NAMIBIA, BOTSWANA & ZAMBIA
FEBRUARY 2-18, 2012
PARTICIPANTS: Darleen Abbot, Jim Green, Eric Greisen, Mary Hood, Jim Johnson, Dick & Barbara Konz & Mary Seppanen.
Beginning on the arid steppes of southern Namibia, through the
semi-tropical teak forests of the Caprivi strip and the red sands of the Kalahari Desert and ending at the thundering spectacle of Victoria Falls, this trip through southern Africa was quite unlike my three previous tours to the area. Prior visits occurred during the dry southern African winter; this one coincided with the peak of the rainy season and the differences were stark. Instead of an endless vista of earth tones, the landscapes were now green and lush and decorated with carpets of wildflowers. This remarkable transformation wasn’t limited to botanical characters. Many birds that had once passed as “little brown jobs” were suddenly unrecognizable, adorned in brilliant breeding attire and filling the air with their siren songs. What’s more, there were more birds than ever as migrants from Africa’s equatorial belt were on hand looking to pass on their genes, along with European breeders seeking to escape the northern winter. The end result was an avian bonanza and we were able to record 354 species during our 18-day sojourn, far surpassing previous totals. However, there were seasonal challenges presented. Large mammals were much harder to find and mosquitoes were much easier; dodging rain was an almost daily affair and the afternoons were hot and steamy. But these were minor inconveniences and I doubt anyone on the tour would have opted for 18 days in the northern hemisphere if given the choice.
February 3Gammams Wastewater Plant in Windhoek
After the long trans-Atlantic flights and a brief rest at our Windhoek hotel, we spent out first afternoon at Windhoek’s wastewater treatment facility (please don’t tell any of my relatives that you flew to Africa with me and the first thing we did was visit a sewage treatment plant…..no wonder my mother keeps telling me to get a job!) But for a person interested in birds, this was a delightful visual experience, albeit not a pleasant olfactory medley. The ponds were filled with birds many of which we never saw again during the tour. The highlight was a pair of African Black Ducks sitting on a shaded island among a bevy of more common waterfowl. Other one-time sightings included several soaring Great White Pelicans, a skulking Greater Painted-snipe, several Hottentot Teal and a small assemblage of Pied Avocets. As the late afternoon heat set in, we drove back to our hotel for dinner and a well-deserved evening of rest.
February 4Avis Dam & C28 Road west of Windhoek
We spent the entire morning at Avis Dam, constructed in 1933 by the South African colonial government, and a major source of Windhoek’s drinking water. The area around the dam is a good example of semi-arid African savannah, which, along with the floodplain and rocky outcrops on the adjacent hillsides, provides excellent habitat for many birds and mammals. The low-lying weedy areas were abuzz with activity and birds seemed to be everywhere: colorful flocks of Red-billed Quelea and Common Waxbills; a male Pin-tailed Whydah trailing his long flowing tail; a pair of Cinnamon-breasted Buntings and many displaying Zitting’s Cisticolas. On the rocky hillsides we extracted Pririt Batis, Burnt-neck Eremomela and Rufous-vented Warbler from a noisy mixed flock taking umbrage with my Pearl-spotted Owlet call. The heavens were also filled with activity and occasional skyward glances resulted in many Little Swifts, Greater-Striped Swallows and a single Bradfield’s Swift. After lunch and a rain-filled siesta, we drove west from Windhoek on C28 toward Swapokmund. Unfortunately, an intermittent rain curtailed our activity, but between showers we found White-rumped Swift, Lark-like Bunting, a noisy group of Southern
Pied-Babblers and a plethora of already familiar Rattling Cisticolas. We also stopped at the rapidly growing squatter’s settlement on the western edge of Windhoek, where the corrugated metal shacks now cover vast areas of formerly wooded hillsides. This settlement, which didn’t even exist 3 years ago, offers a glimpse of what is happening throughout the developing world where hordes of subsistence farmers flee the countryside for urban areas in the hope of a better life. Unfortunately, the opportunities in the cities aren’t sufficient for the numbers seeking them and most of the migrants are sentenced to unemployment and grinding poverty. A quick perusal of the nearby hillsides reveals that the consequences of this migration are environmental as well as sociological. More and more of the land is being deforested, as the trees are the settler’s only source of fuel for cooking. It’s hard to imagine that this immense camp is tiny in comparison to those found outside larger African cities like Lusaka, Luanda and Lagos where the ecological ramifications are almost unfathomable.
