Birding for Namibian Specials

After meeting at the airport and checking into our accommodation, we will go out to the local Avis Dam to have an introduction to some common Namibian species.

If we are lucky, we could already check-off some Namibian specials as the Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike, Carp’s Tit and Monteiro’s Hornbill.

Another few special birds to look out for are Orange River Francolin, Short-toed Rock Thrush.

More likely we can expect to find species favoring acacia woodland, such as Marico Flycatcher, Acacia Pied Barbet, Pririt Batis, Balck-faced Waxbill, Common Scimitarbill and many more.

Accommodation: Lodging

Day 2: We will drive towards where the Naukluft Moutains meets the oldest desert in the world - the Namib Desert.

We will travel a scenic road down the Spreetshoogte Pass where we keep our eyes peeled for the near-endemic Herero Chat, as well as some specials as Cinamon-breasted Warbler, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Augur Buzzard and Bokmakierie.

Along the road we will see the big nests made by the tiny Sociable Weavers, sometimes sharing their home with other species such as the Pygmy Falcon, Spotted Eagle Owls, Acacia Pied Barbet and if they are unfortunate, Cape Cobras.

Pale Chanting Goshawks, Lark-like Buntings and a few other birds including a few nice raptors are a common site along the road.

We will arrive at our accommodation, situated against stunning granite hills with a small waterhole situated close to the lodge which attract more varieties of birds, especially the seedeaters.

Day 3: Sociable Weavers will join us for our morning coffee on the table, while the very cute Ground Squirrels roam close to our feet.

The Namaqua Sandgrouse are the first to have a drink in the morning, arriving in big numbers. There is a Rϋppell’s Korhaan family that like to visit the lodge waterhole, and behind the lodge the Mountain Wheatears are plenty. Falcons (Lanner and Peregrine), Kestrels (Rock and Greater) as well as Eagles as African Hawk and Verreaux’s can be seen as the morning heats up.

The Ground Squirrels around the lodge normally help us look out for the raptors, we will know to pay attention by listening for warning calls followed by a quick escape towards their barrows.

We will go for a Sundowner Drive where we will see Common Ostrich amongst other big game such as the Namibian national animal, the Oryx, some Springbok, Zebra and Wildebeest. On this drive we will look for species as Burchell’s and Double-banded Courser, Rufous-eared Warbler, Karoo Chat, Pygmy Falcon, Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Gray’s-, Stark’s-, Spike-heeled- and Sabota Lark.

Our sundowner stop will be next to ancient Bushmen rock paintings, where we can watch the golden sunset over the Namib. After sunset on our way back to the lodge we might encounter a Cape Fox or the shy Aardwolf – if we are lucky! At night there is a local Spotted Eagle Owl running around the light lighting up the waterhole, hunting for rodents.

Accommodation: Lodging

Today we have a very early departure to visit the famous Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and the biggest dune in the world- Big Daddy.

Here we will not only have exceptional photography opportunities, but we will also have the chance to see Namibia’s only endemic species – the Dune Lark, which is our biggest goal of the day. The big Acacia trees along the way into the park are one of the biggest nesting areas for Vultures in Namibia, particularly White-backed-, Lapped-faced- and rarely Cape Vultures. We will be back at the lodge for a late lunch, and then depart towards the coast where we will arrive close to sunset.

Accommodation: Lodging

Day 5: After breakfast with view over the lagoon crowded with Lesser- and Greater Flamingos, we will walk over to the lagoon for a closer look. Here there are many possibilities and surprises, although knowing what we will see is unpredictable, one thing is for sure – there will be lots to see!

Species which are fairly common are Cape Cormorants and African Black Oystercatchers and Great White Pelicans.

After our walk we will drive to the salt pans where we can see more Flamingos, Cape Teals, Pied Avocets, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-bellied Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Curlew Sandpiper, White-fronted Plover, Chestnut-banded Plover and Little Stint. There are also a few possible Gull species flying around the coast and town such as Hartlaub’s and Kelp Gull.

