The huge nests of the Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) are quite common throughout the drier woodland and savanna of Namibia, clinging to trees and pylons like so many haystacks. Any literature on these colonially...
One of the most common of the collared (or ring-necked) doves found in the southern African region is the Cape turtle-dove and its distinctive call can be heard almost throughout the region. It is...
One of the beauties of living in Windhoek is that from any suburb in the city it takes less than ten minutes to be out in the countryside. No need to drive for kilometers...
The Lark-like bunting is the least colourful of the buntings, being a rather nondescript buff colour with darker brown wings and tail and with a faint cinnamon tint to its under parts. As implied...
The north-western coastal area of Namibia is an intimidating region to say the least; a region where very little rain falls and very little conventional plant life can be sustained. There are few bushes...
At first glance the Great sparrow looks like a slightly overgrown House sparrow (Passer domesticus), being approximately sixteen cm in length, but a closer look will show a few differences that distinguish the two...
We were relaxing at our campsite at Palmwag, in the Damaraland area of Namibia, when we noticed a lone Southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) energetically flitting to-and-fro across the dry river bed that fronted...
Yellow-billed storks are not normally regarded as gregarious birds, and usually tend to solitude, being found singly or in pairs at the edges of dams, rivers and other areas of shallow marshy water. However,...
Mousebirds are quite common in most parts of southern Africa, and the most common type in the eastern part of the region is the Speckled mousebird. Its range is limited to the wetter eastern...
Head northwards from Swakopmund on the west coast of Namibia, travelling along the well known “Skeleton Coast”, and after 100 km or so, as you approach Cape Cross, (home to a wonderful seal colony),...
The Grey-backed camaroptera was previously known as the Grey-backed bleating warbler, a descriptive name for the bleating alarm call of this little bird, which is not unlike the bleating of a lamb. Very vocal,...
On our journey to the Skeleton Coast Park we stopped off at Cape Cross, 115km north of Swakopmund, to see a breeding colony of between 80 000 and 100 000 Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus...
The Greater kestrel is, as one would expect from its name, the largest of the kestrels found in the southern African region, being some 37 cm in length. The sexes are alike in plumage,...
With most of Namibia awash with rains, and a camping trip long overdue, last week we decided to head off to the dry Skeleton Coast Park for a visit. Our first night was spent...
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