February 5 & 6Epako Game Reserve
Departing Windhoek, we headed northeast toward the Great Escarpment, one of southern Africa’s most distinctive geological features and a differentiation point for many bird species. On the capital’s northeast fringe we skirted Katutura, the black African township established by the South African regime during the apartheid period. Katutura means the “the place we don’t want to live”, a reminder that Windhoek’s entire black population was relocated here at gunpoint by South African troops. Many of Katutura’s neighborhoods bear names like Babylon and Soweto that are poignant reminders of the awfulness of being forced to leave one’s home forever. In Okahandja we stopped to visit an artisan’s market where people were treated to capitalism African style. Across from the market a striking Dideric Cuckoo obligingly sat atop an acacia tree and a Groundscraper Thrush fed on the grass outside a café. Arriving at Epako, we checked into our bungalows and then began collecting some of the common birds along the dry riverbed. These included Burchell’s Glossy-Starling, Gray-go-away Bird and Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver. A noisy breeding colony of Lesser Masked-Weavers claimed a tree near the office and a few Blue Wildebeest visited the waterhole. On our evening game drive we encountered a pair of White Rhinos just a few hundred meters from the main lodge and in an area we had been walking only 20 minutes before! We also saw our first giraffes, impala and kudu on this drive, as well a few distant elephants working through the bush from our perch atop a prominent rocky outcrop during a refreshment stop. The next morning we visited a different part of the reserve to view some ancient rock engravings and to look for some of the escarpment specialties. We had success finding White-tailed Shrike, Violet-eared Waxbill, a noisy flock of Violet Woodhoopoe and a pair of roosting Verreaux’s Eagle-Owls. Back at the lodge, during our afternoon break, a violent thunderstorm passed overhead dumping heavy rains onto Epako for over an hour. The storm was accompanied by spectacular, but unnerving lightning strikes and roaring thunder. When the rains finally stopped we watched a wall of water approach from the north, eventually turning the dry riverbed into a raging torrent, an insightful glimpse of nature’s raw power. Our final afternoon drive departed later with plans to remain out after dark to search for nocturnal mammals. Alas, the park was quiet and chilly after the heavy rains and the only excitement was a single Great Spotted Cuckoo. Cold and disappointed, we drove to an overlook for a traditional African sundowner, which, this evening, consisted of a potent alcoholic punch reminiscent of beverages I hadn’t partaken of since college wapatuli parties! Needless to say, the mood brightened significantly and before long the lack of animals and birds was a distant memory. As darkness descended, we began driving back to the lodge and things picked up as we found a roosting Double-banded Sandgrouse, several Rufous-cheeked Nightjars and a few Scrub Hares. Perhaps we just imagined these things, but it sure was fun.
February 7Waterburg Plateau Park
We left Epako under threatening skies for a 2.5 hour drive to Waterburg Plateau Park. Passing through Omaruru, a burgeoning artist’s enclave, and on to Otjiwarongo where we tried to visit more sewage ponds, but were turned back by poor road conditions, a product of the prior day’s heavy precipitation. We reached Waterburg in time for lunch and an early afternoon walk. By now the skies had cleared and the birding productive as we added a few area specialties including Ruepell’s Parrot, Karp’s Tit and Red-backed Scrub-Robin. New mammals included a Dwarf Mongoose, a roving posse of Banded Mongoose, several diminutive Damara Dik-diks and and a pair of Klipspringers. An evening walk around the cabins was also productive as we had great views of an African Scops-Owl and a Southern Lesser Bushbaby, looking for all the world like a muppet on a pogo stick as it bounced around in the trees. Calling Barn Owls and Freckled Nightjars added to the ambience of a pleasant evening under African skies.
