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4th International Hornbill Congress
Namibia
“The Living Desert”
Pre-Congress Tour : 30th Oct - 5th November 2005 (No extension offered)
Post- Congress Tour : 11th – 17th Nov ( Extension 18th-21th November)
Introduction
When one mentions “African safari”, images of the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Amboseli, Mt Kilimanjaro and other iconoclastic parks of East Africa leap instantly to mind. Mention this to a Namibian, however, and they’ll smile wryly, knowing that while tourists flock to East Africa’s taxi-rank parks, the continent’s finest and least spoilt and explored wildlife areas lie no more than a few hours drive from Windhoek. Namibia is serious “Big and Hairy” country, but is also one of Southern Africa’s most rewarding and birding-friendly countries. Namibia, the dry southwestern corner of Africa, plays host to all three of southern Africa’s great desert systems. The Karoo in the south, the Kalahari in the east, and the driest of the three, the Namib, sprawling along the Benguela-influenced west coast. It is thus not surprising that Namibia has, arguably, the world’s best desert birding, or certainly some of the world’s best desert birds. It is within these arid areas that almost all of the 14 near-endemics are found, including a host of Namibian escarpment specials including the truly tremendous White-tailed Shrike, Namibia’s terrestrial Vanga? The elusive Herero Chat, fascinating rock-loving Montero’s Hornbill, melodramatic Damara Rockrunner, elegant Bare-cheeked Babbler and noisy coveys of the endemic Hartlaub’s Francolin. Most escarpment specials are fairly common, and easily seen if you visit the right localities. Ironically, it is the rivers in this desert that are crucial for the other two endemics Rüppell’s Parrot and Violet Woodhoopoe.
Itinerary
Arrival in Windhoek. Leave Mabula Lodge on the 10th November 2005 to overnight in Windhoek and start the tour on the morning on the 11th November 2005.
Day 1: Visit to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve. After an early morning pick-up at your hotel in Windhoek we will head out to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve. This game reserve has hosted the Namibian Hornbill Project for the past 17 years. Research on 4 species of Hornbills (Tockus monteiri, T. leucomelas, T. nasutus and T. damarensis) has been prolific thanks to an excellent setup of nest boxes; nearly 200 over a 5000ha area !!. Access to the breeding chamber have allowed researchers to unveil the drama that unfolds inside their nest, until recently considered sacro sanctums. Physiological, behavioural, anatomical, systematics and educational results have poured out of this study site since its inception. At present and thanks to the nest boxes, DVGR gathers during the breeding season the highest density of hornbills in Africa, nearly 9 prs per sq km!!, evidently a direct result of hosting Africa’s largest nest box study site.
Female Monteiro’s Hornbill (Tockus monteiri) at the nest.
During our ramblings through the study site, participants will share with their guide the opportunity to enjoy Monteiro’s Hornbill, Damara Hornbill, Yellowbilled Hornbill and Grey Hornbill, whilst visiting the nest boxes and with ample time to discuss differences in breeding strategy and future projects.
Other species we are very likely to bump into whilst driving and walking are Namibian endemics such as Rockrunner*, Carp’s Black Tit*, White-tailed Shrike and other specialties including Short-toed Rock Thrush and Bradfield’s Swift. The Augeigas River acts also acts as a magnet for a variety of colourful desert dwellers including Lilacbreasted and Purple Rollers, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Rosy-faced Lovebird* and Violet-eared Waxbill.
The reserve also offers very good chances of bumping into Hartman’s Zebra, Greater Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Oryx Gazelle, Eland and Warthog
Dinner at the legendary Joe’s Beer Garden and overnight at Onganga guest house
Day 2. Windhoek – Namutoni (Etosha N.P): After breakfast we leave Windhoek en route to the legendary Etosha National Park. On arrival we will take a drive around Bloubokdraai and Namutoni Camp a good area to target for Lion and smaller cats, bird wise we will concentrate on larks (Sabota, Monotonous, Fawncoloured and Spike heeled), Coursers (Double banded) and raptors (this area is good for large Vultures, White Headed, White-backed and Lappetfaced) Tawny eagles are abundant. Specialties at the semi deciduous forest of dik-dik drive include Black-faced Babbler, Chinspot Batis and southern black Tit. Damara dik-dik, a stranded relic from a once existent population that stretched across an arid corridor that joined Namibia with Tanzania, are abundant here.
We will return to Namutoni and check into our rooms. For those eager to bird camp White crowned Shrike, Pied babblers, Crimson breasted Shrike, Burnt necked Eremomela, Scarletchested Sunbird, Blue Waxbill troops of Banded Mongoose and a family of Warthogs all occur within the perimeter of this camp. After lunch and a cool down we shall set off again in search of more wildlife.
We shall drive around the Pan’s edge admiring the large concentrations of game. Majestic herds of Burchell’s Zebra, Springbok, Oryx Gazelle, Giraffe and Kudus abound here. With luck we may encounter some Elephants and it’s a fact that the largest density of Lion prides reside in this area. Fisher's Pan can teem with waterfowl after good rains. If the rains have arrived we will be looking for rallids including Baillon's Crake, Lesser Moorhen, Lesser Gallinule and many other surprises.
