Rare bird sightings

Two reports about northern Botswana sightings of the Collared Palm-Thrush have been published in a recent issue of the Ecological Journal. Collared palm-thrush at Selinda : a case for a revised understanding of the distribution of the species in northern Botswana by Chris Roche and Grant Nel, and The Collared Palm-Thrush : rare resident of the central Okavango Delta by David Luck suggest that the bird, on the Birdlife Botswana A List of rare species, may be a low-density resident of both the Selinda spillway and the central Okavango Delta. The articles may be found in HOORC's Library.

Selinda Herbarium research

Alison Heath collects grass seeds

HOORC's Library has had visitors, Roger and Alison Heath, who are working on identifying and collecting plants in the Linyanti area on the Kwando River boundary with Namibia. Their project, the Selinda Herbarium, begun in 2001 under research permits from the Botswana Government, is supported by Linyanti Explorations. Plant samples are contributed to the Botswana National Museum, HOORC's Peter Smith Herbarium and the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) Kew. Determinations of the plants are carried out by the Botswana National Museum and RBG Kew. The Heaths have created a database of their findings -- descriptions of some 650 plants with photographs of pressed and in situ plants, local names, beliefs and uses, habitats and associated plants. RBG Kew has allowed descriptions from the Flora Zambesiaca to be included in the database and will publish a field guide and electronic resource based on the Heath's work.

Running with the dogs

According to his article, "Running with the dogs" in Africa Geographic, the author, Grant Atkinson maintains that 2010 has been a good year for African wild dogs in some of the most northern of Botswana’s wildlife areas where three different packs raised pups in the Linyanti and Selinda concessions. During the denning period, their movements become somewhat restricted and even after the new pups come out of the den, the packs seldom move too far each day. Once the pups are a few months older though, the dog packs range far and wide. A few individual dogs were fitted with tracking collars in 2009, and these collars have provided some very interesting results already. For more on the story visit the Africa Geographic website.

Herbarium research

The vlei lily, Pancratium tenuifolium, collected by the Heaths in Moremi

Roger and Alison Heath are passing through Maun, having completed collection and identification of plants for the Selinda Herbarium project in the Linyanti area north of the Okavango Delta. They are finalizing materials about the project for a book that will include local names and uses of the plants, to be published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew at the end of 2008. The team is now working in Moremi Game Reserve to collect specimens of all the plants in the reserve with a view to creating an identification guide for use by the Okavango community. The Heaths are depositing plant specimens with the National Museum of Botswana, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Botswana Ministry of Agriculture College at Sebele and with the Peter Smith Herbarium at HOORC. Tourism companies Linyanti Explorations and Orient Express are providing support to the project. The Heaths are asking for assistance with local plant names and uses: contact them at plantsandpeopleafrica@yahoo.co.uk.