Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Herero Chat |
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Tour Leader: Errol de Beer
Total Bird Species: 334 (including 4 species that were only heard)
Total Mammal Species: 42 species
06 August 2011
My day started in Windhoek, where I spent the night after driving up from Johannesburg. I decided to use the C28 to get to Walvisbay, this is a gravel road with some interesting scenery on the way. Not much time was spent in the way of birding as I had to meet the clients at the Airport around midday. I did however record many Pale-winged Starlings as well as Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Mountain Wheatear and Rock Kestrel. As I got closer to Walvisbay I started getting regular flocks of Stark’s Lark, a couple of Ostriches and even a lone Lappet-faced Vulture. A few Gemsbok, good numbers of Springbok and a lone Zebra made up the mammal sightings, while a Namakwa Chameleon was a very nice surprise. Driving in to the Airport, I noticed two large birds circling; which turned out to be Great White Pelicans, looking very out of place in the arid area around the airport. From the airport we headed to Rooibank where we soon had exquisite views of Dune Lark singing its lungs out from atop a bush, who said you needed to get them early in the morning or late afternoon. Other birds along the Kuiseb River at Rooibank included Bokmakierie and Common Fiscal. On the way back to Walvisbay we bumped into a small family of Gray’s Lark, two Namibian specials down!! No sooner did we arrive at the lodge or we heard and then had good views of Orange River White-eye. All in all a day with low bird numbers but still fruitful in that we managed two Namibian specials.
07 August 2011
We started birding just after breakfast and decided to head north to Swakopmund, a stop at the guano platform was well worth it as we witnessed the spectacle of thousands of Cape Cormorants heading of to their feeding grounds in a constant stream of birds that stretched for as far as the eye could see. A small colony of Great White Pelicans also made the platform their home and was clearly sucsessfull in raising a number of chicks. We spotted a single Crowned Cormorant as well as a single White-breasted Cormorant here. At the Mile 4 Saltworks we soon managed to find Chestnut-banded and White-fronted Plover as well as a large raft of Black-necked Grebes at the first pan, further along good numbers of Ruddy Turnstone, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet and Curlew Sandpiper as well as a few Whimbrel were present. Cape (Kelp) Gull was ever present alongside the smaller Hartlaub’s Gull and we eventually spotted a couple of Black Oystercatcher. A quick scan amongst another group of Cape Cormorants turned up a single Bank Cormorant. Back in Walvisbay the waste water treatment plant produced Common Moorhen, Cape Teal, Hottentot Teal and African Reed Warbler. The Walvisbay Lagoon produced additional waders in the form of Ruff, Common Greenshank and at least four Red-necked Phalaropes, always a great find. Swift, Caspian and Sandwich Tern were also recorded as well as a single Grey-headed Gull, not a common bird in these parts.
08 August 2011
We woke to a very dull morning with a thick fog bank that rolled in from the Atlantic seriously limiting visibility so we decided to head inland straight after breakfast. The landscape soon started changing and several stops produced birds at a constant rate, at one of these stops we were fortunate to find a female Ludwig’s Bustard with junior in tow. Karoo Long-billed Lark made a welcome addition to our list and we soon started finding small flocks of Stark’s Lark. We reached Spitzkoppe just before mid-day, yet managed to record several good birds, a welcoming party at the gate included Crimson-breasted Shrike, Common Scimitarbill, Dusky Sunbird, Red-eyed Bulbul and the ever present White-browed Sparrow-Weaver. We proceed further along, hoping to find one of Namibia’s most sought after endemics, Herero Chat, we soon added Lark-like Bunting, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, White-tailed Shrike and Layard’s Titbabbler to our list but still no Herero Chat. At the far end we managed good views of Alpine, Little and Bradfield’s Swifts and also added Black-faced Waxbill and Sabota Lark. We left Spitzkoppe without finding the Herero Chat, a small consolation came in the form of Marico Sunbird and Red-headed Finch at the gate as we exited. Fortunately a back-up stakeout produced great views of a pair of Herero Chat, what an awesome sighting. The road to Erongo Wilderness Lodge provided a whole host of new birds such as Monteiro’s, Southern Yellow-billed and African Grey Hornbills, Burchell’s and Cape Glossy Starlings, Sociable Weaver, Marico and Chat Flycatchers as well as numerous Red-crested Korhaan. The drive in to the lodge proved rather interesting with fine birds such as Red-billed Francolin, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Green-winged Pytilia and Brown-crowned Tchagra all extending us a warm welcome.
