Africa after sunset: Spotlight
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:25 pm
When the African sun sets, selfdrivers put up their tents, light a campfire and enjoy the evening sky with some sundowners. But this is also the time that nocturnal animals start their "daily" lives. And there are lots of them: Bats, owls, scorpions, bush babies, pangolins, aardvarks, honey badgers, weasels, springhares, genets, cats and many more become active in the dark. It is highly rewarding to spot some of these illusive creatures during a nightdrive. While camping inside some of the national parks, e.g. Etosha, it is possible to join an organised nightdrive. Outside the parks you can do this on your own. Leave at sunset and slowly drive around for a few hours. With some luck you can enjoy rare sightings! Afterward, practice setting up a rooftent at night.
You will need a good spotlight. Brands like Maglite have some powerful handtorches, but they are heavy (batteries) and expensive. I have used a 100 Watt marine spotlight for years, made of glass and steel. It plugs in your car cigarette lighter, but is also way too heavy and inconvenient in use. Not what you want in your luggage at the airport.
Best choice: The Australian brand named Lightforce. They offer a range of affordable handheld spotlights that are powerful, very lightweight (no glass, no heavy metal), convenient in use and nearly indestructable. Both plugin and walkaround sets are available. e.g. The type "Lance", equipped with a 75 Watt bulb, makes more than an excellent spotlight. The lightbeam can be adjusted from wide to spot. This is all you need, nothing else comes close. http://www.lightforce.net.au/index.
WARNING: Powerful lightbeams will ruin the nightview adaptation of nocturnal animals. For humans it can take up to twenty minutes to regain full nightview vision. The impact on animals is mostly unknown. Use your spotlight wisely!
You will need a good spotlight. Brands like Maglite have some powerful handtorches, but they are heavy (batteries) and expensive. I have used a 100 Watt marine spotlight for years, made of glass and steel. It plugs in your car cigarette lighter, but is also way too heavy and inconvenient in use. Not what you want in your luggage at the airport.
Best choice: The Australian brand named Lightforce. They offer a range of affordable handheld spotlights that are powerful, very lightweight (no glass, no heavy metal), convenient in use and nearly indestructable. Both plugin and walkaround sets are available. e.g. The type "Lance", equipped with a 75 Watt bulb, makes more than an excellent spotlight. The lightbeam can be adjusted from wide to spot. This is all you need, nothing else comes close. http://www.lightforce.net.au/index.
WARNING: Powerful lightbeams will ruin the nightview adaptation of nocturnal animals. For humans it can take up to twenty minutes to regain full nightview vision. The impact on animals is mostly unknown. Use your spotlight wisely!
