Almost exactly a year ago, when we first visited the Carmine Bee-Eater, I am sitting on the same porch as I am now. Some days ago we arrived at the Zambezi Mutoya Lodge, which is around forty kilometers from Katima Mulilo. Now we were in the northeasternmost corner of Namibia, a few kilometers from the borders with Botswana and Zambia. With a welcome drink at reception, we booked a boat trip for the next morning that would take us ten kilometers up the Zambezi to the nesting grounds of the Carmine Bee-Eater.

We then moved into Camp No. 6, which not only offered us shade but also our own ablution. In no time the camp was set up; and we were able to devote ourselves to the anchor drink, which consisted of a non-alcoholic Clausthaler for Brigitta and a Windhoek Draft for me. Then it was time for work – we had to clean our 50-liter water tank again with Katadyn products. After two hours the job was done and the tank was filled with fifty liters of fresh water.

The next morning, we woke again at 5:15 a.m. An hour later, the two of us were sitting in an aluminum boat and heading upstream with Sylvester to the breeding site. It was an unforgettable experience to watch these paradisaically beautiful birds building their nests and digging long tunnels in the sand.

PS: If you want to know more about the Carmine Bee-Eater, read here.