We were boating up the Chobe River in Botswana when the captain pulled over to the shore so we could watch this yellow billed stork on a fishing expedition.
Peggy and I joined her brother John and his wife Frances on an African safari to see elephants and lions, and giraffes, and hippos, and crocodiles, and zebras, and baboons, and… the list goes on. And we did, in glorious profusion. What we weren’t expecting was the bird life. A serious birder would be in heaven. In fact, there are specific African bird safaris one can sign up for. While our passion doesn’t run that deep, we do enjoy bird watching and always have. Time and again on our trip, we found ourselves stopping to admire their beauty, character and antics in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. We have the photos to prove it.
Altogether, we photographed over 20 species. You will be meeting up with many of them in my bird posts, including ostriches and penguins, but today, we are going on a fishing expedition with a yellow billed stork and an African Darter we met along the Chobe River in Chobe National Park, Botswana.
The yellow billed stork stands around three feet tall. It prefers fishing in shallow water where it shoves its large bill into the water and then stirs the water plants and mud with one of its feet to herd dinner toward its waiting bill. Small fish, frogs, and water insects are all welcome. It’s an open bill policy. It fishes by feel. When a suitable meal hits its bill, the stork captures it with a lightning fast reflex snap. But I’ll let the stork tell you the story.
Hi, my name is Big Bill. Today I am taking you on a fishing expedition where I am going to catch a monster. This is one of my favorite fishing holes. All sorts of delectable treats like to hide out in the grass. I’m drooling in anticipation.My fishing technique involves me dunking my bill into a likely spot. I’m using my left leg for balance while stirring the pot, so to speak, with my right foot to herd tasty morsels toward it. One never knows what might be hiding in the grass. I call it pot luck.Here’s a head on view of me, up to my eyeballs in work. The waves you see are from my stirring efforts.And here’s a rear view shot that I did not approve. Curt and Peggy will be held accountable. What are you looking at…Wait! Something just hit my bill! A monster!I caught it! Woohoo! Woohoo!
And now on to the African Darter or anhinga, also known as a snake bird. These birds are closely related to cormorants. The 36 species of cormorants and four of anhingas make up the family Phalacrocoracidae. The African Darter swims through the water in search of its prey, often with only its head showing. When it finds a fish, it literally spears it. ‘Darter’ refers to how fast. The alternative name, snake bird, derives from its sinuous neck. Now, in its own words:
Hello, I’m Handsome, or, if you prefer, Pretty. Either way, I am much better looking than Big Bill. You might think I am posing for you. Well maybe, I am preening. But mainly I am drying off my wings. Unlike most water birds, we, and our cousin cormorants, don’t have oil in our feathers to repel the water.This is me with a freshly speared fish. Catching it was easy…It’s swallowing it that creates the challenge.It has to go down head first. Check out the wicked fins on this catfish. If I swallow it tail first, they get caught in my throat. Then it’s not just bye-bye fish, it’s bye-bye Handsome as well. That’s not a good ending.I have to position the fish just right. So I take it back to the water and spear it again. Some fun. I wonder how many holes I can poke in it?This seems about right.Upsy-Daisy. Whoops, I mean upsy-fishy. Now don’t blink…Did you catch that? Did you catch my great flip? I’m very good at flipping.Hmmm. I don’t think I’ll be swallowing this.Maybe if I use the sand this time. More holes. Think of it as tenderizing. Note my big feet! I’m surprised they didn’t name me Big-foot as opposed to Snake-bird. Oh, you say Bigfoot is already taken.Wow, I think I’ve got it! Thereby hangs a tail. Heh. heh.Down the hatch!Gulp.Ah, happy tummy, happy bird. Now I can go back to preening and being beautiful. (Don’t pay any attention to that skeptical pied kingfisher on the lower right. He’s just jealous.)
That’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed our talking birds. On Friday, we will be reaching for the sky and featuring giraffes.
