Bird of the Week – Week 104 – Mountain wheatear
Let’s concede that “Wheatear” is a strange name for a bird! Very odd. Apparently the name owes its derivation to neither wheat nor ears, but to the Old English words for “white rump”, or...
Author: Rob
The Bird of the Week – Week 103 – Dark-capped bulbul
The Dark-capped bulbul used to be known as the Black-eyed bulbul, which made a lot of sense as it is really only the colour of the eyes and the eye-rings that distinguishes it from...
Desert Dash – 2011
The Desert Dash is considered to be the longest single-stage mountain bike race run anywhere in the world, taking in 340 km of mostly gravel roads from Windhoek in central Namibia to Swakopmund on...
Bird of the Week – Week 102 – African paradise-flycatcher
The African paradise- flycatcher is one of the most striking of the flycatchers found in the southern African region, not just because of its distinctive chestnut colouring that sets it apart from the other...
The Bird of the Week – Week 101 – Meve’s starling
In the north of Namibia there are several long-tailed, glossy starlings, one of the most striking being the Meve’s starling. This impressive bird has a very long, tapered tail that distinguishes it from the...
Bird of the Week – Week 100 – African green pigeon
It is always a delight to see an African green pigeon. Not because they are particularly rare, but because they are the only green pigeons in the southern African region and their grey and...
Bird of the Week – Week 99 – Malachite kingfisher
The Malachite kingfisher is one of the smallest of the kingfishers found in the southern African region and is also one of the most beautiful. Its range includes most of Africa south of the...
The Bird of the Week – Week 98 – Shaft-tailed whydah
The Shaft-tailed whydah is near-endemic to the southern African region, its range extending only slightly into Angola to the north. Within the region, however, its range is limited to the semi-arid and arid savanna....
The Bird of the Week – Week 97 – Emerald-spotted wood-dove
The preferred habitat of the Emerald-spotted wood-dove is, as its name implies, a variety of wooded areas, and they are particularly at home in acacia woodland and riparian forests. It can be quite a...
The Bird of the Week – Week 96 – Black-backed puffback
One of the more distinctive of the bird calls heard when visiting northern Namibia or the wetter parts of the southern African region is a two-syllable “chick-weeu, chick-weeu“, where the first syllable carries a...
The Bird of the Week – Week 95 – Little grebe
Also known as the Dabchick, the Little grebe is, not unexpectedly, the smallest of the grebes found in the southern African region, and is also the most common and widespread. It is found almost...
Cycling in the South of France – Part Three
Initially, we planned an easy day on the day following the ride on the Col du Tourmalet, but when we learned that the weather was expected to deteriorate over the next few days, we...
The Bird of the Week – Week 94 – Woolly-necked stork
Within the southern African region the Woolly-necked stork is limited to the wetter northern areas, which is not surprising as its preferred habitat is wetlands and rivers. It is also found in large parts...
Cycling in the South of France – Part Two
The Col du Tourmalet is not only the highest road in the central Pyrenees at 2,115 metres, but is also one of the most well-known of the climbs in the Tour de France, having...
The Bird of the Week – Week 93 – Black-faced waxbill
Black-faced waxbills are a fairly common sight throughout most of the drier areas of the southern African region, being absent only from the wetter eastern and southern parts of the region. They are also...
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