Male Northern Black Korhaan “croaking” away in the Andoni Plains.
We will return to Namutoni at sunset and enjoy the sunset from the German Fort, a good vantage point to spot game and watch nightjars as the day ends, Spotted Dikkops and Bronze-winged Coursers flutter around the waterholes’ floodlight.
Overnight at Namutoni Camp and supper at the camps restaurant. Game night watching by the waterhole is an option for those who are keen.
Day 3 : Namutoni – Halali (Etosha N.P) : After an early breakfast we drive north to the extensive Andoni plains in a quest for Secretarybird, Starks, Clapper and Pink billed Larks, Blue Cranes, Northern Black Korhaans and Bateleurs. We will have a light lunch on this remote area of the park where migrating herds of Elephants may be passing through, after an early lunch we shall proceed slowly towards Halali.
On the way to Halali we will stop at Goas waterhole, a magnificent limestone based waterhole that attracts plenty birds and large herds of game such as Blackfaced Impala, Springbok, Kudu, Red Hartebeest and the area is notoriously good for Lion and Leopard.
Halali Camp is a good place to look for White-faced, Scops, Spotted, Barn and Pearl spotted owls, at night. Very interesting camp nightlife extend our day into the night as we search for Lesser Bushbabies, one of Africa’s few pro-primates, Honey Badgers, Large Spotted Genets and Black-backed Jackals in camp.
Halali is endowed with the most beautiful and productive flood lit waterhole; I have personally experienced my best sightings at this charming spot. Here, Spotted Hyaenas, Elephants and Black Rhinoceros are generally common visitors during the dry period, and a resident Leopard uses the waterhole traffic to hunt every so often.
Heavy traffic at Kalkheuwel waterhole near Halali (Etosha NP).
Day 4. Halali – Okaukuejo (Etosha N.P): Early risers will find plenty birding to be done around camp, birding inside camp is prolific and species such as Barecheeked Babblers and Violet Woodhoopoes are a permanent fixture. Swainson’s Francolin, Jameson’s Firefinch, Goldenbreasted Bunting, Southern Black Tit and many species of Cuckoos abound in this dry Mopane bush camp.
After breakfast we will drive towards Salvadora and Sueda waterholes the feeding bowl of Etosha’s Cheetah population. Here we will keep our eyes peeled for Caspian Plovers, Spike-heeled Larks, Burchell’s and Double banded Coursers, Lanner Falcons and Greater Kestrels and whatever vultures are gathering at any nearby kill. The plains tend to teem with Kori Bustards and Northern Black Korhaans and if we are lucky the first incoming Harriers of the season.
On the way to Okakuejo we will scour some more plains for other interesting birds such as Rufous-eared Warbler, Ant-eating Chat and the magnificent Rednecked Falcon.
The day will be spent cruising through vast plains of lightly wooded bush literally crawling with millions of Springboks, Plains Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Oryx Gazelle and every now and then, sedate groups of Giraffe.
A tropical storm cracking over Etosha Pan
After Lunch we’ll head off to Okondeka area in search of plain birds and its famous Lion pride.
We shall return in time to sit around the waterhole and watch a few hundred Double-banded Sandgrouse dribble from thin air , exactly 15 minutes after sunset…for one last drink.
After this the show commences at Okakuejo waterhole, the oldest and most famous waterhole in Etosha pan, where a gala of insomniac creatures take the cat walk to our utter delight. Here Elephant, Black Rhino and Lion are regular visitors all year round.
Overnight and Supper at Okakuejo Rest camp.
Day 5-6. Etosha N.P – Hobatere. After breakfast we head out of the park towards the Damara Hornbill Study Site, where Wayne Delport collected and completed his research on the systematics of the Redbilled/Damara Hornbill complex. Wayne will be able to point out some of the more fascinating aspect of his research, here, in this critical contact zone.
The enigmatic and recently discovered Damara Redbilled Hornbill
After lunch we head west towards Hobatere Lodge, our accommodation for the next few days.
Hobatere on the western side of Etosha is a Pandora’s box…. you can never guess what game has trickled in through the night from adjacent areas, and that is what makes it so exciting. It’s mainly Mopane bushveld dotted with granite outcrops and scrub. A resident pair of Giant Eagle owls will keep us company through the night. Violet and Green Woodhoopoes can be seen flocking together. White-tailed Shrikes are common and Barecheeked Babblers often seen. Time and patience will produce Hartlaubs Francolin. A number of raptors transit the lodge such as Little Banded Goshawk, Gabar Goshawk. Little Sparrowhawk and with luck Ovambo Sparrowhawk. Feeders around the lodge attract a suite of very colourful species…such as Southern Yellowbilled and Damara/ Redbilled Hornbill, Burchell’s Starling, White Helmetshrike, Ruppell’s Parrot etc…
Southern Yellowbilled Hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) at the nest.
Morning and afternoon game drives are optional, birding can be comfortably done from open top vehicles.
Night drives are also optional and highly recommended as a suite of species such as Striped Polecat, African Wild Cat, African Hedgehog, Porcupine and perhaps even Aardvark may be picked up on the move with the use of handheld spotlights.
