Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls 4-20 September 2009 Lioness with cub in Etosha (L. Kay) Report by guide Josh Engel Photos by Larry Kay and Josh Engel All photos taken on this tour A Tropical Birding custom tour Introduction This trip had a little of everything: adventure, culture, and history; deserts and rivers, mountains and swamps; good food and great people; and lots and lots of birds and mammals. September is a great month in Namibia. It is the end of the dry season and birds and mammals are desperate for water, so they gather in great numbers at Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 2 waterholes. This is a dream for watchers and photographers, as herds of elephants, prides of lions, and huge flocks of weavers, larks, and sandgrouse gather to drink. But Namibia is about more than that, a country rich in culture and stunning scenery. On this trip, we included kayaking with seals and dolphins in Walvis Bay; a visit to the amazing Twyfelfontein rock engravings, made by the native bushmen thousands of years ago; a day of tracking Damara black rhinos through the Namib Desert; unbelievable mammal-watching in Etosha; sunset boat trips on the Okavango River; and the grand finale, a visit to Victoria Falls. It was a successful trip by any measure. The photography was superb—there is no doubt that Namibia in September is one of the best wildlife photography destinations in the world. We saw over 330 birds (among them: Hartlaub’s Francolin, Herero Chat, Dune Lark, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Rockrunner, Burchell’s Courser, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Chirping and Luapula Cisticola, Shelley’s Sunbird) and over 40 mammals. We had some excellent adventures, both planned and unplanned. And a few more people got introduced to the wonders of southwest Africa. Carmine Bee-eaters at colony (L. Kay) The Highlands We started the tour in Namibia’s highland capital, Windhoek. No sooner had we left the airport that we found a Lilac-breasted Roller perched atop a bear tree—not a bad way to start a trip. Our hotel was well situated just on the edge of the Kalahari scrub, so an afternoon walk revealed our first birds characteristic of this habitat, including Chestnut- vented Tit-Babbler and Long-tailed Paradise- and Shaft-tailed Whydah . With plenty of sunlight remaining, we headed to the local sewage works, where a wide variety of www.tropicalbirding.com Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 3 waterbirds awaited us, including Hottentot Teal , South African Shelduck , Comb Duck , and the nomadic Lesser Moorhen . We had heard a Rockrunner singing in the distance the first day, so our second day began with a morning search of the same area. In little time we had great looks at this charismatic bird doing just as its name suggests, but sitting still long enough to be photographed. Further explorations in the area revealed, among others, Acacia Pied Barbet and Gray Go-away-bird . Rockrunner in its preferred habitat near Windhoek (L. Kay) We stayed in the highlands, stopping on the way to the coast at a guest farm above Spreethoogte Pass. The drive to the farm was punctuated by some great birding, including a flock of Chestnut Weaver , great looks at Short-toed Rock Thrush, Southern Anteating Chat , and Ashy Tit while we ate lunch in a dry riverbed. We took a walk upon arriving at the farm, which yielded Groundscaper Thrush, Common Scimitarbill, Rosy-faced Lovebird , and a variety of finches. The farm dam was full of birds, including Maccoa Duck and Southern Pochard , while a small herd of blesbok slowly made their way down for an evening drink. We took a gorgeous pre-breakfast walk through rocky habitat before departing the farm, finding Bokmakierie , the wonderful White-tailed Shrike , point-blank looks at a singing Long-billed Pipit , and our first of many rock hyrax that we would see throughout the trip. The Coast www.tropicalbirding.com Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 4 We left the farm and descended Spreethoogte Pass. Near the bottom of the pass I was shocked to see a Herero Chat perched on top of a roadside bush. We grounded to a halt, got out, and ended up with great looks at this very tough Namib escarpment endemic. Continuing through the desert to the coast, Eileen spotted a pair of Rueppell’s Korhaans by the roadside; when we got out to have a look we found a flock of Stark’s Larks skulking in the grass. Ostriches found nowhere to hide in the midday heat. Raptors provided other highlights, including a light-morph Booted Eagle , Greater Kestrel , and a group of three adult Black-chested Buzzard Eagles soaring together. The most difficult of all the escarpment specialties, we had great views of