October 14, 2016

Cousin to the fire – Carmine bee-eaters

On 22 August, give or take a day or two, the carmines arrive in their thousands to do their annual breeding thing at Kalizo. With great expectation and anticipation, Kalizo is on fire for this incredible happening every year. However, like in-laws, their departure is not that predictable, taking place from early November until late December.
August 30, 2016

Get your ducks in a row – Birding with Pompie

Of all the bird species this is probably the one that even the most novice bird watcher can identify. Firstly, the type of species that you are looking at is a goose/duck/teal, and secondly, to differentiate between the various species is rather easy. To say that for me it is not a problem to identify them might sound a bit blasé after 35 years of birding, so I would rather say even my son Ian can make the correct diagnoses. Going into the gory detail about their habitat in and around water, it is not rocket science that they have a funny looking flat bill and funny looking webbed feet.
August 11, 2016

Tangled up in blue – Kingfishers of Namibia

There are 90 species of kingfishers in the world, ranging in size from the large Australian Kookaburras, weighing nearly half a kilogram, to the minuscule African Dwarf Kingfisher, which weighs only nine grams, and our own African Pygmy Kingfisher tipping the scales at only 14 grams. Nine of a possible 16 kingfishers occurring in Africa are found in Namibia.
August 3, 2016

A quantity and quality birding area par excellence

People often ask what our favourite birding spot is. I would rate the Bwabwata National Park situated along the Kwando River in the Zambezi Region among the top birding spots in Namibia, probably in the same league as Mahango and Impalila Island. After each birding trip we do our usual ‘saw’ list, and after Bwabwata we soon realised that, as far as birding is concerned, the park is a quantity and quality birding area par excellence. After 40 odd years as a bird-watcher and still seeing new bird species in a place I’ve visited regularly, is truly exceptional.
July 26, 2016

Birding hotspot: Lüderitz

Once you’re in Lüderitz, please don’t become too carried away by the beautiful Art Nouveau and German-Imperial style buildings, because then you’ll definitely run out of time. Our trip along the peninsula south of Lüderitz proved to be most fruitful, with our first sighting being a lonely Greater Flamingo wading along the edge of the Radford Bay lagoon.
July 19, 2016

Namibian owls: Creatures of the night

Once you’re hooked on owl watching, you’ll never look back, unless you’re a pearl spotted owlet with a separate set of ‘eyes’ at the back of your head, or a marsh owl, which always look back over its shoulder after take off. Although owls are relatively common, very few people have ever actually seen one.
July 5, 2016

Roadside birds in Namibia

Roadside birding is obviously about big birds. So contrary to what people say, size does make a difference. Depending on your financial status, you will most probably spend more than 25% of your time in Namibia on the road, keeping in mind that Namibia is vast and distances are extensive. So you might as well enjoy your time on the road and do some serious bird watching.
August 4, 2014

Birding Namibia | The real Cinderella

Text and photographs Pompie Burger – Main photograph: Green-backed Heron ©Pompie Burger Imagine planning a birding trip to Namibia, and having to choose only one destination. […]
March 3, 2014

A Braine for Birds of Namibia

By Ron Swilling Main photograph: Golden Tailed Woodpecker. Photo ©Dayne Braine Steve Braine, well-known Namibian bird expert and naturalist who hails from a birding fraternity, has […]