South Africa: Bushmanland and Namaqualand

Namibia: Fish River Canyon

8 –14 December 2006

David Nkosi, Benji Schwartz, Josh Engel

Text and photos by Josh Engel; all photos taken on this trip


Cape Gannet colony, Lambert's Bay, South Africa

Introduction

The areas of Bushmanland and Namaqualand are famous for holding four species of endemic larks, each with a preferred habitat and a small range. We found all four of these larks, plus almost all of the regions other specialties while amassing a trip list of 209 species, including 43 Southern African endemics, along with 17 species of mammals and having an outstanding time. This trip offers outstanding and easy roadside birding, and also turned out to be a great digiscoping destination, thanks to the openness of the habitat and farm dams where hundreds of birds at a time come to drink. Besides Stark’s, Sclater’s, Barlow’s, and Red Larks, other highlights included Burchell’s and Double-banded Coursers, the little known Damara Canary, Rosy-faced Lovebird, nesting Damara Terns, incredible views of Freckled Nightjar, four species of bustards, and many mammals, including a remarkable elephant shrew and the bizarre aardwolf. We also took in the dramatic scenery of Fish River Canyon, the world’s second largest, and the great birding around the canyon’s campsites.

8 December, Cape Town to Calvinia

The trip got off to an auspicious start, with great birding along the drive north from Blouberg to our first destination, the famous wader-watching site, Veldriff. We hardly stopped en route, yet we managed to see four outstanding raptors—the magnificent endemic Black Harrier, Verreaux’s Eagle, the lovely Jackal Buzzard, and Booted Eagle. We were greeted upon arrival in Veldriff with one of our main targets for the site, the localized Chestnut-banded Plover. We quickly added a wide variety of shorebirds, but not the recently reported Red-necked Phalarope. That was quickly forgotten, however, when we discovered two Common Redshanks nearby! This is a very rare species in South Africa, and a lifer for David. They shared the mudflats with many hundreds of other waders, including a handful each of Marsh Sandpipers and Eurasian Curlew. An Osprey, uncommon in the Cape, was also in the area.

After Veldriff, we were off to the northeast, heading towards Bushmanland. The drive from the main highway to Calvinia, where we spent our first night, was outstanding. The scenery was spectacular and unique, and the birding was fabulous. We found our first bustards for the trip, Ludwig’s, sharing a roadside field with the stately Blue Crane. A stop at a riparian area yielded obliging pairs of Namaqua Warblers, Pririt Batis and Chestnut-vented Tit-babblers. We also found our first Greater Kestrel and a variety of birds that would be very common for the remainder of the trip, including Lark-like Bunting, Spike-heeled Lark, and a variety of chats. On our first day we saw 11 species of raptors!

9 December, Calvinia to Brandvlei

We left early to visit a nearby nature reserve. The scenery was stunning, and we found our first Long-billed Crombec, Rufous-eared Warbler, White-backed Mousebird, and Pied Barbet of the trip, as well as a beautiful Smith’s red rock hare. The rest of the day was spent on the road between Calvinia and Brandvlei and around Brandvlei. This whole region features spectacular roadside birding.

We soon came across a large flock of larks around the road that included our first Gray-backed Sparrowlarks and a few others. We then found a large flock of the highly sought Black-eared Sparrowlark, with almost all of the birds in female-type plumage. They had apparently been hanging around that area for a while, as we found several dead ones along the road where the flock was hanging out. We would continue to see small groups of Black-eared Sparrowlarks throughout the morning—and then not see a single one the rest of the trip! Remarkably, on the fringe of this flock, in a barren, rocky area was a Sclater’s Lark, one of the real specialties of this area. It sat long enough for us to get scope looks before flying off.

In the afternoon we had our first attempt for Red Lark, one of the main specialties around Brandvlei. We missed it today, but fortunately our next two attempts for the species were successful. A stop by a not-quite-dry waterway yielded our only Southern Gray-headed Sparrow of the trip, along with our first good views (of many!) of Namaqua Sandgrouse, and dozens of nesting South African Cliff Swallows. A scrubby area yielded, incredibly, both Yellow-bellied and the difficult Karoo Eremomelas. We also saw our first Karoo Long-billed Larks and Karoo Korhaans of the trip, and our only black wildebeest.


From left: 'dunes' form Red Lark; Scaly-feathered Finch; Gray-backed Sparrowlark

10 December, Brandvlei to Pofadder

We left Brandvlei early to try for the browner, plains form of Red Lark. It wasn’t easy, but eventually we found a cracking adult and juvenile. We also found a small group of Cape Penduline Tits in the same area.