We were constantly experiencing “wows” as we made our way through the parks, Diana. I am ever so glad we were able to capture and share what we saw in photographs. Thanks.
Thanks Ray. If I can give people a laugh or a chuckle, on occasion, I’m accomplishing one of the goals of my blog. I’ll even take, “Wow that guy is weird.” 🙂
I think I might have identified Big Bill as a stork. His body shape, and of course the bill, are reminiscent to our wood storks. They’re less colorful and have a heftier bill, but the resemblance is there. On the other hand, looking at that colorful bill, I couldn’t help thinking of the rhyme used to help with coral snake identification: “Red next to yellow, kill a fellow.” Perhaps we could revise it for the stork: “Yellow and red, a colorful head.”
We have hundreds of cormorants and quite a few Anhinga around here. I never see Anhingas around the lake, but last Friday there were thirty cormorants lined up on pilings, watching me work.
Good observation, Linda. Big Bill and your wood stork are closely related and in the same clade with two other wood storks. They are similar in many ways including breeding and feeding habits. Yellow and red, a colorful head works! Another thing I thought about big Bill was that he looked avuncular, if I can stretch anthropomorphizing a bit.
Cormorants were common on the West Coast. Not so anhingas. The first I ever saw were in the Everglades.
Apparently the cormorants don’t have much oil on their feathers so that the birds can dive deeper. The water soaked feathers help them to sink faster and therefore dive deeper!
One of those chicken egg things possibly. But one could see where evolution would play a role. The birds with less oil could catch more fish and be more successful in raising families, i.e leading to birds with even less oil. Thanks for your observation! –Curt
What great post and beautiful birds with great stories to tell Curt!
Big bill is quite a specimen and his colors wow. I’ll be reading about you and Peggy in stork heaven next time they fly a baby this way.
And then Darter is quite a looker too and his agility and ability to toy with such fish is astounding.. Who’da thunk, it would be lights out for both of them. He certainly earned his meal but i always feel bad for the meal itself. Life the rat my husband caught by it’s foot and it near gave me and a client a h.a. when it scurried by us trying to find freedom. Even though 20k of wires eaten from cars of my tenet, I still wanted to release him. Good thing he’s not a softie like me. Gorgeous post and fun story. Their patience is astounding❣️❣️
“20k of wires eaten from cars of my tenet,” and I admit, I’d be right there with your husband.And had it been my car, I would have been leading the charge. It was ground squirrels in Oregon that did beaucoup damage to our vehicles. I trapped them and turned them loose but it was in an area that had a lot more predators than we had in our yard. Whether they survived depended on how skilled they were at avoiding rattle snakes, hawks, eagles, foxes, etc. It was a lot more chance than they gave the wires in my vehicles. 🙄
The birds were gorgeous and I was fascinated with their behavior. Umm, if the storks want to deliver babies that’s fine with me, just not here. Grin. Thanks for you fun comments, Cindy.
Your photos are just stunning, and that rear shot made me laugh! Nature sure is entertaining, isn’t she? 🙂 Love these birds, Curt, and I look forward to the giraffes.
Great commentary, Curt. Now I see where the inspiration came from to suggest that I write a post from the chickens’ perspective. {wink} Your photo essays are educational and fascinating here, and both birds are gorgeous. Even the skeptical kingfisher.
Thanks, Crystal! And you are right. I’m sure your chickens have important things to say. For example, they could have an erudite discussion on their favorite bugs.
The king fisher will be back. He/she is actually quite handsome/pretty/cute.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Wow, this is an amazing series of photos! Both birds are really pretty and it was super interesting to see how they eat.
We were constantly experiencing “wows” as we made our way through the parks, Diana. I am ever so glad we were able to capture and share what we saw in photographs. Thanks.
