Makgadikgadi migrations

TMAKGADIKGADI PANS he easiest way to understand the concept of migration is to look at the annual summer arrival of birds in southern Africa from their European breeding grounds. Like clockwork, these birds arrive in the same regions at the same time each year. Sometimes the odd bird gets blown off course and lands in an unpredicted area. These birds are called vagrants and are totally random. Predictability defines a migrant. Mammals, fish, insects and a host of other animals make annual migrations in search of resources. The ephemeral nature of Botswana’s water system is conducive to migration. The most obvious migration is the zebra migration during summer – the largest of its kind in southern Africa. The zebras move to the pans from all over as they fill up with rainwater. Most migrations in Botswana begin in early summer and peak around March. The immense landscape easily swallows the many animals that arrive. Pause on a game drive and you might count thousands of animals on an open plain. Like the zebra migration, the lesser flamingo migration is also special to witness. These birds feed on cyanobacteria, which erupt in shallow, seasonal wetlands. Although there are an estimated 2 – 4 million lesser flamingos, they only breed successfully at four locations in Africa. Sua Pan in the Makgadikgadi is one of those locations and plays an enormous role in the global conservation of these birds.