

J&R Namibia leopard

Leopard, Namibia

J&R Namibia zebra braying

Braying zebra, Namibia

Botswana elephant herd with baby 2

Elephant herd, Botswana

Botswana elephant with baby 2

Baby elephant, lost among the legs, Botswana

Botswana elephant stepping on baby sleeping 2

Stay down, baby!

Botswana elephant with baby sitting

Sitting and sleeping in the shade of the herd, Botswana

Botswana elephant with tusks 2

A handsome beast!

Botswana elephant with tusks closeup

Noble profile

Botswana lion love

A little lion love

Botswana lion nursing

More, please!

Botswana river buffalo

Water Buffalo, Botswana

Moremi Game Reserve Botswana zebra baby

Mama and baby, Botswana

Moremi Game Reserve Botswana zebra baby nursing.jpg

Hungry baby

Moremi Game Reserve Botswana dining hall

Dining lodge, Botswana

Botswana lodge.jpg

Sleeping lodge, Botswana

Botswana Rita at lodge

Cooling down after a long safari, note elephants in the background

Botswana elephants at river

View from the lodge as the sun goes down

Botswana sunset with elephants

The end of another beautiful day in the wild.

[All photographs copyrighted by Jeff Jones]

You might enjoy another post I wrote a few years ago about “Waterholes in the Wild and the Backyard“.

 

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Waterholes in the Wild and the Backyard

13 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by deborahbrasket in Backyard, Nature, Water, Wild Life

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

backyard, Namibia, Nature, waterholes, wildlife

Waterholes, whether in the wild or the backyard, are natural gathering places for wildlife and people who like to watch them.

My brother organizes and leads small private tours into the wilds of Africa and Australia. Gathering at waterholes is one of their favorite past-times and the best way to view a large variety of the region’s wildlife. Namibia on the west coast of Africa is a popular destination where the barrenness of the desert landscape stands in stark contrast to the abundance of wildlife. At a single waterhole he will see herds of lions, elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and several varieties of antelopes drinking and bathing, all in proper pecking order.

Watching the variety of wildlife gather at our own backyard waterhole has become a favorite pastime for our family. We’ve seen squirrels, raccoons, rats, and rabbits, as well as a large variety of birds from hawks to hummingbirds sipping from the waterfall that flows between the spa and pool. Not to mention all the bees and grasshoppers and other tiny six-footed creatures that skim the surface of our pool for a drink.

Before we moved here the wild turkey had made our backyard pool its home. They flew in over the iron fence and waded in the water which at that time had been mostly drained. Even after we moved in they tried to establish the pool area as their domain, perching on the fence and swooping down over our heads, until the dog eventually convinced them to move on. Sometimes they still stare longingly at the water behind our fence. As do the deer whose trail passes nearby, lifting their long necks to peer over, noses in the air enjoying the sweet scent of water.

Two coyotes who hunt in the meadow behind our home like to sit in the tall grass on the hillside gazing down into our backyard, waiting for the squirrels and rabbits to sneak in for a drink, then chasing them down as they depart.

Just as in the wild our backyard waterhole has a pecking order. Among our feathered friends, the red-headed woodpeckers have claimed first rights to the waterfall. They will tolerate the blue jays who pay no attention to them anyway, and they largely ignore the hummingbirds, but the doves and finches and bush tits and any other birds who try to drink without their approval get chased away, returning only when the woodpeckers are otherwise occupied.

Once I rescued a small bird that had fallen into the pool, perhaps having been swept down the waterfall when trying to drink. I scooped it out with the pool skimmer and set it on the grass to dry off. A squirrel was pulled from our water trap where it had managed to pull itself to partial safety. Several rats were scooped from the pool post-mortem. And we have rescued hundreds of bees and grasshoppers with our skimmer, or hand-carried them to safety while we were swimming.

My favorite waterhole show was watching a pair of hawks that had flown in for a drink. But they weren’t quite sure how to do it. They walked back and forth along the edge of the pool gazing into the water and occasionally lowering a toe. But the stretch was too far. They’d strut back and forth and puff themselves up and squat and peck at each other, trying to figure it out, to no avail. Once in a while they approached the waterfall leading up toward the spa where the water was closer for drinking. But this appeared too tricky or too risky for them. Apparently the cascading water and uneven rocks presented a problem. As soon as they’d taken a few timid steps up, they backed away. After a long while they summoned enough courage to climb all the way to the top, and at last they were able to drink as well as bath in the shallow waters coursing down the rocks.

The tiny bush tits and timid doves never experienced any difficulty in drinking and bathing in the falls—only the mighty hawks.

Sometimes I’m tempted to leave our pool gate open, so the wild turkey and deer, coyotes and mountain lions, rabbits and squirrels, could all gather around our pool in proper pecking order, just as they do in the wild.

Wouldn’t that make an awesome photo!

[NOTE – My brother, Jeff Jones, is taking reservations for trips in 2013 and 2014.  He will have a website up soon, but until then, let me know if you’d like more information.]

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After sailing around the world in a small boat for six years, I came to appreciate how tiny and insignificant we humans appear in our natural and untamed surroundings, living always on the edge of the wild, into which we are embedded even while being that thing which sets us apart. Now living again on the edge of the wild in a home that borders a nature preserve, I am re-exploring what it means to be human in a more than human world.

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