I always enjoy your “take” on things. 😀
Thanks Ray. If I can give people a laugh or a chuckle, on occasion, I’m accomplishing one of the goals of my blog. I’ll even take, “Wow that guy is weird.” 🙂
I think I might have identified Big Bill as a stork. His body shape, and of course the bill, are reminiscent to our wood storks. They’re less colorful and have a heftier bill, but the resemblance is there. On the other hand, looking at that colorful bill, I couldn’t help thinking of the rhyme used to help with coral snake identification: “Red next to yellow, kill a fellow.” Perhaps we could revise it for the stork: “Yellow and red, a colorful head.”
We have hundreds of cormorants and quite a few Anhinga around here. I never see Anhingas around the lake, but last Friday there were thirty cormorants lined up on pilings, watching me work.
Good observation, Linda. Big Bill and your wood stork are closely related and in the same clade with two other wood storks. They are similar in many ways including breeding and feeding habits. Yellow and red, a colorful head works! Another thing I thought about big Bill was that he looked avuncular, if I can stretch anthropomorphizing a bit.
Cormorants were common on the West Coast. Not so anhingas. The first I ever saw were in the Everglades.
Great photos!
Grin, as I noted, Cindy-like. I bow to the master. 🙂
Apparently the cormorants don’t have much oil on their feathers so that the birds can dive deeper. The water soaked feathers help them to sink faster and therefore dive deeper!
One of those chicken egg things possibly. But one could see where evolution would play a role. The birds with less oil could catch more fish and be more successful in raising families, i.e leading to birds with even less oil. Thanks for your observation! –Curt
Thanks!!
Thanks Curt. I have wonderful memories of the birdlife in Africa.
We didn’t see that much when I lived in Liberia, but what we did was unique. Souther Africa was mind blowing.
What great post and beautiful birds with great stories to tell Curt!
Big bill is quite a specimen and his colors wow. I’ll be reading about you and Peggy in stork heaven next time they fly a baby this way.
And then Darter is quite a looker too and his agility and ability to toy with such fish is astounding.. Who’da thunk, it would be lights out for both of them. He certainly earned his meal but i always feel bad for the meal itself. Life the rat my husband caught by it’s foot and it near gave me and a client a h.a. when it scurried by us trying to find freedom. Even though 20k of wires eaten from cars of my tenet, I still wanted to release him. Good thing he’s not a softie like me. Gorgeous post and fun story. Their patience is astounding❣️❣️
“20k of wires eaten from cars of my tenet,” and I admit, I’d be right there with your husband.And had it been my car, I would have been leading the charge. It was ground squirrels in Oregon that did beaucoup damage to our vehicles. I trapped them and turned them loose but it was in an area that had a lot more predators than we had in our yard. Whether they survived depended on how skilled they were at avoiding rattle snakes, hawks, eagles, foxes, etc. It was a lot more chance than they gave the wires in my vehicles. 🙄
The birds were gorgeous and I was fascinated with their behavior. Umm, if the storks want to deliver babies that’s fine with me, just not here. Grin. Thanks for you fun comments, Cindy.
Your photos are just stunning, and that rear shot made me laugh! Nature sure is entertaining, isn’t she? 🙂 Love these birds, Curt, and I look forward to the giraffes.
I had a lot of fun with the birds, Lauren. Monday will feature guinea hens and how I ran a-fowl of the law in Liberia over one, or two…
Great commentary, Curt. Now I see where the inspiration came from to suggest that I write a post from the chickens’ perspective. {wink} Your photo essays are educational and fascinating here, and both birds are gorgeous. Even the skeptical kingfisher.
Thanks, Crystal! And you are right. I’m sure your chickens have important things to say. For example, they could have an erudite discussion on their favorite bugs.
The king fisher will be back. He/she is actually quite handsome/pretty/cute.
Normally, when someone flips me a bird or two I might be annoyed. But this was fun – looking forward to more.
BTW, I didn’t know there were anhingas in Africa. I’m more familiar with them as a Central America bird.
Wow, great bird shots. And stories lol.
Alison
Those birds could talk… 🙂