A priority for the day would be to find the small, near endemic Damara Tern as well as it’s cousin, the Caspian Tern. Along the coast we will keep an eye out for Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers, Sooty and possibly Cory’s Shearwaters.

Different kinds of Swifts are always flying around and in the town gardens there are Orange River White-eyes, Red-faced Mousebirds and more! One thing is for sure, there will not be a dull moment!

We will have dinner at a local seafood restaurant.

Day 6: After breakfast we will depart from the waterfront at 08:00 on our Catamaran tour. The journey heads westward offshore, passing Pelican Point's landmark lighthouse and a colony of 60,000 Cape Fur Seals. Coffee and tea are served as guests relax and potentially spot marine wildlife, including members of the Marine Big 5 – various dolphins, ocean sunfish, leatherback turtles, and from July to November, whales.

We can expect to find sightings of pelagic and near-pelagic birds, such as Cape Cormorants, Cape Gannets, White-chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses, Sub-Antarctic Skuas, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels, Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Wilson's Storm Petrels, and Broad-Billed Prions.

Lunch onboard features local oysters, delectable treats, and beverages, including sparkling wine, Namibian beer, and soft drinks. The excursion concludes at the Waterfront by 13:00.

Accommodation: Lodging

Day 7: We will have a late breakfast in the old German-style town – Swakopmund. After breakfast we will head inland and slightly north.

This is the region where all the Namibian near-endemics are with most of the distributions lapping slightly over into southern Angola.

We will aim to find the Herero Chat, Rockrunner and White-tailed Shrike if we haven’t yet found these, as well as Hartlaub’s Spurfowl, another few near-endemics.

We will also look out for the Benguela Long-billed Lark, a close relative of the Karoo Long-billed Lark we looked for in the Naukluft Mountains.

At night might hear the sound of the Freckled Nightjar amongst the Barking Geckos, which is a lovely way to end the day!

Day 8: After breakfast we will go on an excursion looking at ancient rock paintings, and proceed to look for the target species mentioned.

There are of course more possibilities, such as Green-winged Pytilia, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Red-billed Spurfowl, Black-faced Waxbill, Marico Flycather, Familiar Chat and more! In the afternoon we will relax and do casual birding around the lodge.

Accommodation: Lodging

Day 9: An early morning departure after breakfast towards the “Great White Place” should entail a lot of excitement. From here on we will be birding while on Safari. Etosha is home to many animals like Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, Cheetah, Zebra, Giraffes, Wildebeest and many smaller animals.

This arid National Park is also extremely productive and is home to around 300 bird species or more depending on season. Apart from the biodiversity, the park also has breath taking landscapes and many photography opportunities. We will arrive at the park around lunch time and check into our accommodation.

During the hot mid-day, we can enjoy the waterhole, where there will be many Blacksmith Lapwings and with a closer look some African or Plain-backed Pipits running between the rocks and Springbok. In the Acacia trees there are a few big Sociable Weaver nests – keep an eye out for the Pygmy Falcons and Spotted Eagle Owls. Walking around the rest of the camp one can see the brightly colored Crimson-breasted Shrike, and beautifully iridescent Violet Wood-hoopoes and Cape Starlings.

The western side of the Etosha Pan is also a good place to look for another near-endemic, the Bare-cheeked Babbler. The evening holds a great treat at the world-class Okaukujo Waterhole where one can almost be certain a Rhino or Elephant will come for a drink at night. We will certainly hear some night birds as well as see the Marsh Owl hunting around the waterhole.

Day 10: Today we start heading east - most of the day we will drive through Mopane woodlands where we can expect to see another few near-endemics; the Rϋppel’s Parrot, Damara Red-billed Hornbill or look for the Monteiro’s Hornbill if we missed it around central Namibia.

