NEW! Birding column

Mubala Lodge, about 40 km east of Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region of Namibia, is an entomologist’s dream. It’s also an ornithologist’s dream because all those insects bring plenty of birds, including the world’s biggest colony of southern carmine bee-eaters – about 3 000 breeding pairs! Every year in late August, the bee-eaters arrive in Namibia from central African countries like Gabon, Tanzania and the Congo. Once they’ve settled in, the males and females try to impress each other with aerial displays. This is how they select a mate for the next four months, during which time the pair will raise a single chick. When the chicks are ready to leave the nest, the colony disperses to the mopane forests of the northern Kalahari and the Zambezi Region before returning to central Africa for winter. Once a male and female have paired off, they need to find a home. Bee-eaters build nest tunnels in high riverbanks. Usually, there are nests available from previous breeding seasons that just need a little sprucing up. The nesting area at Mubala measures about 50 m by 50 m and it gets very busy. The birds fly between their hunting grounds and their nests, bringing bees, wasps, cicadas and locusts for their chicks to feed on. Visit the colony early in the morning or in the evening to see the birds in action. The birds might be predators, but they also become prey. Snakes, monitor lizards, crocodiles and yellow-billed kites hunt the beeeaters for food, and humans catch the birds by throwing nets over their nests at night. A bee-eater’s colourful feathers are prized in the East. The Sikunga Conservancy in the Zambezi Region has gone so far as to appoint a security guard to keep the birds safe, and more rules and regulations are required in the long run to ensure the ongoing success of the colony. It might become harder for tourists to visit this special spot, but it’s for the best. Without stringent conservation measures, your children’s children might never get to see the spectacle of these charismatic birds in flight. Know before you go: The colony is about 3 km west of Mubala Lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River. Entrance fee is R10 per person.