While we were staying at Muchenje Safari Lodge, we had an opportunity to go on a two hour bird walk with a bird expert, Stone Muzila. He does regular walks in the treed area at Muchenje Campsite and Cottages in the town of Muchenje. Stone is very knowledgable and a delight to be with. This property is located along the Chobe River. We saw quite a few birds, along with an unusual sighting.

First, the birds.

And the unusual, Africa is home to the well known Big Five. But it also has the Ugly Five and the Little Five. The latter includes the elephant shrew, the ant lion, the rhinoceros beetle, the buffalo weaver and the leopard tortoise. On this walk we learned more about the ant lion.

The ant lion is the larval stage of the lacewing fly. They construct conical pits in soft sand and wail at the bottom for prey (typically small ants) to slide in. Prey are taken in strong jaws and sucked dry.