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Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast

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Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast Naturetrek Tour Report 30 October - 15 November 2015 Black Rhinoceros Elephant Family Flamingoes at Walvis Bay The desert Report compiled by Rob Mileto Images courtesy of Ingrid William Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast Tour Participants: Rob Mileto, Festus Mbinga & Franco Morao (leaders) and 12 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Friday 30th October London Heathrow to Johannesburg We all met up, mostly at the gate, for an uneventful overnight flight to Johannesburg in our double-decker plane Day 2 Saturday 31st October Johannesburg to Namib Grens Farm (via Windhoek) Weather: hot and sunny. The bleary but keen-eyed spotted our first southern African bird, a Rock Martin, from the Johannesburg airport terminal building. After a welcome coffee or two, a further short flight over the Kalahari brought us to Windhoek. Here we met out local guides, Festus and Franco, and were soon aboard our extended Land Rovers that were to be our transport and ‘hides’ for the next two weeks. Then we were off. After passing through Windhoek, we were soon out in the wilds and spotting lots of new birds and mammals like Chacma Baboon, Springbok, Cape Starling, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, White- backed Mousebird, Pale Chanting Goshawk and Ostrich. All these distractions meant that we arrived at Namib Grens after dark. The bungalows here are literally built around granite boulders which form some of the walls, and after a hearty farm dinner we retired to our beds amongst the rocks – one complete with a Rock Hyrax stuck in the bath! Day 3 Sunday 1st November Namib Grens to Kulala Weather: hot and sunny. Not too early the next morning we had a stroll through the grounds from the cabins to the farm for breakfast. Birds were plentiful including Mountain Wheatear, Lark-like Bunting, Stark’s Lark, African Pipit and White-throated Canary – the latter being obliging enough to show us its yellow rump! After a welcome breakfast, a further stroll resulted in some rather more colourful sightings including Dusky Sunbird, Southern Masked Weaver, African Red-eyed Bulbul, Gabar Goshawk, Grey Go-away Bird, Short-toed Rock Thrush and Common Waxbills. We then packed our bags to leave, but it took a while to actually get out of the gate as there was much to see on the entrance lawn and nearby – a smart Groundscraper Thrush was busy feeding while a couple of Yellow Wagtails wandered about nearby, a pair of Laughing Doves sat under a shady tree, and in the distance was an African Hoopoe. When all had partaken of these, we actually set off properly. As we approached the scenic Spreetshoogte Pass, a lone Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra stood stoically on the horizon and, as we watched it, some Klipspringer moved slightly nearby and so became visible to us. As we continued, there were plenty more birds to be seen en route including Pale-winged Starling and a dinky Pigmy Falcon. At our lunch stop in Solitaire, Pied Crow, Cape Sparrow, and Scaly-feathered, Southern Masked and Sociable Weavers were some of the species making use of this little oasis. © Naturetrek January 16 1 Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast Tour Report Moving on, the occasional Springbok, Gemsbok, Ludwig’s Bustard, Ruppell’s Korhaan, Greater Kudu and Black-backed Jackal helped to stop us dozing off. We arrived at Kulala Desert Camp to a glorious sunset and a fine dinner under the stars. The comfortable beds in the lovely chalets were really welcome after our long journey. Day 4 Monday 2nd November Deadvlei, Sossusvlei and the dunes Weather: hot and sunny. We were up before sunrise and set off promptly in order to see the giant 300-metre dunes at their best; in the light of sunrise. We were not disappointed with many photographs being taken. On Dune 1 we saw the tracks and lair of a White Lady Spider, as well the spoor of numerous other creatures in the sand. Here our story temporarily divides as one of the group fell and fractured her wrist, and was taken by Rob and Festus to the clinic at Swakopmund. Meanwhile the rest of the group strolled across the sand to Deadvlei with its eerie, long-dead, Acacias. Returning to the vehicles, we drove a short distance to the more famous, but perhaps less visually impressive, Sossusvlei, near where a Gemsbok in a sandy hollow was just too much of a photographic opportunity to miss. After lunch back at Kulala and a welcome siesta, the group went off in search of more wildlife and stunning scenery, and were rewarded with