NAMIBIA 1st - 15th October 2017 Namibia is an unforgettable, ancient land of incredible and stark contrast. From vast open deserts and rocky plains to sweeping savannah and rolling hills. By way of a perennially battered subantarctic coast, we make our way through the richest landscapes this underrated and under visited country has to offer.

Plains Zebra So, what does it have to offer? To the average tourist, lots. To the travelling naturalist, a lot more. To a photographer with an open mind and a thirst for adventure? Well, the possibilities are quite literally endless.

It’s perhaps clichéd but the question is often not should you point your camera, but at which unfolding opportunity. Do you shoot the approaching Springbok, or the bathing Elephant? The agitated Brown-crowned Tchagra, or singing Cinnamon-breasted Bunting? Or maybe it’s a case of shooting the mother or calf Black Rhino. The choice is always yours, but there is always a bevy of options to chose from.

Sociable Weaver On this tour we travelled our tried and tested itinerary. Beginning in the desert-surrounded demi-city of Windhoek we travelled first through the heart of the Namib Desert to the fossilised dunes of Sossusvlei. From here we hit the storm-beaten and significantly cooler Atlantic coast. Heading inland we then spent an idyllic couple of nights in the Erongo Mountains. All of this, though, was only leading up to the grand finale… Etosha National Park. Legendary in status, mythical in the whispers it generates, Etosha never fails to live up to its reputation.

Greater Flamingo No tour is ever the same as another, and that is especially true here where water, or the lack thereof, often dictates where congregate, in what numbers and in what composition. This year we did exceptionally well on every front. In Sossusvlei the dunes lit up like never before. At the coast swathes of pink flamingoes were only outshone by some amazing reflection work and obliging Chestnut-banded Plovers. In Erongo we laughed as we all shot different from the same spot, and in Etosha we shot 3 species of cat in a morning, which only here can be outdone by photographing 8 Black Rhino bathing in a moonlit waterhole.

Black Rhino The whole premise of our ‘photojourney’ concept is to travel with cameras in hand, photographing in a variety of situations. This often means we, as experienced field naturalists, use our field skills to put you in a position to photograph a much wider variety of species than often encountered on a standard photography tour.

To show you the results of this type of photography tour, I want to focus not so much on words, but on the images achieved, over the next few dozen pages. So, grab a cup of coffee or a cold beer, and see just a fraction of what we achieved in 15 days. I say fraction, because there are still 1,000 images on my hard drive that I haven’t even looked at yet.

- Lisle Gwynn (Tour Leader)

Lion Sossusvlei The Living Desert The dunes of Sossuvlei light up every evening and every morning, burning an ochre red and casting captivating shadows. The light constantly changes, and with it so do the dunes. As such, no two visits here are ever the same and you are always guaranteed great shots. During our two mornings in the park we focussed on both wide-angle and telephoto shots, bringing out the grandeur and the intimate detail of the landscape.

It is a common mistake though, to think that the desert is devoid of life. It most certainly is not. To prove this, once the light had passed on the dunes, we spent the rest of our mornings and our evenings in gorgeous light shooting myriad and mammals in the surrounding area and even around our hotel. Amongst them we found, to name but a few, Red-eyed Bulbul (pictured right), Dusky Sunbird, Sociable Weaver, Great Sparrow, Black-chested Prinia, Southern Masked Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver…

Red-eyed Bulbul …Helmeted Guineafowl, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Red-faced and White-backed Mousebirds (pictured left), Benguela Long-billed Lark, Red-capped Lark, Chat Flycatcher, Greater Kestrel and the larger, louder residents like Rüppell’s Korhaan and Ludwig’s .

The mammal representatives included the ghostly pale and dark-masked Oryx (or Gemsbok), iconic Springbok, Black-backed Jackal and an absolutely amazing encounter with a Bat-eared Fox.

White-backed Mousebird The absolute stand-out highlight of this section of the tour came straight out the gate on day one when we were unbelievably fortunate enough to encounter two Cheetah in the grassy agricultural lands on the edge of the Namib. The photo opportunities were absolutely phenomenal as they approached within a few metres of us. This was the perfect introduction to Namibia, and just a sneak peek at how special this place truly is.

