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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lerxst" data-source="post: 3706469" data-attributes="member: 118326">Hello all:We arrived back in Bangkok today after a ten-day excursion that included Ethiopia and South Africa. As always, pictures and other details can be found here:<a href="https://legallyblindbirding.net/2018-gbwy-2/" target="_blank">https://legallyblindbirding.net/2018-gbwy-2/</a>This completes Weeks 15 & 16, with the following status:Working Days: 3 New species identified: 185 (Ethiopia) + 84 (South Africa) = 269 Total to date: 92336.9 % of goal, 30.7 % of year usedHappily the statistics for this effort are back in the positive column; I'm trying to build up some cushion for what promises to be a tough month in June.The Ethiopia number is more than double the other partly because we birded there first. But in terms of total species seen, we had 199 in Ethiopia and 135 in South Africa. Our guide in Ethiopia was very good and we had a strong birding focus. In South Africa, we were in and around Kruger National Park, using guides that were a bit more general (we seem to have been the first serious birders that they have worked with). So, much of the time in Kruger was spent appreciating the other wildlife and the stunning scenery. It is absolutely gorgeous and we wish we could spend a month there, in order to take it all in.Also I did not understand just what a long drive it is from JNB airport up to Kruger - it runs up to about six hours. That chewed up a lot of time. Next time, a flight to a regional airport would be in order.There were areas around Kruger that were strangely lacking in bird activity, though, and it really surprised us. It had been raining a lot recently to the point where the area is quite green; our guides said it was very unusual for April. Two of our days there were rainy and surprisingly cold and windy too. We did poorly for small passerines such as waxbills and the like. (The Red-billed Quelea were certainly not hard to find, though. What a sound they make when several hundred in a tight flock speed seemingly right over your head!) We were looking forward to seeing the Violet-eared Waxbill. No such luck. Not big cats either, though we did see African Wild Dogs. In any case, it was all a good reminder of why we really go birding; not for numbers, but for the resonant experience that only the natural world can supply. This coming weekend, a quick trip to southern Vietnam.</blockquote>

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