Farm Namtib

Sunday, 15 May 2011
by Tara!

Today was awesome! We woke up to a beautiful sunrise at farm Namtib and were ready to start our Social weaver bird research. Monica, Courtney, and I were on a team with the farm owner Torsthan, and collected data on over 17 weaver nests. During our day Torsthan was able to spot out many awesome animals to us! One of the coolest things we spotted today was an Aardwolf. These guys are the smallest of the Hyenas and they primarily feed on termites. We also spotted a tree with the remains of a springbok skeleton! This is probably the coolest thing I have seen so far on the trip. It is one thing for Torsthan to say that he had leopards on the farm, but it completely blows you away to actually see evidence of a leopards meal hanging from a tree branch. On top of that we also saw several small lizards, including the Kalahari tree skink and a common flat lizard (this pretty much made me and Monica's day!). We also found a tan colored scorpion under a rock. To wrap up the day we helped Larkin set up a mist net near a large weaver colony. It was fun getting to handle the birds and collect data on their sex, weight, and primary feather lenght. Overall today has topped the list of the most exciting day in Africa so far! This Farm is breathtaking and words can not begin to describe how miraculous it is! I can't wait for what our trip has in store for us next!

Loving Africa,

Tara!