Cheetah

Dusky Sunbird Dusky Sunbird Pale-winged Starling Ruppell’s Korhaan Springbok Marico Flycatcher White-backed Mousebird Southern Masked Weaver Sociable Weaver Chat Flycatcher Chat Flycatcher Bat-eared Fox

Walvis Bay The Atlantic Coast The coast of Namibia is home to an incredible wealth of life. This is mostly thanks to the cold water Benguela current hitting the coast directly from Antarctica, creating a huge upwelling of ‘nutrients’ and providing food for millions of seabirds, fur seals and shorebirds. The desert and dunes just in land from the coast are also incredibly ‘alive’, thanks to the moisture provided by the perennial sea mist as the cold Benguela air hits the Namib hot air pocket.

Greater Flamingo Greater Flamingo Our time on the coast was characterised by cool weather and light mist with gorgeous soft light. We spent most of our time in a series of salt pans and coastal pools shooting shorebirds, but we also forayed into the coastal dunes with a local guide to search for Palmato Geckos, Peringuey’s Adder, Namaqua Chameleon and Burrowing Skink to name but a few reptiles. On another morning we visited Cape Cross where a huge Cape Fur Seal colony provided hours of captivating photographing of life, death and everything in between.

Hartlaub’s Gull Our photographic subjects were many and varied. Chestnut-banded Plover stole the show (juvenile pictured right) at the salt pans, but we also shot Kittlitz’s Plover, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Great White Pelican, Ruff, Little Stint, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Swift and White-winged Terns, and even a deep-wading Black-backed Jackal.

Chestnut-banded Plover Chestnut-banded Plover White-fronted Plover Greater Flamingo Pied Avocet Hartlaub’s Gull Great White Pelican

Black-backed Jackal Cape Fur Seal

Erongo Mountains The Erongo Mountains are a special place. We spent two days here at an idyllic lodge sat high above the plateau, treated to uninterrupted views of stormy sunsets. But we didn’t come here for sunsets. The stars of the show here are the Rosy- faced Lovebirds (pictured right), but the shooting is productive for a large number of species. This year, the feeder and small water source at the lodge itself offered amazing photographic encounters with birds like Pale-winged Starling, Cape and Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, Red-billed Spurfowl, Black-throated Canary, Acacia Pied Barbet and a few others beside.

Rosy-faced Lovebird Shooting in the general area though is also extremely productive, and by a mixture of strolling and driving we found lots to shoot, including Pearl-spotted Owlet, Freckled Nightjar, Black- backed Puffback, Fiscal Shrike, White-tailed Shrike, Brubru, Black-chested Prinia (pictured left), Golden-breasted Bunting, Blue and Violet-eared Waxbills, Pririt Batis, Mountain Wheatear, Brown- crowned Tchagra, Southern Masked Weaver, Green-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Green-winged Pytillia, Red-eyed Bulbul, Great Sparrow and Chestnut-vented Tit- Babbler to name just a selection.

Black-chested Prinia White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Southern Masked Weaver Rosy-faced Lovebird Pale-winged Starling Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Grey-backed Camaroptera Black-chested Prinia Green-winged Pytilia Green-winged Pytilia Mountain Wheatear Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler Cape Bunting Red-eyed Bulbul Pririt Batis Brown-crowned Tchagra Black-backed Puffback White-tailed Shrike

Pearl-spotted Owlet Etosha National Park Etosha National Park is truly born of legend. For a major African safari destination it is surprisingly, and criminally, under visited. It is an absolutely unique place, and for those thinking that safari is simply safari… you couldn’t be more wrong.

Purple Roller Entering the gates at Etosha, you are undoubtedly shocked at the initially parched, dry, dusty and stark landscape. Soon though this gives way to the ultimate image of Africa: waterholes packed to the hilt with iconic wildlife, struggling to survive amid the lack of water and abundance of predators.

Double-banded Courser (with egg) All of this makes for a truly unique location in which to create images. Once you know Etosha, any image taken there is instantly recognisable as being from this incredible place. The light is unique and reflects from the pale ground creating an amazing scenario where body shadows are almost non-existent - acting like a giant natural light reflector. The landscape is also mostly open which means achieving totally clean, uncluttered backgrounds is simply too easy.

