Let me introduce you to my neighbors at the Nxai Salt Pan Campground.

There weren’t many. Just another family. They weren’t the usual kind and they weren’t the human kind. They were the busy kind.

Imagine scurrying around in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, chasing and foraging for food. All by yourself, but not for yourself. Not only for the chicks, but for mom as well.

Bill is a busy hornbill father on the outside while his partner is locked inside. She can’t leave the nest until her chicks are old enough and weaned.

There is no escape from this heat. Who drew the shorter straw I wonder?

Hornbill pairs nest in tree hollows like so many other birds. But the hornbills have a very effective defense system against intruders and predators. They chisel a wall out of mud and lock the entrance. No one gets in and no one gets out. His princess is locked away in a wooden dungeon. A vertical slit is all that is left for her over the next few months.

Bill had his work cut out. Over and over, time after time, he landed on the nest entrance and delivered food. The screaming chicks are heard whenever he landed. Often enough and in return, his damsel gave him shit. Lots of it.

To keep the nest clean and virus-free, all defecation needs to disappear. Not only out of the nest but out of sight. The smell could easily attract unwanted guests. The best defence of all is to stay undetected. Back and forth Bill went, back and forth.

The rains hadn’t arrived yet and insects were scarce.

Hornbills eat anything they can get their bills on. I often saw hornbills hopping on the ground, chasing ants and termites. But even these hardy critters seem to have vanished from this unforgiving earth.

I had some spare fruit which I happily shared with Billy and his family. The fruit had to be cut no thicker than a centimeter, the approximate and appropriate diameter.

The first apple was cut too thick as Bill tried to squeeze it through the shaft.

After a few failed attempts, I corrected my mistake. I placed the fruit in various locations with a camera in hand.

An old tree stump gave me enough elevation of the background, as the light coloured ground added nicely to the bird’s features.

Bill wasn’t shy and was happy to receive some reward for his posing.

My favorite colour was added by this fallen tree.

No need to be so skeptical old friend.

An outstanding branch just over the nest was Bill’s pole position.

From here, he had a good view over the campground and what was around. He perched himself right in front of my lens.

It was the perfect angle for some fantastic close-up photos.

His colours and patterns delighted through the sunlight. Birds can’t sweat. Instead, they are panting through an open mouth.

Bill looked outstanding in his surroundings. He didn’t stand still for long. Always on the lookout for food.

And always ruffling his feathers as an anti-pesticide.

This procedure wasn’t all that easy with a beak of his shape and size.

Some fancy footwork came in handy. Itchy and scratchy.

I was itching to get a move on as well.

I enjoyed this intermission with Bill and his family within the little shade there is.

Perfect entertainment indeed to forget about the heat.