National Geographic has a live camera at a place called Pete’s Pond in Botswana.  It's like having your own window into a watering hole in Africa.  The elephants come for a drink.  You can see impala, giraffes, zebra, wart hogs, jackals, lions, guinea fowl, baboons, monkeys, herons, hornbills, and monitor lizards just to name a few.  There's even a resident crocodile who makes life a bit more interesting at the pond. Check the website for a species list and see how many you can spot.

The best viewing times are early morning and evenings in Botswana.  If you aren't sure of the time zones, just go to the website.  There's a clock under the picture that tells you the current time at the pond.  From there, you can figure out when is your best viewing times.

On the west coast of North America, morning viewing starts around 9pm and goes until you fall asleep.   Evening at the pond brings in lots of creatures, but you have to be free in the morning on the west coast to watch evenings at the pond.

The website uses Real Player which can be downloaded for free if you don't already have it on your computer.  The small window on the webpage is OK, but I prefer watching it in full screen.  Hover your mouse over the live picture and two buttons pop up.  The one on the right is to play Real Player in Theatre Mode.  Click on that button and the scene reloads using the whole screen.  Makes a much better picture!

At times, the camera is on automatic.  It scans the pond using a preset program.  That can be a bit irritating when you see a lion on the edge of the pond and the camera just moves on past.  At some times of the day, (often evening in Botswana) the camera is manned.  There's a real person sitting in the hide moving the camera.  When the camera is manned, you get great close-ups on the wildlife at the pond, and sometimes even in the fields behind the pond.  Often that's the best view of the giraffes.  

The camera is on 24/7 except for technical difficulties.  During the night in Botswana, the camera is set in black and white mode.  During the day, the camera is in color.  If you are watching at the right instant, suddenly there is a beautiful, colorful sunrise.   If there's not much happening, check out the video highlights which shows previous visits by animals.  

Thanks to National Geographic for bringing back Pete's Pond!!!!!!!!!!

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