Northern Black Korhaan We spent 5 nights and 8 shooting sessions in the park, giving us more than enough time to take some great images. What follows here is just a selection of my images. Please bare in mind that the guide’s primary job is to constantly adjust vehicle positioning, consider light, watch the animals to accurately predict their behaviour and movements to put you in the perfect position for photographs, and to constantly watch for other unfolding opportunities. As such, the guide always comes away with the fewest and least quality photos on the trip. So, what you see here is just the minimum of what is achievable in 6 days in Etosha.

Plains Zebra Instead of grouping these images by type, or species, I’ve left these in chronological . So, as you browse, you’re seeing our ‘safari’ as it unfolded. The highlights were of course endless, but it must be noted that Etosha is one of the best places to photograph Lion and Cheetah, though you still have to be very fortunate to have great encounters. We had many encounters with Lion and one extremely memorable session with Cheetah. We also photographed a typically fleeting Leopard, it really is luck of the draw with this savannah spectre.

Springbok All of the other big game behaved itself and gave us endless shots. The Zebra here must be some of the prettiest on the continent, whilst the Desert Elephants are unique in their extremely pale skin (thanks to the pale mud they cover themselves with) and long legs. They are big, even by elephant standards. Wildebeest and Springbok were omnipresent, and the big feathered suspects like Secretarybird, Ludwig’s and Kori were seen frequently.

Gemsbok Northern Black Korhaan

Spotted Hyena Sabota Lark

Lion

Springbok

Crowned Lapwing African elephant Cape Turtle Dove & Elephant Purple Roller Double-banded Courser Zebra drinking at waterhole African Elephant

Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Kori Bustard Black Rhino

Cheetah

Leopard

Bat-eared Fox Scaly-feathered Finch Burchell’s Courser

Waterhole Scene in Etosha

Secretarybird Blue Wildebeest

Giraffe Namaqua Sandgrouse Scaly-feathered Finch Double-banded Courser

Spotted Thick-Knee Greater Kestrel Leaving Etosha is always difficult. Dragging yourself away from the final session is painful; you know the light has gone, but your camera is still poised and your finger is always on the shutter. Still, our time here had come to the end so it was time for a good coffee, a great final meal, and a journey home filled with frantic photo editing, ready to share as much as we could of this trip with anyone who would listen. Wildlife Photographed The list below details all of the birds and mammals that were photographed on this tour. To qualify, the species must have been photographed by at least one participant, or must have been ‘photographable’ but turned down. Birds Red-billed Spurfowl Pternistes adspersus Common Ostrich Struthio camelus Cape Spurfowl Pternistes capensis White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Hartlaub's Spurfowl Pternistes hartlaubi Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis Swainson's Francolin Pternistes swainsonii Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Great White Egret Ardea alba Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata Little Egret Egretta garzetta Kori Bustard kori Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Ludwig's Bustard ludwigii African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Karoo Korhaan vigorsii Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber Ruppell's Korhaan Eupodotis rueppellii Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor Northern Black Korhaan Eupodotis afraoides Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus African Jacana Actophilornis africana South African Shelduck Tadorna cana Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis Cape Teal Anas capensis African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus Polemaetus bellicosus Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereus Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis BlacksmithLapwing Vanellus armatus Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus African Wattled Lapwing Vanellus senegallus African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Shikra Accipiter badius Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos Pale Chanting-Goshawk Melierax canorus Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Rock Kestrel Falcorupicolus Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides Little Stint Calidris minuta African Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus Sanderling Calidris alba Crested Francolin Francolinus sephaena Ruff Philomachus pugnax Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundinaceus Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Purple Roller Coracias naevia Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis African Hoopoe Upupa africana Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus Burchell's Courser Cursorius rufus S. Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus Temminck's Courser Cursorius temminckii Damara Redbilled Hornbill Tockus damarensis Double-banded Courser Rhinoptilus africanus S..Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus leucomelas Cape Gull Larus vetula Bradfield's Hornbill Tockus bradfieldi Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus Monteiro's Hornbill Tockus monteiri Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus Caspian Tern Sterna caspia Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas Swift Tern Sterna bergii Crested Barbet Trachyphonus vaillantii Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens Common Tern Sterna hirundo Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea Sabota Lark Mirafra sabota White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus Benguela Long-billed Lark Certhilauda benguelensis Namaqua Sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua Spike-heeled Lark Chersomanes albofasciata Feral Pigeon Columba livia Red-capped Lark Calandrella cinerea Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix leucotis Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata Grey-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix verticalis Cape Turtle Dove Streptopelia capicola White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiata Emerald-spotted Dove Turtur chalcospilos Red-breasted Swallow Hirundo semirufa Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis Greater Striped-Swallow Hirundo cucullata Grey Go-away Bird Corythaixoides concolor Rock Martin Hirundo fuligula Barn Owl Tyto alba Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma Cape Crow Corvus capensis Bradfield's Swift Apus bradfieldi Pied Crow Corvus albus White-rumped Swift Apus caffer Ashy Tit Parus cinerascens Little Swift Apus affinis Carp's Black Tit Parus carpi African Palm-Swift Cypsiurus parvus Arrow-marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus Southern Pied Babbler Turdoides bicolor White-backed Mousebird Colius colius African Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus nigricans Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Kurrichane Thrush Turdus libonyanus Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris Groundscraper Thrush Psophocichla litsipsirupa European Bee-eater Merops apiaster Short-toed Rock-Thrush Monticola brevipes Karoo Chat Cercomela schlegelii Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis Anteating Chat Myrmecocichla formicivora Cape Glossy Starling Lamprotornis nitens Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus Cape Robin Chat Cossypha caffra Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup White-browed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas leucophrys Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus Kalahari Scrub Robin Cercotrichas paena White-bellied Sunbird Nectarinia talatala Chestnut-vented Titbabbler Sylvia subcaeruleum Dusky Sunbird Nectarinia fusca Layard's Tit Babbler Sylvia layardi Scarlet-chested Sunbird Nectarinia senegalensis Lesser Swamp Warbler Acrocephalus gracilirostris Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver Bubalornis niger Long-billed (Cape) Crombec Sylvietta rufescens White-brwed Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser mahali Yellow-bellied Eremomela Eremomela icteropygialis Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brevicaudata House Sparrow Passer domesticus Barred Wren Warbler Calamonastes fasciolatus Great Sparrow Passer motitensis Rockrunner Achaetops pycnopygius Cape Sparrow Passer melanurus Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis S. Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus Desert Cisticola Cisticola aridulus Yellow-throated Petronia Petronia superciliaris Rattling Cisticola Cisticola chinianus Scaly-feathered Finch Sporopipes squamifrons Black-chested Prinia Prinia flavicans Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus Marico Flycatcher Bradornis mariquensis Southern Masked-Weaver Ploceus velatus Chat Flycatcher Bradornis infuscatus Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea Pririt Batis Batis pririt Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba Fairy Flycatcher Stenostira scita Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp Violet-eared Waxbill Uraeginthus granatina Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild Longbilled Pipit Anthus similis Cut-throat Finch Amadina fasciata Common Fiscal Lanius collaris Red-headed Finch Amadina erythrocephala Magpie Shrike Corvinella melanoleuca Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura Crimson-breasted Shrike Laniarius atrococcineus Shaft-tailed Whydah Vidua regia Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla Yellowfronted Canary Serinus mozambicus Brubru Nilaus afer Black-throated Canary Serinus atrogularis Brown-crowned Tchagra Tchagra australis Yellow Canary Serinus flaviventris Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegala White-throated Canary Serinus albogularis White-tailed Shrike Lanioturdus torquatus Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris White Helmetshrike Prionops plumatus Cape Bunting Emberiza capensis Retz's Helmetshrike Prionops retzii Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi S. White-crowned Shrike Eurocephalus anguitimens Lark-like Bunting Emberiza impetuani Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea Mammals Chacma Baboon Papio ursinus Vervet Monkey Cercopithecus aethiops Scrub Hare Lepus saxatilis Tree Squirrel Paraxerus cepapi Black-backed Jackal Canis mesomelas Bat-eared Fox Otocyon megalotis Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus Common Wild Cat Felis silvestris Lion Panthera leo Leopard Panthera pardus Yellow Mongoose Cynictis penicillata Spotted Hyaena Crocuta crocuta (African) Elephant Loxodonta africana Mountain (Hartmann's) Zebra Equus zebra Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis Common Rock Hyrax (Dassie) Procavia capensis Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis Impala Aepyceros melampus Blue Wildebeest, Brindled Gnu Connochaetes taurinus Springbok Antidorcas marsupialis Klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus Steenbok Raphicerus campestris Greater Kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros Gemsbok, Beisa Oryx gazella Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus p. pusillus