Botswana, Animals

Scops Owl

At Karangoma, we ate in a dining tent near the water but surrounded by trees. For each lunch and dinner, this little owl was our companion, just a few feet away from the table.

We woke up every morning before 6 am. At that time, it was dark and our owl friend was still out hunting.

Late in the morning, we came back to camp from our game drives and the owl was usually sound asleep in its favorite tree. On one occasion, I found it awake but very sleepy. The crew said it had been with them for three months.

It slept through each day and into the evening, so close we could have reached out and touched it. Maybe our camp was safe from predators?

We all stayed quiet near the little one. As with a sleeping cat, it would be rude to wake it!