I'll begin posting a (delayed) daily blog from my most recent September excursion and workshop in Botswana next week sometime. Before I do, I just want to make sure that everyone knows that there are still openings in the September 2024 byThom workshop, which will mostly be taught by my teaching assistant. I'll be there for the first full day of teaching, and again at the end of the workshop, but the bulk of the workshop will be taught by Tony Medici, who's been the second instructor at my workshops for over a decade. This will be the last byThom workshop at the old prices (yes, it seems like everything is going up in price; virtually every supplier I use has raised their prices for 2025).
Now, why might you might want to sign up now for next year's workshop before I start posting articles from this year's? Let me just say this: 53 different lions in 11 days.
September in Botswana is interesting, to say the least. The rains have long ago dried up, while the delta water push coming from Angola has mostly played itself out. That means that the water sources minimize. All animals have to get water, so you get stronger interactions near that remaining water. Couple that with the fact that by September most of the trees and low bush have lost their leaves, and you can see deeper into the forest when looking for said animals near the water. They have fewer places to hide from safari vehicles ;~).
Add to that the bird migrations and nesting that are going on during this time of year, and you have a target rich environment. The only real downside is that it gets quite hot during the day (typically 95°F, or 35°C).
One of the things I've been doing for awhile now is varying the time of year I do workshops every now and then. In a well managed and protected place like the Botswana parks, this results in very different opportunities and images that look different. September in Botswana turned out to be pretty darned good this year, as you'll soon discover.
So consider this your warning. You don't want to wait until everyone sees what Tony and I were up to this September before thinking about whether you want to sign up for next year's trip. I will not be offering a September trip in 2025, for what it's worth.