09 August 2011
We met up at the dining area before breakfast to await the imminent arrival of one of our target birds, the endemic Hartlaub’s Francolin, at the feeding station just in front of the restaurant. Scores of Rosy-faced Lovebirds arrived, numerous Laughing Doves, Great Sparrows, Black-throated Canaries and Masked Weavers gorged themselves on the seed provided but this morning never did see the arrival of the Francolins so after breakfast we headed out on a hike to look for them. The hike soon produced great views of another target bird in the form of Rockrunner. Further along we flushed a female Double-banded Sandgrouse and upon further investigation we found a nest with three eggs. Other good birds on the morning walk included Violet-eared Waxbill, Barred Wren-Warbler, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Purple Roller and Pale-winged Starlings. A drive in to Omaruru town found us three squabbling Ashy Tits, Kalahari Scrub-Robin and just before town Groundscraper Thrush and Bearded Woodpecker. The local camp grounds were rather quiet with only Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler, Cardinal Woodpecker and Long-billed Crombec in attendance. We headed back to the lodge for lunch and a well deserved break before resuming our birding in the afternoon. Carol decided not to join us for the afternoon walk so John and myself went in search for the Francolins, we found a Rock Kestrel perched on a huge boulder, Short-toed Rock-Thrush nearby and the we eventually heard the raucous call of the Hartlaub’s Francolin, scanning the rocks soon revealed the whereabouts of the Francolin. We headed back to camp satisfied and that evening we managed good views of Freckled Nightjar, while a confiding Porcupine walked right past the dining area just after dinner.
10 August 2011
The feeding station was once again the place to be, early morning. Upon my arrival, John and Carol were already watching a pair of Hartlaub’s Francolin that came in to feed, once again only a female Green-winged Pytilia was present with no sign of the male. After breakfast we headed out, stopped at the lower car park where we soon managed to find Carp’s Tit amongst a plethora of commoner species. A stop at a dry riverbed produced another target bird, Ruppel’s Parrot as well as a small family of Violet Wood-hoopoes. Searching the Brandberg area for Ruppel’s Korhaan proved fruitless as this was to go down as the one endemic we missed; we did however findBenguella Long-billed Lark in the same area. At our lunch stop a Brubru and Pririt Batis got involved in a bit of a territorial dispute and Carol found a beautiful red form Horned Adder, this was still a baby of about 15cm long and thinner than my little finger. From here we pushed hard to make up for lost time, finding the occasional road side bird such as lack-chested Snake-Eagle, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk and Northern Black Korhaan. A short stop at a small wetland surprised with South African Shelduck, Egyptian Goose, Little Grebe, Red-knobbed Coot and Three-banded Plover. A systematic scan of the power lines near Etosha soon turned up Pygmy Falcon and at our lodge the hilarious but beautiful Bare-cheeked Babbler. In all, a long but rewarding day.
11 August 2011
Breakfast at our lodge was superb and the setting couldn’t be better, overlooking the adjacent waterhole where a single Red-billed Teal took up residence. Helmeted Guineafowl arrived in their droves to quench their thirst and mammal wise we notched up Black-faced Impala, Red Hartebeest and Greater Kudu. A pair of Gabar Goshawk kept a close eye on proceedings and we later discovered their nest in a large Mopani tree. Several species of seed-eater made use of the waterhole, they included Red-headed Finch, Black-throated Canary, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Great Sparrow, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Southern Masked Weaver and the occasional Chestnut Weaver. We departed our lodge and headed for the famous Etosha National Park where we soon encountered a pride of Lions on a kill, only one lioness was still actively feeding and giving the occasional chase after Black-backed Jackal, who were patiently waiting to grab a morsel. At Okaukuejo’s waterhole we managed to find scores of Namaqua Sandgrouse coming into drink with African Palm and Little Swifts overhead. The plains to the north of camp once again did not disappoint as we encountered several species of Lark such as Rufous-naped, Pink-billed, Spike-heeled, Sabota and Fawn-coloured and also Grey-backed Sparrowlark. Numerous Kori Bustards foraged alongside the much smaller Northern Black Korhaan, we had to work a bit harder than usual for our first sighting of Double-banded Courser followed by good views of Secretarybird. Rufous-eared Warbler was a surprise sighting in this particular area and we also managed better views of Sociable Weaver and Pygmy Falcon. We decided to take a relaxing break back at the lodge and got comfortable on the sofas overlooking the waterhole, here we soon ticked Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Shikra and Green-winged Pytilia and also enjoyed the antics of a band of marauding Banded Mongoose. A short walk produced Carp’s Tit, Southern Pied Babbler and superb views of Barred Wren-Warbler. The evening was full of surprises with two Lionesses passing by the waterhole several times followed by a pair of Black Rhino. That evening John and Carol experienced the excitement of an African night with a large male Lion setting up camp outside the electrified fence of the camp but right in front of their room, roaring well into the early morning hours, needless to say they had a very restless night but wouldn’t change it for anything.
