After a bit of a lay in and then breakfast I was ready to drive the 240km NW to the Erongo Mountains. The drive was good with a surprising feature with the roads being all tarmac. The habitat changed for the better with more scrubby patches which soon resulted in finding a Ruppell’s Bustard. My first stop was at the Khan River crossing which as usual was dried out. Unfortunately there wasn’t a great deal although a pair of Ruppell’s Parrots and an Ashy Tit made the stop worthwhile, and a Steenbok also got flushed. The Namibian army then approached me and we spent a few minutes chatting about what I was up to and which football teams we all supported. I didn’t think it was a good idea to mention Brighton beating Man U so I left it at that and got on my way.
Another river crossing a few miles up the road was much more productive with a Pearl Spotted Owlet being the highlight among some very good savannah species, although the heat of the day didn’t inspire me to stay out too long. So it was another 30km to my accommodation at Othojotozu which is situated in the Erongo Area and what a lovely place it is. After a dip in the pool I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon walking a very long circuit taking in the dry riverbed and surrounding rocky outcrops. Two of my main targets were found without too much effort, these being Damara Red-billed Hornbill and White-tailed Shrike, both species of which were in small parties. After photographing more Rockrunners I made my way back to the lodge, and after a spectacular sunset I watched a few Sandgrouse flying over although it was annoyingly too dark to ascertain which species they were. Another good dinner was had, this time Eland followed by the owner allowing us in his house to watch Brighton vs West Ham.
Highlights are as follows:
Black-winged Kite - 1
Southern Pale-chanting Goshawk - 6
Ruppell’s Bustard - 1
Pearl Spotted Owlet - 1
Purple Roller - 2
DAMARA RED-BILLED HORNBILL - 5
Monteiro’s Hornbill - 2
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill - 4
Acacia Pied Barbet - 2
Golden-tailed Woodpecker - 2
RUPPELL’S PARROT - 4
WHITE-TAILED SHRIKE - 5
Brown-crowned Tchagra - 1
Southern White-crowned Shrike - 1
Ashy Tit - 1
White-throated Swallow - 2
Rockrunner - 3
Yellow-bellied Eremomela - 1
White-browed Scrub-Robin - 2
Marico Sunbird - 1
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver - 2
Green-winged Pytilla - 6
Black-faced Waxbill - 4
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| Ruppell's Parrot at Khan River |
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| Pearl Spotted Owlet |
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| Purple Roller |
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| Pririt Batis |
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Damara Red-billed Hornbill
at Erongo
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| African Grey Hornbill at Erongo |
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| Rockrunner at Erongo |
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| Coastal sand dunes near Walvis Bay |
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| Khan River riverbed |
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| Erongo Mountains |