After the Red Lark success, we drove slowly north towards Kenhardt, stopping at various farm dams and acacia patches along the way. It was at these farm dams that we first got a taste of just how abundant Lark-like Buntings and Gray-backed Sparrowlarks were going to be for the rest of the trip. As we were sitting watching dozens of birds drinking, a couple of strange-looking larks showed up. As we watched them, it dawned on us—Stark’s Larks! We got fabulous views of this highly nomadic species as it came to drink in the heat of the day. We also found our first Sabota Lark of the trip, of the large-billed western form that is sometimes split as Bradfield’s Lark, singing from a fencepost. Bustards were numerous along this road, and we saw Karoo and Northern Black Korhaans and Ludwig’s Bustard. A spectacular soaring adult Martial Eagle was the only one for the trip.

We continued north towards Kenhardt, soon coming across our first of many impressive Sociable Weaver nests and their accompanying weavers. One of the nests had a pair of wonderful African Pygmy Falcons, which nest in the weavers’ great abodes (see photos below). Kenhardt itself held three new birds for the trip—Cape Glossy Starling, Karoo Thrush, and Greater Scimitarbill.



From left: Sociable Weavers drinking at a farm dam; incredible collection of Sociable Weaver nests; Pygmy Falcons nest in Sociable Weaver nests

The drive to Pofadder was hot and dusty, broken up by farm dams that featured Red-headed and Scaly-feathered Finches and Red-billed Quelea among the abundant buntings, larks, and canaries, Sabota Lark, all of the expected chats and wheatears, and abundant Chat Flycatchers. We found a cooperative pair of Spotted Eagle-Owls near Pofadder on a night drive, but not the desired aardvark.

11 December, around Pofadder

We started out driving southwest out of Pofadder, stopping at farm dams to check out and photograph the abundant buntings, larks, canaries, and Namaqua Sandgrouse. A beautiful female Short-toed Rock-Thrush was in a rocky area, and we were surprised to find a Neddicky nearby. We reached the red dunes well after the Red Larks had stopped singing, but fortunately we were able to find one anyway—it even posed for photos! Driving further down this road yielded a pair of Stark’s Larks.

We passed the heat of the day in Pofadder, then returned to the field in the late afternoon, choosing to go in a different direction from the morning. After watching the incredible sight of 1000 Lark-like Buntings around a single pond, we continued down the road, where we had cracking looks at a Cape Clapper Lark. A short while later we came across two adult and one juvenile Burchell’s Coursers in an open field, getting great looks at this uncommon bird. As it got towards evening, we found an aardwolf, a bizarre, jackal-like animal that almost exclusively eats termites, as well as a bat-eared fox.

12 December, Pofadder to Ai-Ais, Namibia

We headed north of Pofadder on our way into Namibia. The birding was good along the road, and we got exceptionally good looks at the secretive Cinnamon-breasted Warbler. We also found and photographed a cooperative western rock elephant shrew, a remarkable and wonderful rodent with a long nose.

The birding was even better when we reached the lush vegetation and agriculture around the Orange River at the border. We very quickly added Orange River White-eye, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, and, after locating its nest in an electrical box, the beautiful Rosy-faced Lovebird. The river itself was full of birds, and we found Hamerkop, Malachite Kingfisher, African Pied Wagtail, and a wide variety of more common waterbirds. Chacma baboons sat like border patrol on the Namibian rocks overlooking the river.

The drive to Ai-Ais from the border was too hot for birds to be active, but we did find an incredible impressive set of Sociable Weaver nests in a large tree, and three magnificent Black-chested Snake-Eagles.

We arrived at the lush and birdy surroundings of Ai-Ais, in Fish River Canyon National Park, in the afternoon. Mountain Wheatear, Pale-winged Starling, Common Waxbill, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Karoo Thrush, Orange River White-eye, and African Red-eyed Bulbul were all common. In the evening we had killer looks at Freckled Nightjar in the lights.


Orange River White-eye was first seen within sight of the Orange River; Rosy-faced Lovebirds were nesting in this electrical box

13 December, Fish River Canyon, Namibia to Port Nolloth, South Africa

We began the morning around Ai-Ais, where a large group of Bradfield’s Swifts were flying around the river valley, Little Bitterns were active in the reedbeds, and a beautiful pair of Verreaux’s Eagles were soaring over the campgrounds. We then headed towards another campground in the park, stopping to watch a Klipsringer, a small, rock dwelling antelope. The other campground was also lush, with a small river running through it from which many birds were drinking, and lots of birds everywhere. We found Greater Scimitarbill, a migrant Spotted Flycatcher, and Brubru among the abundant canaries, buntings, sparrows, and others. Karoo Scrub-Robins and Bokmakierie were practically tame here, and we were able to get great views of all the birds drinking and bathing.

After absorbing the stunning view of the canyon, we began the drive south back to South Africa. The blazing heat caused a dearth of bird activity until we stopped a few kilometers outside of Port Nolloth, where we quickly found the targeted Karoo Lark. A stop at the sewage ponds outside of town held a Wood Sandpiper among small numbers of more common waders, and we found our first (distant) Damara Tern from the waterfront in town. A short ways north of town we stopped to look for Barlow’s Lark, an endemic with a miniscule world range. We were surprised to find it in less than five minutes of looking! We quickly found several more, as well as our other target bird for that location, Cape Long-billed Lark. Loud Brant’s whistling rats were calling and scurrying about in the dunes as well.

