Southern Africa - South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia
August 23 - September 15, 2016
Part Five, Page Two - Impalila Island, Namibia
Yellow-bellied bubbul - pale olive head and back and lemon-
yellow underparts and underwings.
Back view that shows how the bird is holding on to the
tree limb.
The Lodge had been built around a baobab tree.
Reed cormorant seen from the back porch of my cabin.
The reed cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but
usually feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to
the surface. It takes a wide variety of fish.
A vervet monkey staring at me from the vegetation next to
the main lodge area.
Leaves and young shoots are most important in the vervet diet,
but bark, flowers, fruit, bulbs, roots, and grass seeds are also
consumed. Their mainly vegetarian diet is supplemented with
insects, grubs, eggs, baby birds, and sometimes rodents and hares.
Vervets rarely drink water.
The newborn has black hair and a pink face, and it takes three or four
months before it acquires adult coloration. The infant spends the
first week of life clinging to its mother's stomach. After about the
third week, it begins to move about by itself and attempts to play
with other young monkeys. Infants are of great interest to the
other monkeys in the troop; subadult females do everything
possible to be allowed to groom or hold a new infant. Usually
a female's close family members will have the most unrestricted
access to the babies. As the infants grow, they play not only with
monkeys, but also with other young animals.
The young are well cared for and the mother won't have another baby
for a few years as long as she has one to care for. If something should
happen to her baby though, she will mourn the loss. She will also
strive to get pregnant again to rekindle that bonding experience.
An old vervet monkey. Good view of the teeth.
These 2 women came to the lodge to talk to us. Each had
been elected as an Induna, the first women elected to
the position. An induna in a tribe is kind of like
a judge. Traditionally only men held the position. Can
make some final decisions on issues but indunas
can only make recommendations re property, witchcraft,
marriage issues. Make recommendations to village chief.
Criminal cases go directly to police. Witchcraft is illegal.
If someone refuses to follow an induna decision, it goes to
the chief. Indunas are elected by majority vote of the community.
These women did not ask for the position; they were recruited.
The woman on the right said her husband was unhappy about it
but had to accept it, because the community had voted for her.
Yellow-billed Kite - brown raptor with long wings and
broad triangular tail, often held in a V shape. Get most
food from scavenging; also catches prey in flight.
Pied Kingfishers - often seen in pairs. We saw a lot of these
on the trip.
A local fisherman
Our snack and drink break on another sundowner cruise.
Barbara, Beth, Barbara, and Ellen toasting.
Some of us sat on shore; the rest stayed on the boat to
view the sunset.
Link to Impalila Island Part Five, Page Three, Namibia
Pat's Home Page