NAMIBIA, OKAVANGO AND VICTORIA FALLS TRIP REPORT NOVEMBER 2015 By Justin Nicolau Pel’s Fishing Owl – Streptopelia peli www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 ITINERARY Date Location Overnight 20 November 2015 Livingstone Livingstone 21 November 2015 Livingstone Zambezi River, Mwandi 22 November 2015 Zambezi River, Mwandi Kongola 23 November 2015 Kongola Kongola 24 November 2015 Kongola Shakawe 25 November 2015 Shakawe Shakawe 26 November 2015 Shakawe Mahango 27 November 2015 Mahango Rundu 28 November 2015 Rundu Etosha 29 November 2015 Etosha Etosha 30 November 2015 Etosha Etosha 01 December 2015 Etosha Ruacana 02 December 2015 Ruacana Ruacana 03 December 2015 Ruacana Kamanjab 04 December 2015 Kamanjab Kamanjab 05 December 2015 Kamanjab Walvis Bay 06 December 2015 Walvis Bay Walvis Bay 07 December 2015 Walvis Bay Johannesburg OVERVIEW Exploring the variety of habitats Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia have to offer, it was expected that a high level of biodiversity would be encountered over the duration of the tour. Habitats included well- wooded rivers (both flowing and dry), granite boulder mountains, arid desert, broadleaf woodland, coastlines, salt works, and many others. Although a very successful birding tour was had, recording 409 species of birds, we also did exceptionally well with reptiles and especially mammals, with 10 and 44 species in each respective group being recorded along the way. Most of the areas were under severe drought conditions, and so the birding as well as the heat was hard going, but yet very rewarding in the end. SET DEPARTURE Day 1. 20 November 2015 After arrival in Livingstone, just north of the Zambezi River, the group checked in at the accommodations, situated not far from the famous Victoria Falls, and meets and greets were quickly put to rest. Some general birding was done around the river in front of the lodge grounds during the course of lunch, which produced the likes of Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Purple Heron, Intermediate Egret, Squacco Heron, Striated Heron, Rufous-bellied Heron, Hamerkop, Hooded Vulture, African Fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Jacana, Ring-necked Dove, Red-faced Cisticola, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Spotted and Ashy Flycatchers, Chinspot Batis, African Paradise Flycatcher, Red-billed Oxpecker, Collared Palm Thrush, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Grey Go-away-bird, Common Swift, Pied Crow, African Palm Swift, and the diminutive and colorful Malachite Kingfisher, as well as a pod of slightly larger hippopotamus. Later in the afternoon were headed west to a nearby lodge situated on the banks of the Zambezi. The well-wooded gardens are a birders delight, and here we enjoyed views from the wooden deck of White-backed Vulture, Water Thick-knee, Red-eyed Dove, European Bee-eater, Little Bee-eater, Bearded Scrub Robin, Willow Warbler, Yellow-breasted www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 3 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 Apalis, Broad-billed Roller, Black-collared Barbet, Arrow-marked Babbler, Dark- capped Bulbul, African Pied Wagtail, Tropical Boubou, Black-backed Puffback, Purple- banded and White-bellied Sunbirds, and African Yellow White-eye. Day 2. 21 November 2015 Prior to breakfast a short walk around the lodge grounds was in order. Here we picked up much of what we had seen the day before, with highlights including Great Egret, Purple Heron, Intermediate Egret, Squacco Heron, Striated Heron, Rufous-bellied Heron, Hooded Vulture, African Fish Eagle, and Collared Palm Thrush. After breakfast and the packing of the trailer we headed for the local sewage treatment works not far from our lodge. The vast array of settling ponds housed Little Grebe, Reed Cormorant, Black-headed Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, Hamerkop, African Sacred Ibis, Glossy Ibis, White-faced Whistling Duck, Egyptian Goose, Spur- winged Goose, Yellow-billed Kite, Black-winged Kite, African Marsh Harrier, Amur Falcon, Black Crake, African Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Red-knobbed Coot, African Jacana, Lesser Jacana, Greater Painted-snipe, Common Ringed Plover, Three- banded Plover, Blacksmith Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ruff, Black-winged Stilt, White-winged Tern, Common Swift, Great Spotted Cuckoo, and, after much work, a splendid sighting of a somewhat shy African Rail. African Wood Owl - Strix woodfordii www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 4 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 Trumpeter Hornbill - Bycanistes bucinator African Goshawk - Accipiter tachiro www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 5 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 Schalow’s Turaco - Tauraco schalowi Having cleaned up, so to speak, at the sewage works, we headed toward the Zambian border, where in the presence of chacma baboon and vervet we crossed over into Zimbabwe to visit the mighty Victoria Falls. The rapidly warming air created thermals above the falls, which yielded Lappet-faced and White-backed Vultures; while walking the quieter paths and viewpoints along the falls’ edge we had African Goshawk, Helmeted Guineafowl, Rock Pratincole, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, and delightful views of Trumpeter Hornbill and the localized Schalow’s Turaco. Arriving at our new lodge just west of Livingstone, a short walk before dinner yielded a fruiting fig tree full of African Green Pigeon, Dark-capped Bulbul, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Common Waxbill, and a variety of other species attracted to the ripening food source. The woodland areas around the lodge turned up Emerald-spotted Wood Dove and Klaas’s Cuckoo, Day 3. 