Namibia: Birding the Deserts, Mountains, and Etosha Customized 16-day tour with Mass Audubon’s Sue MacCallum and Keith Barnes Nov 1 – 16, 2017 African Elephants enjoying a dust bath Namibia’s size, diverse and radically different habitats, superb road infrastructure, and decades of tourism expertise make it a one of southern Africa’s most rewarding and birding-friendly countries. Namibia is home to all three of southern Africa’s great desert and semi-desert systems: the Karoo in the south, the Kalahari in the east, and, the driest of the three, the Namib, sprawling along the west coast. These arid areas are home to almost all of the 14 near-endemics, including a host of Namibian escarpment specialties like the truly tremendous White-tailed Shrike. There are also the elusive Herero Chat, fascinating rock-loving Monteiro’s Hornbill, handsome Damara Rockrunner, elegant Bare-cheeked Babbler and noisy coveys of the near-endemic Hartlaub’s Francolin. Most escarpment specialties are fairly common, and easily seen if you visit the right localities. For the Ruppell’s Parrot and Violet Woodhoopoe, we’ll seek out them out by the rivers that cut through the desert. But no one should go to Namibia just for the birds. It is among Africa’s best countries for big mammals with localized species like the adorable Damara Dik-Dik and Black Mongoose. World-famous Etosha National Park supports typical African mammals like Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Greater Kudu, Impala, Warthog, and many others. Not surprisingly for such a dry country, Namibia is also very good for reptiles, and we hope to encounter a range of skinks, lizards, geckos, and snakes along the way. This is a comfortable birding tour with excellent lodges and camps. However, there are a few long drives, often on rough roads. Most days we will wake up early to bird before the heat of the day. Walks will be generally short and easy on flat, though sometimes rocky, ground. We only bring groups to Namibia once every five to six years, so don’t miss it! 1 Travel with Mass Audubon ~ 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 ~ 800-289-9504 The near-endemic White-tailed Shrike DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY November 1: Arrival in Windhoek Your guides will meet you at Kutako Airport and take you to the Hotel Pension Onganga, about 45 minutes away. Windhoek sits in an amphitheater of mountains in the rugged Khomas Hochland range. Excellent birding may be enjoyed on the outskirts of town. If your arrival time allows, we will explore a productive area of dry acacia woodland and rocky grassland around Avis Dam, a small reservoir that supplies fresh water to the city. A number of central Namibian specialties may be found including Monteiro’s Hornbill, Carp’s Tit, Short-toed Rock-thrush, and the charismatic Rockrunner. Waterbird numbers (and water levels) vary although Maccoa Duck and South African Shelduck are usually present. Other spectacular and interesting species include Red- billed Francolin, Pearl-spotted Owl, White-backed Mousebird, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Pearl-breasted and South African Cliff Swallows, Ashy and Cape Penduline Tits, Mountain Chat, Desert Cisticola, Long- billed Pipit, Pririt Batis, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, Red-headed Finch, Violet-eared and Black-cheeked Waxbills, and Black-throated Canary. As dusk falls over Windhoek, the skies are infiltrated by the pale-bellied Striped Leaf-nosed Bat, the highlands’ largest bat. Hotel: Hotel Pension Onganga (or similar) Drive time: About 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel. Walking: Perhaps an easy afternoon stroll from the hotel. 2 Travel with Mass Audubon ~ 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 ~ 800-289-9504 November 2: Travel from Windhoek to Sossusvlei, Namib Desert A long but fascinating drive takes us from the Namibia highlands, down the escarpment, and into the vast Namib Desert. First thing in the morning, we will explore the Khomas Hochland, some 30 km west of the capital. This area offers a variety of habitats that range from dry thornveld to gallery woodland and grassland. We will make acquaintance with many of the central Namibian specialties: Orange River Francolin, Monteiro’s Hornbill, and Rockrunner as well as more widespread and spectacular species including Gabar Goshawk, Mountain Chat, African Barred Warbler, and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. The morning ambles through spectacular scenic vistas across the Khomas Hochland and the escarpment that fringes the Namib Desert plains. Roadside birding is very rewarding and we might find Verreaux’s Eagle, Black-chested Snake-eagle, Pygmy Falcon, Pale Chanting-Goshawk, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Purple and Lilac-breasted Rollers, Southern Ant-eating Chat, Marico and Chat Flycatchers, White-tailed Shrike, Sociable Weaver, Great Sparrow, and Lark-like Bunting. Rüppell's Korhaan is a Namib Desert specialty. The Khomas Hochland