After
meeting my guests at the Sossusvlei airstrip, we headed out in our small
charter plane to Swakopmund. As we flew the clouds parted giving us a
spectacular view of the coastline from up above.
The birding
opportunities in Swakoopmund and Walvisbaai area were great and included both
Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Great White Pelicans and a variety of waders.
Inland we got Tractrac Chat, and an abundance of reptiles in the dunes.
From
there we flew to Erongo, a special wilderness area surrounded by the Erongo Mountains,
where the desert, mountain and bushveld ecosystems meet. Here we had
fantastic birding and photographic opportunities of Rosy-faced lovebirds,
Hartlaubs Spurfowl, Rockrunner and Monteiro’s Hornbill to mention just a few.
Next
stop was Serra Cafema Camp in the Namib Desert with breathtaking scenery.
Activities included a boat trip up the Kunene River, the lifeline to many
species in the area, as well as a visit to the local Himba village providing
different photo opportunities.
I
knew Etosha was going to be good when shortly after arriving a Carp’s Tit
flittered around in the tree above us while having lunch. We also
had good opportunities with crimson-breasted shrikes and short-toed rock
thrush. A definite highlight was spending an afternoon in a hide at a
waterhole watching animals and birds coming down for their afternoon drink.
Last
stop was the Caprivi Strip. Here we enjoyed some scenic boat trips where
we were rewarded with sightings of Long-toed Lapwings, Little Bee-eaters and
Hartlaub’s Babbler.
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| Himba Villlage |
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| Hartlaub's Gull |
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| Lesser and Great Flamingo |
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| Horned Adder |
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| Tractrac Chat |
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| Rosy-faced Lovebird |
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| Female Green-winged Pytilia |
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| Female Short-toed Rock Thrush |
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| Female Waterbuck |
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| Jancana |
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| Little Bee-eater |
Text and Photographs By: Trevor Kleyn
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