The Rookery

 On our last full day in Botswana we visited a rookery that was one of the most active I have ever seen in both the variety and the number of birds. It was truly one of the most spectacular outings of our trip, especially since I was able to move to the front of the boat and shoot right into the nests.

Most of the birds were yellow-billed storks. I have always had a fondness in my heart for storks of all types and these particular birds were certainly more colorful and attractive than the wood storks I am used to. The pink on the wings of the adults is present during the breeding period.

There were hundreds of birds in the nesting area. You can get an idea of the number of young when you look at the nests in the first photo above. They seemed to have one babysitter watching over them from the top edge.

Also present were numerous herons, egrets, cormorants, anhingas and others. To the right is a baby great egret.

Our guide was excited to see the great white pelican in the mix, above, even though it didn't hang around for long.

Another treat was seeing the sacred ibis. They were most impressive when they spread their wings and exposed the red trim underneath.  In the second shot, below, an African Darter sits behind the ibis.

The last shots are all of yellow-billed storks. They were amazing to watch as they interacted with other adults and babies.

I took at least a half dozen shots of this particular stork, above. It seemed determined to pose for me in a number of different ways, sometimes seeming to do yoga, other times dancing the electric slide!