12 August 2011
After the previous day’s excitement we would have a tough act to follow to try and match it. From a birding perspective things started out well with White-crested Helmet-Shrike putting in an early appearance, soon followed by Yellow Canary, Common Ostrich, Red-capped Lark, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark, Wattled Starling and Brown-crowned Tchagra in the park. We eventually found our first Elephants for the trip and thereafter they were at almost every waterhole we stopped at, one of these waterholes produced Hottentot Teal, Red-billed Teal, Maccoa Duck and Cape Teal. At Halali camp we really went all out in search of Owls and managed to find Barn, African Scops and White-faced Scops Owls, Damara Hornbill was another good addition to the list. Birding was much quieter in the heat of the day after lunch but driving along Etosha Pan did produce the occasional trip bird, African Hoopoe and Common Scimitarbill were notable additions while we marvelled at the huge expanse of water that covered the pan, the first time I have personally ever seen it this full. Close to Namutoni we decided to make one last stop at a nearby waterhole before exiting the park and this would prove to be a superb decision as we watched an African Wild Cat seeing off the unwanted attentions of a Tawny Eagle, what a sighting. Good birds at the waterhole included Lappet-faced and White-backed Vultures as well as Crested Francolin. As if that wasn’t enough, we encountered a large male Leopard on the road towards the gate, providing a fitting finale to John’s birthday.
13 August 2011
Today we would search for a number of specific birds and concentrate less on quantity. An early morning search for Black-faced Babbler did not turn up anything so we headed back to Etosha and more specifically the Andoni Plains. On the way in we had good views of Damara Dik-Dik, a small endemic antelope, after signing in at Namutoni camp we proceeded to the circular drive around Fischer’s Pan. At a stand of Palms we found our first target, Red-necked Falcon, we tried in a few places for Cape Penduline-Tit, at one stage a Yellow-bellied Eremomela nearly caused some excitement as the two species look superficially similar. After trying at a third spot we hit it lucky with a number of Cape Penduline-Tits responding to play back. The road to the Andoni Plains did not produce much, other than brilliant views of Burchell’s Sandgrouse, first a male and female and then further along another male. After a short break at the picnic spot where we watched a few displaying Fawn-coloured Larks, we continued to the plains, here we soon found a small group of Blue Crane. The artesian spring was rather quiet but we managed good views of Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet and Kittlitz’s Plover. Great views of Pink-billed Lark was a sure upgrade from our previous views near Okaukueju and we eventually managed to find a small group of Burchell’s Coursers after looking for them the whole of the previous day without success. After lunch at Namutoni where we added Blue Waxbill to our list we headed back to the lodge for a mid-day break. At 16h30 we started another search for Black-faced Babbler, we covered every inch of the gardens with no luck, finding Bennet’s Woodpecker and Pearl-spotted Owlet in the process but then we heard the typical Babbler call near the reptile centre and after a bit of searching we had them at last, taking the pressure of for the next day.
