Welcome to Batis Birding Safaris

Steve Braine – owner and guide

Steve Braine has recently taken the Batis Birding reigns from John Lötter and has been involved with ornithology and natural history within Namibia from a very young age contributing invaluable data to Namibian Ornithology. During the past 30 years, he has also captured and ringed (banded) raptors and has contributed and published several articles on distribution and other aspects of ornithology in popular journals and magazines. He has discovered several new butterfly species as well as a species of desert beetle, Onymacris brainei in the northern Namib Desert as well as a sub-species of the Speckled Burrowing Skink Typlocontias puctatissimus brainei along the Skeleton Coast.

After a three-year stint doing geological exploration work in the Namib Desert, he left to study Conservation. Thereafter he joined the Namibian conservation department and spent 9 years in the Skeleton Coast Park, and two years in the eastern Caprivi Strip as a ranger/conservation official. Steve, his wife Louise and his two sons then moved to Hobatere Lodge, a wildlife concession area on the western border of Etosha National Park. Here they operated a very successful wildlife lodge for 21 years. From here, leaving his competent wife Louise in control, Steve guided many specialized eco- and ornithological tours throughout Namibia. Steve guided for several different companies during this period such as Wild Wings, Green Tours, Zegrahm Eco Expeditions and Birdquest. After a tragic fire at Hobatere Lodge in January 2011, the family lost many of their personal possessions, photographs and many years’ of data. Shortly after this, Steve became involved with Batis Birding Safaris.

During the past ten years Steve and his wife have travelled extensively doing birding and photography. Angola then also became a favorite destination because of the excellent birding opportunities the country has to offer.

Steve has passed his on-going enthusiasm and love for natural history to his two sons who now assist with birding, wildlife and photographic tours.

Steve would like to see Batis Birding growing into a highly specialized niche especially within Namibia, not only from a birding point of view but in general ecology and conservation as well.

Sean Braine & Dayne Braine - guides

Both Sean and Dayne were born while Steve was working in the Skeleton Coast Park as a ranger and they had the privilege of growing up in this pristine wilderness area. Sean, the eldest, after completing his studies worked as a fly-fishing and bird guide at a lodge on the Zambezi River in the eastern Caprivi. He was then promoted and was transferred to a lodge on the Kwando River where he managed the lodge for three years. From here, Sean led specialized birding trips as well as doing guided walks with big game. He has also done specialized birding tours for Birding Holidays in the Caprivi and Botswana, the area in which he has developed a thorough understanding of the environment and especially the diverse bird life as well as wildlife of this region. Dayne the youngest on the other hand is a qualified commercial pilot but opted to do land based safaris. He has led several coastal and desert birding tours. He has also done birding in the United States, Australia and Borneo and has travelled extensively in Southern Africa including Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa.

Dayne and Sean grew up during their teens in the unspoiled wilderness and wildlife area of the Hobatere concession. After their studies, both boys eventually joined Steve and Louise at the Hobatere Lodge and gained invaluable experience in the tourism industry. While here, invaluable experience was gained doing wildlife guiding and the general hospitality trade. Both Dayne and Sean are keen photographers and both have found their own niche in the photographic world within Namibia.

They are passionate and enthusiastic about the bush and cannot wait to share this enthusiasm with others.

John Lötter – co-founder and guide

John Lötter is a world bird and wildlife enthusiast He has traveled to South East Asia, Australia, the Seychelles, all Southern African countries and Europe and relocated to countries like Zimbabwe, New Zealand and Namibia, where he is currently based. John boasts a Southern African bird record of 834 species, more than a 150 reptile species, 50 frog species and more than a 100 mammal species, and is particularly keen on smaller mammals like mice, mongooses and bats.

He founded Batis Birding Safaris because of his passion for birds and wildlife not only of Southern African but also of the rest of the world. John does not only love wildlife but enjoys the company of people passionate about birds and animals. John hosts a weekly radio program on birds and wildlife in Namibia and is the author of the book: Christmas in Mozambique, a story relating to a birding safari in this.