Overnight on Full board basis at Hobatere Lodge both days.
Day 7. Hobatere – Windhoek. After breakfast we return to Windhoek, stopping for lunch en-route. Participants will then be transferred to Hosea Kutako International Airport to connect with their flight back to JHB or Home.
Extension Windhoek –Swakop –Windhoek
(4 days)
The strange looking Hoodea, flowering in Spìtzkoppe
Day 8: Windhoek – Spitzkoppe- Walvis Bay. For those keen for more…today we head into the desert towards Spitzkoppe. Spitzkoppe are a series of granite inselbergs rising out of the desert plains. This is one of the premier sites in the country for Herero Chat, Namibia’s most elusive endemic, we will require luck and patience to find this localised gem. Whilst searching around the base of the mountains, we may also find Augur Buzzard, the attractive Rosy-faced Lovebird, Bradfield’s Swift, Acacia Pied Barbet, Sabota and "Karoo" Long-billed larks, Carp’s Tit, Layard’s Titbabbler, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Bokmakierie, Pale-winged Starling, White-browed Sparrow-weaver, White-throated Canary and Cape Bunting. White-tailed Shrike, arguably Namibia’s most striking endemic, should also entertain us here. The agile Klipspringer and Kaokoveld Rock Hyrax live here too, and brilliantly coloured Namibia Rock Agamas are common. Other reptiles we may encounter whilst birding this area are the impressive Bolton’s Namib Day Gecko, Bibron’s Gecko, Bradfield’s Dwarf Gecko and Namaqua Sand Lizard. The surrounding gravel plains occasionally produce Ludwig’s Bustard and Burchell’s Courser, whilst Rüppell’s Korhaan, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Stark’s Lark and Grey-backed Finchlark are more regular.
We will have a light lunch amongst the boulders near a waterhole to see what desert passerines visit it, and in the cooler afternoon we will head for the town of Walvis Bay where we shall enjoy the sunset in front of the Guano platforms watching a few thousand Cape Cormorants, White Pelicans and Crowned Cormorants settle in for the night…if we are lucky Bottle-nosed Dolphins riding the last surf of the day.
Overnight in Walvis Bay and supper at The Raft.
Day 9-10: Walvis Bay Lagoon. The marine coast, offshore guano islands, saltpans and estuaries around Walvis Bay literally teem with water birds. Migrant waders form huge flocks, thousands upon thousands of Lesser and Greater flamingos feed along the fringes of the bay and lines of marine cormorants (of three endemic species - Cape, Bank and Crowned) stream out over the cold ocean in search of food. Eastern White Pelicans are prominent throughout the area and specialties of the pans include the localised Chestnut-banded Plover, Hartlaub’s Gull and Damara Tern, the latter being a breeding endemic. The striking African Black Oystercatcher may be seen along the rocky shores and waders on the extensive mudflats in the lagoon include Ringed, Kittlitz’s and Grey plovers, Turnstone, Marsh Sandpiper, Red Knot, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel and Pied Avocet. Rarer visitors include Greater Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper and Red-necked Phalarope. Freshwater pans at the edge of town are home to other wetland inhabitants such as Little Bittern, Cape Teal, Cape Shoveler and African Marsh Warbler.
Overnight and supper in Walvis Bay.
Kayaking among Cape Fur Seals, Flamingoes and Heavyside Dolphins
Day 11. Walvis bay – Windhoek. Today we will watch the sun come up at the dune fields south of Walvis Bay, home to another endemic lark - the handsome Dune Lark. Like many of the desert larks, its plumage colouration perfectly matches that of its environment: the deep ochre sands of the Namib dune sea. We will devote a few hours to watch the activity of life on the dunes before traversing the desert towards the Namib escarpment. En route through the desert we will search for more special birds and fascinating plants, such as the Welwitschia, one of the world’s most ancient and bizarre plants. The plains are desolate and shimmering amorphous black globs soon metamorphose into Ostriches striding across the desert plains. We will make frequent stops in the desert to scan for the endemic Rüppell’s Korhaan, Double-banded Courser and the almost white desert race of Trac-trac Chat. However, our main target in these plains is the endemic and localised Gray’s Lark. This diminutive and inconspicuous bird forages in small groups over the most inhospitable of terrain, where it tends to blend in with the gravel itself. Mammals that may be encountered today include the regal Gemsbok, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Springbok and Rock Hyrax.
Overnight and Supper in Windhoek.
COST OF THE TOUR
5 pax Main 7 day tour per person sharing
5 pax Extension 4 day per person sharing
6 pax Main 7 day tour per person sharing
6 pax Extension 4 day per person sharing
7 pax Main 7 day tour per person sharing
7 pax Extension 4 day per person sharing
Single room supplement Main tour Single room supplement Ext tour
Included in the above quotes: all meals, limited bottled water, accommodation, land transfer (VW CARAVELLE), guiding service, and entrance fees for parks.
Excluded: flights, travel insurance, drinks other than provided, laundry, telephone and items of a personal nature.
Please direct all queries and bookings to Tropical Birding
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