14 August 2011
Today was basically a travel with very little birding other than for a few quick stops on the way so after settling the bill we loaded up the vehicle, managing to see Black-faced Babbler again just for good measure. After lunch in Rundu we started finding roadside birds that were new for our list such as Magpie Shrike, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Bradfield’s Hornbill and Meve’s Starling. A quick stop at the Souza’s Shrike site produced Red-faced Mousebird but the Shrike remained elusive. We arrived in Divundu in the late afternoon and at the lodge shortly thereafter, from the deck overlooking the Kavango River we spotted Yellow-billed Stork and our very first Kingfisher for the trip, a Pied Kingfisher. Not a very exciting day but we managed a couple of new birds nonetheless.
15 August 2011
This morning, birding started at a furious pace with new trip ticks coming in thick and fast. John and I walked the gardens at the lodge where we soon found both, Arrow-marked as well as Hartlaub’s Babblers and thereby closing our account on the Southern African Babblers. Green Pigeons and Meyer’s Parrots were feeding in a fruiting fig tree that also attracted a myriad of other birds such as African Mourning Dove, White-browed Coucal, Black-headed Oriole, Black-collared Barbet, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Terrestrial Brownbul and Grey-backed Camaroptera. A Comb Duck flew low over the river just before we headed for breakfast. Out on a small floodplain near the lodge we found our first Carmine Bee-Eaters, a lone Rufous-bellied Heron as well as a young Lanner Falcon making full use of the strong wind blowing. From here we headed out to Mahango National Park, at the very first pond of water we found a Common Reedbuck and then some feathered friends such as Banded Martin, Common House Martin and Wood Sandpiper. The roads in Mahango were being worked on and the improvements were clearly visible. A very productive stop in the woodlands of Mahango produced Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Meve’s Starling, Red-billed Firefinch and Blue Waxbill to name a few. The surprise of the day however was superb views of a Slaty Egret feeding at a small pond, this can be a rather difficult bird to find and quite often one only has distant views of it, we also found African Wattled Lapwing not far from there. A drive up to the waterhole produced a very confiding Burchell’s Sandgrouse and also one of the flagship mammals for the park, Roan Antelope, we actually had three herds each with at least half-a-dozen animals. Just before leaving the park we stumbled upon a nice breeding herd of Sable Antelope and in the distance a number of White-backed Vultures as well as a lone Lappet-faced Vulture. We had a good lunch at one of the lodges along the Kavango River and here we added Golden Weaver and at a stop near Poppa Falls we added Rock Pratincole. We crossed into Botswana without too much hassle and then headed south towards Shakawe adding Bradfield’s Hornbill to our list in the process. A boat ride to the lodge produced lots of commoner waterbirds.
16 August 2011
The majority of time today would be spent on a boat, exploring the panhandle area of the famous Okavango Delta. Our wake up call came from a pair of Giant Kingfishers loudly proclaiming their territory; these are really big Kingfishers with a voice to match. On the river we soon found species such as White-fronted and Little Bee-Eaters and barely meters from camp, great views of a White-backed Night Heron, a very sought after bird. Near Drotsky’s we had a pair of Wattled Crane flying over our boat, another great tick, followed up by an even more sought after tick in the form of Pel’s Fishing Owl. We reached the floodplains north of Shakawe in good time and after some searching managed to find the rather elusive Lesser Jacana, a Marabou Stork flew by and at a large sandbank we found in excess of a dozen African Skimmers as well as Marsh Sandpiper. In the same area we also found our first African Sacred Ibises as well as an African Openbill, raptor wise we had to be happy with good sightings of African Marsh Harrier. We returned to camp in time for lunch and decided on a mid-day break before having to head out again, Carol decided not to join us for the afternoon boat trip so John and I joined our skipper and headed downstream this time, two distant Collared Pratincoles made a welcome addition to our list and we also added both Goliath and Purple Herons. Soon we found another of our target birds, African Pygmy Goose alongside some commoner birds such as African Jacana, Malachite Kingfisher, Squacco Heron and Chirping Cisticola.