Pale Chanting Goshawk, Speckled Pigeon, Spotted Eagle-Owl, a very smart Bronze-winged Courser, and a Cape Fox which could easily have been mistaken for a glove puppet! Before returning to camp, we enjoyed sundowners and snacks to the sound of barking geckos. Day 5 Tuesday 3rd November Kulala to Walvis Bay (via Sessriem) Weather: hot and sunny. After breakfast, we were soon at the Sesriem Canyon. Walking down and into this impressive geomorphological feature, we came across Rock Kestrel and more Speckled Pigeons, but the top spot was the very cryptic Horned Adder. It was then off northwards and into the ever changing landscape, painted in the dark but glittering hues of mica schists, vibrant oranges of sandstone and subtle tans of limestone and dolomite. Our second comfort/fuel stop at Solitaire was less productive than the first, but it is always good to see the dashing South African Ground Squirrels, and the slowly disintegrating skeletons of a plethora of vintage cars and trucks. Lunch was taken at a restaurant near Rostock, which doubles as a Meerkat rescue centre, so it was fun to see these now famous mongoose relatives up close. We then travelled on to reach Walvis Bay in good time for a shower and to freshen up before dinner at a nearby hotel, where group members were re-united (some now sporting a jaunty cast on one arm). Day 6 Wednesday 4th November 2 © Naturetrek January 16 Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast Tour Report Walvis Bay lagoon and salt-pans Weather: partly cloudy. After breakfast, most of us started the day with a ‘pelagic’ boat trip to the open ocean beyond Walvis Bay lagoon. Almost as soon as we had set off, we were joined on board by Great White Pelicans, Cape Cormorants and even a Brown Fur Seal! - all looking for an easy meal of fish being fed to them. On the wrecks in the lagoon were many more Cape Cormorants and a scattering of White-breasted Cormorants. Bobbing on the still waters nearby were Black-necked Grebes, some still sporting their dashing summer plumage. From here we headed straight for the open sea whilst the wind was still modest. We were soon boating through terns, mostly Common Terns, feeding on the bounty being bought to the surface by the many Heaviside’s Dolphins that bobbed up regularly. The weather was unusually calm, which was great for avoiding sea sickness, but not so good for spotting seabirds that largely rely on a stiff breeze to keep them airborne. It was also great for seeing the waving fin of the Mola-mola (Sunfish) and we were lucky enough to see several of these strange, laterally flattened, fish that bask on their sides and feast on jellyfish. Eventually, with patience, we did see Sooty Shearwater, White-chinned Petrel, Cape Gannet and the dinky Wilson’s Storm Petrel. Top spot though, was a virtually adult Shy Albatross that allowed a very close approach, clearly reluctant to expend a lot of energy trying to fly in such still conditions. We celebrated our luck with local oysters and other snacks, accompanied by tasty sparkling wine. A waterside lunch was followed by a slow drive to and around the local commercial salt-pans, including some bright pink ones. Lots of birds were seen, the highlights including Pied Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Chestnut-banded and White-fronted Plovers, and Caspian, Swift, Common, Sandwich and the endemic Damara Terns. However, birds of the day were probably the hundreds, if not thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingoes that splashed colour over the waterfront. Dinner was at The Raft restaurant, situated on poles in the lagoon. Day 7 Thursday 5th November Walvis Bay & Swakopmund. Weather: hot and sunny. Today we had a lie-in until 7.45am! Breakfast was followed by a trip to the esplanade/waterfront where we saw the usual sightings plus a pair of very smart African Oystercatchers with all black plumage and carrot-coloured bills! Then it was off to Swakopmund, spotting Red-capped Lark on the way. At the Swakop river there were a couple of Kittlitz’s Plovers, one with a tiny, fluffy and totally cute chick. Here too there were Three-banded Plovers, a little flock of sleeping Pied Avocets, and a pair of dabbling Cape Teal. From here we moved on to see the ‘Martin Luther’ steam locomotive, abandoned in the desert, having sunk into the ground and lacking spare parts and water to run it. We also had a sobering visit to the memorial of the genocide of the OvaHerero and OvaMbanderu, held in German camps during the First World War. There was some time before lunch for sightseeing (colonial German architecture), souvenir shopping (lots of African themed curios) or just having a coffee and watching the world go by.
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