Subject: Greetings from South Africa

Hi Charles,

Just to let you know I got back home safely to an EXTREMELY hot and humid Durban - temperature was about 38 degrees Celsius, with a further 8 degrees on that for humidity discomfort!!!

I have been very busy at work - we have been moving offices, so haven't had a chance yet to tally up my birds - but I think about 85 or 86 in all, with virtually all of them being lifers. I still need to double check some of the Latin names against the SA list to confirm - but I know Cattle Egret is one that is the same as ours here.

Richard and I are off to Namibia for a week next month - there are a few specials we haven't had before there, so I'm looking forward to that. It is a desert with mostly dirt roads, but there have been huge rains and floods apparently, and I believe the main highway into Windhoek from South Africa is flooded. Fortunately we are flying straight in from Cape Town to Walvis Bay, so we can avoid all that.

Once again, a very big thank you for the fantastic birding experience I had in Florida - truly a highlight of my birding times. As mentioned, I will put an article onto our SA Birdnet listserver, with your details included, so if anyone else from S.A. is interested in a good birding experience, they know who to contact!!