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It is more than 500 kilometres for the round-trip from the Chobe floodplains in Namibia to Nxai Pan in the Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana. Thanks to satellite tracking devices this migration route of Burchell's zebra, popularly called plains zebra, has been known for several years now. Previously, researchers and conservationists always wondered where the zebra population of up to 3000 animals migrated to in the rainy season, when only a few Burchell's zebra remain on the shallow banks of the Chobe.

Mark Boorman from Swakopmund and I ringed a total of 530 Carmine Bee-eaters of the breeding colony between Zambezi Mubala Camp (previously Island View Lodge) and Zambezi Mubala Lodge (former Kalizo Lodge) in September this year. Jim Kairu, a wildlife management lecturer at the campus of the University of Namibia (UNAM) in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region, was also taking part.

Wood from camel thorn trees leaves the best embers for a braai (barbecue). Fence posts made from camel thorn decades ago still stand firm, because termites and beetles avoid this wood. Camel thorn trees (Acacia erioloba) are found all over the country except for a narrow strip in the Namib Desert close to the coast. These trees thrive in arid as well as humid conditions. They are heat and frost resistant. For man and beast they are an important source of shade. And they offer food and shelter to countless animals.

During the summer months pregnant copper sharks migrate to the coastal waters near Swakopmund and give birth to their young. By then, males have already moved there to mate with the females later. Anglers had noticed for years that at certain times large copper sharks (Carcharhinus brachyurus), also called bronze whalers or "bronzy" in Namibia, occur near Swakopmund and further north.

A boat trip on the Kwando River is a wonderful experience not only for bird lovers. Mammals in the water and on the banks are also part of the diverse animal world. In contrast to the other Gondwana lodges in north-eastern Namibia, Namushasha River Lodge does not have a neighbouring country on the other side of the river, but Bwabwata National Park. A total of 19 wetland bird species were recorded during the boat trip and altogether 84 bird species at Namushasha River Lodge during two days in mid-July this year. 

When the mighty Zambezi River overflows its banks, additional habitats with an abundant food supply are created for many bird species. Young fish thrive in the shallow warm water and countless insect larvae are also found there. For African Skimmers, however, an important habitat is lost: the white sandbanks disappear under the masses of water and with them the sleeping and resting places as well as the nesting sites.

Their numbers are increasing daily – the Carmine Bee-eaters are back at the breeding colony between Zambezi Mubala Camp and Zambezi Mubala Lodge (formerly Kalizo Lodge). They have safely made the long trip from their winter habitats in East Africa to Namibia. This year a group of several hundred birds has chosen a nesting site between the lodge and the usual colony. 

A foal has been born to mare Meredith and stallion Igloo. This may not sound like a huge event, but for the wild horses of the Namib Desert it’s a symbol of hope. After a five-year drought and continual predation by a pack of hyenas, the Namib horse population has been through a tough time.

In the southern hemisphere September 1st is seen as the beginning of spring. According to the calendar, winter is over by then but nature does not stick to prescribed dates. The first Black thorns (Acacia mellifera) were already in bloom at the end of August, for example east of Rehoboth, and heralded spring in some areas while in other places the thorny branches did not even show any buds.