22 November 2015 This morning we woke up to heavy rains, and with an open-vehicle excursion planned for the day things were not looking good. The idea was to visit the mopane woodlands north of Mwandi, and we made the decision to brave the rain and wind and do so anyway. The birding was a little slow as expected, but we still picked up Wahlberg’s Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Eurasian Hobby, Crested Francolin, Helmeted and Crested Guineafowls, Red- eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Black Cuckoo, Jacobin Cuckoo, and a drenched pair of Spotted Eagle-Owls sitting in an exposed tree. The bad weather persisted, and in the end we were forced to turn around, still birding along the way back, of course. The return trip produced African Palm, Common, and Little Swifts, Grey- www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 6 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 headed and Striped Kingfishers, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, European Roller, Green Wood Hoopoe, and a brilliant Western Yellow Wagtail in the road. Next stop was the lodge, to dry ourselves off and have a quick bite to eat. Our next mission was to cross into Namibia. The process went smoothly, and we enjoyed Western Banded Snake Eagle, Rock Pratincole, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Giant Kingfisher, and a number of others in the process. Finally in Namibia we spent the afternoon heading west, toward our next lodge, which we were taken to by boat after arriving at the car park. The tranquil river and lodge grounds produced the likes of Reed Cormorant, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Whistling Duck, Yellow-billed Kite, Black Crake, African Swamphen, African Jacana, Blacksmith Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Water Thick-knee, Collared Pratincole, White- winged Tern, Meyer’s Parrot, Grey Go-away-bird, Red-faced Mousebird, Pied Kingfisher, and a whole host of other everyday species, before we called it a night. Western Banded Snake Eagle - Circaetus cinerascens Day 4. 23 November 2015 Prior to breakfast we departed for a walk around the vicinity of the lodge. The gardens were well wooded and home to Southern Brown-throated Weaver, Brown Firefinch, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Arrow-marked Babbler, Black-collared Barbet, Common and Blue Waxbills, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Tropical Boubou, Black-crowned Tchagra, Red-eyed Dove, White-browed Robin-Chat, and many more. Closer to the river in front of the lodge we enjoyed Meyer’s Parrot, Chirping Cisticola, Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese, African Wattled Lapwing, a pair of Wattled Cranes, White-backed, Hooded, White- headed, and Lappet-faced Vultures descending on a dead red lechwe (also numerous on the walk), while a flock of Marabou Storks watched in the background. Blue-cheeked and www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 7 | T R I P R E P O R T Namibia, Okavango and Victoria Falls 2015 European Bee-eaters fed along the river alongside a variety of swallows and swifts. Water Thick-knee and Collared Pratincole roosted on the river’s edge. Heading back for breakfast we located Senegal Coucal, African Stonechat, Black-backed Puffback, and a great pod of hippopotamus next to the water’s edge, as well as a few Red-billed Oxpeckers on any exposed surface area. The heat started to catch up to us, so we decided an afternoon rest was the order of the day before we departed on a late-afternoon boat ride and game drive through the reserve. The water was dead still, and we enjoyed Long-toed and Blacksmith Lapwings, African Swamphen, Ruff, Western Cattle Egret, Hamerkop, African Fish Eagle, and many more red lechwe along the way. Swapping the boat for an open game viewer, we headed off into the nearby woodlands. Fork-tailed Drongo, Golden-tailed and Cardinal Woodpeckers, Southern Black Tit, Southern Red-billed and African Grey Hornbills, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Brubru, Black-headed Oriole, and many other species were seen during the first few kilometers. As the bushveld opened to grasslands we encountered Yellow-billed Kite, Tawny Eagle, African Openbill, and Helmeted Guineafowl, and a splendid time was spent at a large Southern Carmine Bee-eater colony; trees were adorned with these brightly- colored birds, while many of the young hung around their nest entrances, waiting for food.