Etosha is also home to the Yellow-billed-, Grey-, Bradfields’ and Southern Red-billed Hornbills. Depending on season, we can also see the beautiful Lilac-breasted Roller and European or Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters which are a treat to photograph.

Furthermore, we will certainly spend some time around various waterholes, where there are normally groups of Pink-billed and Red-capped Lark, and once again we will hope to find a Stark’s Lark somewhere in between. Spike-heeled Larks are often seen next to the road, hiding in the shade of the white limestone rocks and a bit further from the road there are Double-banded Coursers blending in with the surroundings.

In the short shrubs there are Rufous-eared Warblers, easily mistaken for the more common Black-chested Prinia and in the distance one can almost always hear a Desert Cisticola calling.

The heaviest bird of all, the Kori Bustard, is a common site in Etosha and the impressive Secretarybird can also be seen hunting for snakes on the plains. Furthermore, Etosha is home to numerous Raptors, small to large as well as many, many Waders which are unpredictable and many times a surprise waiting for us.

We will exit the park and stay in a 38 000ha private game reserve bordering the national park.

Day 11: This morning we will do a guided bush walk on the Private Reserve where we could encounter all the same animals as in the National Park.

This eastern side of the park has transformed into Acacia Woodland instead of a Mopane Woodland, and thus we will be on the lookout for the Acacia species, such as Barred Wren-Warbler, Marico Flycatcher, Scaly-feathered Weaver, Violet-eared and Black-faced Waxbill.

We will also try to ask a local guide if it is possible to visit an active Red-necked Falcon nest. The Omuramba Riverbed, running through Namibia holds hundreds of Makalani Palm trees, which created a home for hundreds of White-backed Vultures and other birds such as Meyer’s Parrot, Burchell’s Starling, Red-billed Buffalo Weavers and more!

Later in the morning we will visit the Forest Camp for lunch, where we will cross our fingers for a visit of the Black-faced Babbler, a big target species for this area. In the afternoon we will enter the national park once again and drive north to find the only population of Blue Cranes in Namibia, a small, endangered population of only 19 birds.

On our way to view the northern side of the park, we will look out for Eastern-Clapper Larks and Ant-eating Chats in the open grassland. We will return to Onguma for dinner and a view of the waterhole, and hopefully get a glimpse of the resident Verreaux’s Eagle Owl.

Accommodation: Lodging

Day 12: After breakfast we will drive across the street to Mokuti, where we will quickly visit their snake park. We will use this opportunity to try to find two birds on this property, the Orange-breasted Bushshrike and a Black Cuckooshrike which are birds one would expect to only see further north.

Leaving Etosha we will take the less-traveled route to the 50km long, 420m elevated Waterberg Plateau, yet another impressive geographical landscape in Namibia.

This Plateau is unusually tropical for its distribution and brings once again opportunity for different bird species like the Lesser Honeyguide and White-bellied Sunbird. Here we will also have another chance to find some near-endemic that we have missed, as well as raptors like the African Hawk Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Little Sparrowhawk.

This park is also home to the last member of the big 5 that we could not see in Etosha – we have a chance to see the Cape Baffalo, protected on this Plateau-sanctuary. At dinner the sound of the very cute Lesser Bushbabies may confuse you for a bird call, but there will certainly be Nightjars to be heard!

Day 13: We will have a late breakfast and spend time birding casually around the camp where there are many birds around as there is a natural spring emerging from the mountain.

Southern Pied Babblers, White-crowned Shrikes, White-crested Helmet Shrikes, Rϋppell’s Parrot and Bradfield’s Hornbill are all possibilities to be seen from the comfort of your room.

We will depart late morning to drive towards Windhoek, and there might be a few birds along the way we haven’t yet seen, like a Brown Snake Eagle or Pearl-breasted Swallows. We will have a nice local dinner together after checking onto our accommodation for a last night in Namibia.

Accommodation: Lodging

We will depart for the airport.

END OF TOUR