this Herero Chat (L. Kay) After lunch in Walvis Bay, we birded around the south end of the Walvis Bay Lagoon. Very quickly we found one of our main quarries, the rare and beautiful Chestnut-banded Plover . Large flocks of flamingoes contained huge numbers of young birds, indicating a successful breeding season the previous year, and were made up of both Lesser and Greater Flamingoes. Shorebirds were plentiful in the saltpans, and we saw a number of migrant and resident waders, including some beautiful Little Stints still in breeding plumage. The following morning we set off for kayaking at the mouth of the Walvis Bay Lagoon. Before we set off, we saw a White-chinned Petrel fly by offshore, while some African Black Oystercatchers fed nearby. On the water, we saw the endemic Heavside’s dolphin , although the lone individual wasn’t overly friendly, as well as some actively feeding bottlenose dolphins. The Cape fur seals were their usual playful selves, frolicking around the kayaks, coming up unexpectedly alongside the boats. The drive www.tropicalbirding.com Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 5 back to town was punctuated by a small group of Red-necked Phalarope alongside many other shorebirds and large numbers of flamingoes. A quick run up to salt works north of Swakopmund in the afternoon yielded several shorebird species we hadn’t yet seen, best of which was a gorgeous breeding-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit . Dune Lark in its sandy habitat (L. Kay) Our final morning on the coast began in the desert, on the edge of the red dunes. Very quickly we found our quarry, the endemic Dune Lark , singing, displaying, feeding, and generally showing off for us. A quick stop on the way back by the guano platform yielded both Crowned and the rare Bank Cormorant , and stopping by the Swakop River mouth on the way into Swakopmund we found Cape Shoveler. Heading inland, but before leaving the coastal plain, we finally came across our first Karoo Chats . Erongo and Damaraland Our first taste of the region was a lunch stop along the Khan River, but before we even reached the river we found an amazingly photogenic Lilac-breasted Roller. The woodlands along the river were nearly silent while we were eating, but during a short walk afterwards we found where the birds were hiding. A Pearl-spotted Owlet came in to my whistling, and brought with it a mass of birds including Carp’s Tit . Searching further, we had great looks at many new birds, including Brown-crowned Tchagra, a gorgeous pair of Bearded Woodpecker , and an obliging group of Green-winged Pytlia. www.tropicalbirding.com Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 6 Continuing on to Omaruru, we ground to a halt for our first Monteiro’s Hornbill ; while admiring its huge red bill a pair of magnificent Lappet-faced Vultures lazily passed overhead. Crimson-breasted Shrikes were seen a number of times throughout the trip (L. Kay) As we were preparing to go out for the afternoon, a flock of Violet Wood-hoopoes surprised us by passing through the hotel grounds. Just next to the hotel a mixed finch flock contained a couple of Violet-eared Waxbills molting into breeding plumage. A perfectly lit Marico Sunbird fed in a flowering tree nearby as well. Heading to the edge of the Erongo Mountains we screeched to a stop in time to have great views of a Red-crested Korhaan cautiously crossing the road. Rock hyrax and Chacma baboons ran across the rocks, and we enjoyed trying to photograph Yellow- billed and Monteiro’s Hornbill s. Pearl-breasted Swallows , returning migrants, perched cooperatively on a roadside wire. We returned to the hotel with sun setting behind us. We began the following morning with great views of an adorable African Scops-Owl singing away in the hotel grounds. We left the hotel and headed for the mountains. We heard Hartlaub’s Francolins , but they proved elusive for the time being. Our first Barred Wren-Warbler was much more cooperative, and we got great looks at White- tailed Shrike , a breeding-plumaged male Violet-eared Waxbill , and a displaying Brown-crowned Tchagra . A walk around town after breakfast was lovely. Larry spotted a Pearl-spotted Owlet which posed for photos, while nearby a lone Southern Pied Babbler was unusually cooperative, perching for several minutes atop an agave stalk. www.tropicalbirding.com Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls, Zambia 7 An afternoon walk in the Khan River was quiet, but we did get great looks at the sought- after Violet Wood-hoopoe , as well as our first Damara Red-billed Hornbill . A night drive along a local dirt road was wonderfully productive. We had great looks at a Southern White-faced Scops-Owl and nice looks at a flying Barn Owl .