has a thriving population of Hartman’s Mountain Zebra, Kudu, and Gemsbok which are not difficult to locate. Not so the constantly moving herds of Eland, Duiker, and Klipspringer that are also often seen en route. The cliffs, rocks and crags along the way teem with colorful Namibian Rock Agamas, Spiny and Ground Agamas, shy Namibian Girdled Lizards, and the sexually dimorphic Namibian Rock Skink. All of the above are prey to the Zebra Snake, and the aggressive but rarely seen Spitting Cobra. Leopard Tortoises abound in the area, but are unpredictable to locate. Along the drive, we may catch sight of stately herds of Springbok and Gemsbok heading down to the water for a drink. Blesbok and Hartebeest occur in smaller numbers. Roadside specialties in the arid highlands include the hyperactive Yellow Mongoose, the comical Southern African Ground Squirrel, and, with luck, a family of the intriguing and ever-curious Meerkats. Hotel: Desert Homestead (or similar) Drive time: About 5 hours without stops. But this whole day will be spent on the road, making many stops Walking: Very little. Short sorties from the vehicle. 3 Travel with Mass Audubon ~ 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 ~ 800-289-9504 The endemic Dune Lark in its world of sand November 3: Sossusvlei Dune Landscapes, Then Travel to Swakopmund. We wake up early to head into Sossusvlei, and take in the wonder of its towering dunes at their best—in the soft early morning light. Carved over the eons by a river flowing out of the highlands, this narrow valley in the great Namib Sand Sea has some of the world’s most iconic desert landscapes. If you’ve seen a great photo of sand dunes in Namibia, it was probably taken here! The landscape itself is the main attraction, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some wildlife as well. Not surprisingly, Namibia’s only true endemic, the Dune Lark, makes its home here There are also smaller creatures aplenty, such as the lightning-fast Shovel-snouted Lizards, well known for their “thermal dance”—performed to avoid overheating. Sitting next to a Nara bush will reveal a community that use it as a fortress against aerial predators: the vegetarian Desert Plated Lizard, perambulating tenebrionid beetles, Striped Mice and Hairy-footed Gerbils carelessly feeding in hollowed Nara melons, hordes of Camponotus spp ants seeking sun-dried Nara seeds, Dung Beetles gathering dry plant material to line their breeding burrows, and, if we’re very lucky, a burrowed Side-winding Adder. After thoroughly soaking in, and photographing, Sossusvlei’s dune landscapes, we’ll head north towards Swakopmund, looking, along the way for more desert fauna and fauna, like Springbok, Gemsbok, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, and Namib Desert Horses. We’ll arrive in the afternoon at the quaint seaside town of Swakopmund. Although this area is known for its amazing wetlands, we will not neglect the desert birds. The dune fields south of Walvis Bay are home to Dune Larks, in case we missed them at Sossusvlei. Like many of the desert larks, its plumage coloration perfectly matches that of its environment: the iron-rich, deep ochre sands of the Namib. We will also keep a keen eye out for Orange River White-eye, Cape Penduline Tit, and Cape Sparrow. Hotel: Hotel Pension Rapmund (or similar) Drive time: About 5-6 hours without stops. But after the morning in the dunes of Sossusvlei, most of this day will be spent on the road, making many stops along the way. Walking: A couple of short walks, totaling a couple of miles in Sossusvlei. Otherwise, only short sorties from the vehicle. 4 Travel with Mass Audubon ~ 208 South Great Rd., Lincoln, MA 01773 ~ 800-289-9504 November 4: Birding Swakopmund and Walvis Bay The marine coast, offshore guano islands, saltpans, and estuaries around Walvis Bay and Swakopmund teem with waterbirds. Migrant waders form huge flocks, thousands upon thousands of Lesser and Greater Flamingos feed along the fringes of the bay, and lines of marine cormorants (three regionally endemic species: Cape, Bank, and Crowned) stream out over the cold ocean in search of food. Great White Pelicans are prominent throughout the area and specialties of the pans include the localized Chestnut- banded Plover, Hartlaub’s Gull, and Damara Tern. The striking African Black Oystercatcher may be seen along the rocky shores and waders on the extensive mudflats in the lagoon include Common Ringed, Kittlitz’s, and Black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstone, Marsh Sandpiper, Red Knot, Sanderling, Bar- tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, and Pied Avocet. Rarer visitors include Greater Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper and Red-necked Phalarope. Hotel: Hotel Pension Rapmund Drive time: Short drive of about 30 minutes from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay, and back. Walking: One dune walk of about 2 miles is a possible activity. This walk is flat, but the sand can make the going slow for some.