We then headed to a nearby pan where Damara Terns breed. And breeding they were, we quickly found the terns (and nearly 100 White-fronted Plovers!), including two nests with juveniles. This area seems completely unprotected (there were tire tracks right between the nests, and there was nothing to stop us from driving to the nests) and these birds are highly vulnerable to disturbance. Formal protection of this important nesting area is warranted immediately.


From left: Damara Tern on a nest; western rock elephant shrew; Rufous-eared Warbler was common throughout the trip

14 December, Springbok to Cape Town

After spending the previous night in Springbok, we began heading south towards Cape Town. After a bit of driving David spotted bustards in a field. We pulled over to watch the Karoo Korhaans and Southern Black Korhaans feeding in the field, when we noticed a flock of several hundred canaries in the same field. A bit of sorting through the flock, which was mostly Yellows, yielded Black-headed Canaries, our first for the trip, and shortly after we noticed the highly sought (and controversial) Damara Canary! To round it off we found our first Large-billed Larks of the trip at the same stop.

We then went to Lambert’s Bay, where one of the world’s great avian spectacles is permanently on display: a huge gannet colony. In this case it is thousands of pairs of Cape Gannets displaying, fighting, squawking, and all from mere meters away. It is not to be missed on a tour to this region.

We then headed south, sticking to the smaller coastal roads. At a pan near Eland’s Bay we found several Chestnut-banded Plovers, while the marshes near Eland’s Bay were full of shorebirds, waders, and ducks, including Hottentot Teal and African Spoonbill. A stop at a coastal lagoon south of Eland’s Bay yielded our first Greater Flamingos for the trip, as well as Southern Pochard, Maccoa Duck, African Marsh Harrier, and about 15 Marsh Sandpipers. We completed the loop by stopping at Veldriff, where the trip had begun, and in a similar fashion—no Red-necked Phalarope! We did, however, see about 100 White-winged Terns, of which there were zero the first time around.

Complete bird and mammal list:

	Southern African Checklist
	Endemics in bold / Near endemics in italics
	Roberts VII	Scientific Name
1	Common Ostrich	Struthio camelus
2	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
3	Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
4	Little Grebe (Dabchick)	Tachybaptus ruficollis
5	Great White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus
6	Cape Gannet	Morus capensis
7	White-breasted Cormorant	Phalacrocorax lucidus
8	Cape Cormorant	Phalacrocorax capensis
9	Long-tailed Cormorant	Phalacrocorax africanus
10	Crowned Cormorant	Phalacrocorax coronatus
11	African Darter	Anhinga rufa
12	Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
13	Black-headed Heron	Ardea melanocephala
14	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
15	Great White Egret	Casmerodius albus
16	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
17	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
18	Little Bittern	Ixobrychus minutus
19	Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta
20	Sacred Ibis	Threskiornis aethiopicus
21	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
22	Hadeda Ibis	Bostrychia hagedash
23	African Spoonbill	Platalea alba
24	Greater Flamingo	Phoenicopterus ruber
25	Lesser Flamingo	Phoenicopterus minor
26	Egyptian Goose	Alopochen aegyptiacus
27	South African Shelduck	Tadorna cana
28	Yellow-billed Duck	Anas undulata
29	Cape Teal	Anas capensis
30	Hottentot Teal	Anas hottentota
31	Red-billed Teal	Anas erythrorhyncha
32	Cape Shoveller	Anas smithii
33	Southern Pochard	Netta erythrophthalma
34	Spur-winged Goose	Plectropterus gambensis
35	Maccoa Duck	Oxyura maccoa
36	Yellow-billed Kite	Milvus parasitus
37	Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus caeruleus
38	Verreaux's (Black) Eagle	Aquila verreauxii
39	Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus
40	Martial Eagle	Polemaetus bellicosus
41	Black-breasted Snake Eagle	Circaetus pectoralis
42	Common (Steppe) Buzzard	Buteo buteo
43	Jackal Buzzard	Buteo rufofuscus
44	Pale Chanting Goshawk	Melierax canorus
45	African Marsh Harrier	Circus ranivorus
46	Black Harrier	Circus maurus
47	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus
48	African Pygmy Falcon	Polihierax semitorquatus
49	Lanner Falcon	Falco biarmicus
50	Rock Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
51	Greater Kestrel	Falco rupicoloides
52	Cape Francolin	Francolinus capensis
53	Blue Crane	Anthropoides paradiseus
54	Purple Swamphen	Porphyrio madagascariensis
55	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
56	Red-knobbed Coot	Fulica cristata
57	Ludwig's Bustard	Neotis ludwigii
58	Karoo Korhaan	Eupodotis vigorsii