February 8Okaukuejo Camp
More heavy rain fell during the night and dawn broke with a heavy fog enshrouding the cliffs and a light mist falling. Given the weather, our hike to the base of the cliffs for Hartlaub’s Francolin was doomed from the start. We did salvage good looks at Rockrunner, but the francolin was impossible under these conditions and we retreated to the bungalows to pack. After breakfast, the rain continued and we hastily departed fearing the dirt road leading into Waterburg would soon be impassable. Today’s abundance of water seemed ironic in this normally arid environment and I couldn’t help remember that it was here at Waterburg that the German colonial powers routed the Herero in a final decisive battle that forever changed the balance of power among the indigenous Namibian tribes. In that battle, German troops effectively blocked the Herero from accessing vital springs at the base of Waterburg’s cliffs causing nearly two-thirds of the tribe to perish in the surrounding desert due to lack of water. Once the dominant indigenous power in Namibia, the Herero to this day are a minor player in Namibian politics and a bitter, angry people. The paved tarmac was a welcome sight and as we drove north toward Etosha the skies cleared and spirits lifted. By the time we reached the park gate the landscape was bathed in bright sunshine. We lunched at Okaukuejo and had time for a late afternoon drive through the park. We chose a road traversing broad plains north of the camp and it proved to be a good choice as there many new birds including Pink-billed, Spike-heeled and Rufous-naped Larks, Capped Wheatear, Pygmy Falcon and Double-banded Courser. Mammal watching was also productive as we found a pride of 8 lions and large numbers of springbok, wildebeest, impala and zebras.
February 9Halali Camp
A pre-breakfast drive outside Okaukuejo resulted in one of the tour highlights: two male lions sitting regally in the grass a hundred feet from the road. They put on quite a show as they slowly arose and ambled toward the vehicles crossing the road only a few yards away. This drive also produced our only sighting of a Common Fiscal, a small shrike smartly adorned in black and white. Driving eastward through Etosha to Halali was raptor-rich as we found Red-footed Falcon, Red-necked Falcon, Eurasian Hobby, Tawny Eagle and White-necked Vulture. At a stop along Etosha Pan we saw 1000+ Greater Flamingos and on the flat plains we found four Blue Cranes, an extremely rare species in the park, and a single Rufous-eared Warbler. Unfortunately, Halali was less productive as our afternoon drive was cut short by another strong thunderstorm. Before the rains hit we did manage a flock of White Helmetshrike and a perched Steppe Eagle. Back at the lodge a pair of Barn Owls sat in a mopane tree near the gift shop and an African Scops-Owl slept a few feet above our heads just outside the restaurant.
February 10Mushara Bush Lodge
The morning walk at Halali was disappointingly dead. Only a few Double-banded Sandgrouse sitting in the road, a single Swainson’s Francolin and a female Eurasian Golden Oriole were found. Fortunately the rain was over and the skies looked promising, so we continued east through Etosha toward the east gate at Naumatoni. As the morning wore on the weather continued to improve and eventually the park was bathed in bright sunshine. At a small roadside wetland saw our first Whiskered Terns and a large flock of shorebirds that included Wood and Common sandpipers, Ruff and Common Greenshank. Closer to Naumatoni, a scrubby field held Red-capped Larks and a zebra kill was attended by several Lappet-faced Vultures with a lone Marabou Stork standing sentinel nearby. At another roadside stop we watched a Martial Eagle unsuccessfully stoop on a Scrub Hare and an ensuing chase through the bush. Upon arrival at our plush digs at the Mushara Bush Lodge, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch and another siesta. Late afternoon found us back in Etosha, where Fischer’s Pan was filled with shorebirds and waterfowl and we continued to accumulate new species including Maccoa Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Eared Grebe and African Spoonbill. The road encircling the pan was filled with animals including Black-backed Jackal and many impala, gemsbok, springbok and giraffe. A lone Dusky Lark was a nice find and it was difficult to look anywhere without seeing Kori and White-quilled bustards. The broad expanse of open plains filled with animals and red evening skies enhanced by the Kalahari dust made this a truly African panorama. The fact that this was our first full day without rain only enhanced our satisfaction.
