By the Boteti River in the Noonday Sun

White Stork.

Riding out of town  we spied a clutch of White Storks in a field alongside the road. We had a fun bird day even if there were no new birds to add to our lists.

Purple Heron.

This Purple Heron was busy fishing for lunch in the hot midday sun.

You know, since the rains ended over the weekend, the skies have cleared and it has gotten noticeably hotter: 32 - 33 C. The clouds are fewer and smaller. No more thunderheads. Just the hot sun beating down.

I keep thinking that this should feel somewhat like late September does at home since we are at the beginning of fall here. But it is important to remember that we are so much closer to the equator in Botswana and there are no mountains nearby to influence the temperature.

Dung Beetle.

In this hot sun are piles of dung from the many donkeys and cows grazing in the fields and road sides. In the middle of this, I spied this fellow, standing on his head, pushing the ball of dung with his hind legs. Takin' home the goodies for the missus.

Butterflies on a dung heap.

I cannot identify the butterflies above, but I am sure they are as common as sand in these parts. We saw their brothers and cousins feasting on elephant dung in Moremi. Here it is what the cattle leave behind that nourishes them. It is always surprising to see such beauty arriving from such base input.

And, with the time to depart racing toward us, there is something about these last two images that feel right. I'm trying to mentally prepare for the return to the office one more time. The last big push to the end. Three months to go. Three months of trying to push the crap around and make something presentable out of it.