17 August 2011
The morning started of with the Giant Kingfishers trying their best to prove to us that we needn’t have bothered with alarm clocks. After breakfast we decided to bird on foot around the lodge while waiting for Donovan, our host, to return from dropping of the first batch of clients. We were really hoping to find a Barred Owlet but it would seem that the cold wind had put a damper on that idea. Birding was rather quiet but we did find several good birds such as Common Waxbill, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, African Hoopoe and three brand new ticks, Crested Barbet, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird and South African Cliff-Swallow, the latter actually a bit of a surprise and presumably on migration further south. Our border crossing back into Namibia went without incident and a short stop at Poppa Falls, where a water sprinkler proved irresistible to a number of birds such as Crimson-breasted Shrike, Green-winged Pytilia and Purple-banded Sunbird. After filling up with fuel in Divundu we headed east along the Caprivi strip to our next lodge near Katimo Mulilo, en route we encountered Brown Snake-Eagle and African Harrier-Hawk, both new additions to our trip list, we also passed by two Tsessebe and a small herd of Roan Antelope. The road leading to the lodge did not hold too many surprises but it was good to get Carol onto African Pygmy Goose which she had missed the previous evening. A number of Coppery-tailed Coucals were encountered as well as a single Senegal Coucal.
18 August 2011
Birding the lodge grounds before breakfast found us several birds we have grown accustomed to by now as well as a sprinkling of new species such as Yellow-billed Kite and Horus Swift. The gardens were good as usual for Sunbirds such as Marico, White-bellied and Collared Sunbirds but no Shelley’s were to be found. A huge flock of African Openbill soared overhead on rising thermals. We headed out after breakfast and decided to bird some of the side roads, we soon encountered Red-breasted Swallow, Yellow-fronted Canary and Southern Black Tit. Further on the Mopani woodland produced several large flocks of Yellow-throated Petronia, the first time I have ever encountered them in such large numbers. We had one of our best lunches of the trip in the town of Katimo Mulilo, from where we headed for the Zambian border. The border crossing took a little longer than usual, understandable if you consider that the Zambians do all their paperwork manually. We did not spend too much time birding but a small pan just outside Sesheke produced Hamerkop and African Jacana, while further along we had good views of an immature White-headed Vulture. Our usual spot for Racket-tailed Roller did not produce this time round but we did manage superb views of Meyer’s Parrot. Big was the surprise however when we encountered not one, not two but four Racket-tailed Rollers further up the road, two of them even perching on power lines, something I have not witnessed before. At the lodge, on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, we saw several of the commoner species of waterfowl that we have encounter several times over the last few days.
19 August 2011
What a start to the day, an African Finfoot swimming right past the lodge just as we stepped outside our cabins. A walk thereafter producing some stunning birds such as Jameson’s Firefinch, Black Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher and three species of Hornbill feeding together on a feast of ants, they were Southern Yellow-billed, Crowned and African Grey Hornbills. A Grey-headed Bush Shrikewas another good find and after breakfast we located a pair of Trumpeter Hornbills as well as the stunning Schalow’s Turaco. White-crested Helmet-Shrikes and Green Wood-Hoopoes entertained us the whole morning with their crazy social antics. The drive to Livingstone went by rather quickly and while stopping at the bank we encountered African Pied Wagtail as well as Yellow-breasted Apalis. John and Carol really enjoyed the magnificent spectacle of the Victoria Falls and while the birding around the falls were rather quiet, only adding Red-winged Starling to our list, the falls itself more than made up for this. A quick search for raptors along the Batoka gorge did not produce much other than a Lizard Buzzard and Bronze Mannikin. After lunch we paid a quick visit to the local sewage works where we managed to add Purple Swamphen, Ruff and Glossy Ibis to the list after which we decided to head back to the lodge, where we found Kurrichane Thrush as we drove in. John and I took a break alongside the pool and while relaxing we still managed to find a new bird,Brown-hooded Kingfisher. Our late afternoon walk was rather successful and we raked in a few good birds with spectacular looks at Red-faced Cisticola, cracking views of Little Sparrowhawk and we also managed to add Scarlet-chested Sunbird and Black-crowned Tchagra to our ever growing list.
20 August 2011
The final day arrived all too soon; we decided to do some relaxed birding around the lodge before heading to the airport. We soon found a number of familiar birds such as Terrestrial Brownbul, Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Ashy Flycatcher and Brown-hooded Kingfisher but nothing new to add to our list. En-route to Livingstone we came across three old male Buffalo crossing the road, what impressive animals. We reached the airport and after saying goodbye I headed to the Kazangula border crossing and then onwards to South Africa.