February 11Nkwazi Lodge
Today’s weather was perfect with cool temperatures and sunny skies and we took full advantage with a pre-breakfast walk through the bush. The Pearl-spotted Owlet tape continued to work its magic with Black Cuckooshrike being the highlight of angry investigators. Near the lodge Crested Francolin were easy to see and a raucous flock of Black-faced Babblers verified that they are aptly named. Then it was time to make the four hour drive to Nkwazi Lodge near the town of Rundu on the Kavango River where we expected an entirely new suite of birds. Rundu sits on the Angolan border and the majority of the town’s inhabitants are Angolans who fled their country during the 25-year civil war, which finally ended in 2002. The war was nothing more than a proxy Cold war battle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and each poured millions of dollars worth of arms into the country. The war destroyed the Angolan economy and its governmental institutions resulting in the displacement of over one million Angolan citizens. It is only now beginning to recover, but a steady stream of Angolans continues to swell Rundu’s population. Avian refugees from equatorial Africa also swell Rundu’s population at this season, and as we passed through the city we found many colorful Southern Carmine Bee-eaters sitting on the wires showing off their scarlet plumage. Arriving at Nkwazi, a brief walk along the banks of the river produced Woodland Kingfisher, Lesser Honeyguide, African Openbill, Ashy Flycatcher and a Black Crake climbing a tree! Around 4:00 PM we took to the water on small pontoon boat that carried us upriver. The first hour was slow, but things quickly picked up as we found a large flock of Spur-winged Geese, several Stonechats and a Striated Heron. At a quiet spot in the river we motored to the sandy bank on the Angolan side and all hopped ashore for a picture of our illicit entry into Angola. This turned out to be very serendipitous as while ashore we flushed a group of Marsh Owls that put on quite a show for several minutes. Back on the boat, we allowed the current to carry us a short distance downstream for closer views of a Southern Brown-throated Weaver when serendipity struck again in the form of two roosting White-backed Night-Herons, perhaps the best birds of the entire trip and entirely unexpected at this location! As we drifted down the river back to the lodge a Slaty Egret gave us great views, and after dinner a Fiery-necked Nightjar was seen at close range near the campground. It was the end of another terrific and rain-free day!
February 12 & 13Nunda River Lodge
We woke to a light, misty rain that threatened our early morning walk on the grounds of Nkwazi. Luckily, it never worsened and we were able to find Kurrichane Thrush, Yellow-bellied Greenbul and Giant and Malachite kingfishers during our appointed rounds. On the road back toward Rundu, a Red-billed Oxpecker rode a donkey and at the Rundu wastewater ponds we added Purple Swamphen, Mourning Collared-Dove, Black Heron and a Sedge Warbler visiting from northern Europe. Then it was time for the 2-hour drive to Divundu, our home for the next 2 days. As we drove we passed many traditional African villages comprised of mud huts with thatched roofs; a stereotypical scene that most westerners likely visualize when they think of Africa. The day before we had crossed the Green Line, a line of demarcation established by the South African regime during apartheid that, to this day, divides the developed and developing world in Namibia. South of the Green Line, wealthy ranchers live on vast estates; north of the boundary subsistence farmers eke out an existence entirely dependent upon sufficient summer rains that, in some years, never come. In this part of the world most people live without basic human necessities, like clean water and a bathroom, that we take for granted. Schools are inadequate and health care largely unavailable. To say that these people are happy, as we briefly view their lives from a safe distance, is perhaps a merely coping mechanism to relieve the guilt we feel. For me, scenes like these are the reason I travel as they make me realize how lucky I am and how little I’ve done to deserve any of it. But enough sociological commentary, or drivel, depending upon your point of view. Suddenly we were in Divundu and it was time to start thinking about birds. After lunch, during an afternoon visit to the Ndhovu wetlands we continued to add new birds: Water Thick-knee, Lesser Jacana, Black-headed Heron, Green Woodhoopoe and the first of many African Fish-Eagles. After dinner an African Wood-Owl showed nicely on the grounds of the lodge and hippos could be heard grunting in the distance. The following day we paid two visits to the Mahango Game Reserve on the Botswana border. On a floodplain near the entrance two Southern Ground-Hornbills fed along a woodland edge and a small flock of Comb Ducks dropped in. Many lechwes fed in the grass along with a few Common Reedbuck. Further on a Village Indigobird sang from a snag, a troop of Vervet Monkeys crossed the road and a lone Roan Antelope grazed in the distance. On a late afternoon return trip the animals were even more conspicuous. The grassy open areas of park were filled with impala, kudu, warthogs, but we also saw a pair of secretive Bushbuck and a small herd of Tsessebe. On the way back to the lodge we stopped to watch the sunset and received another gift from the gods of serendipity: a large flock of Black-winged Pratincole roosting in a plowed field and 5 Temminck’s Coursers working methodically through some planted maize.