Galana's. Third big year.

[xelas]

On 6/28/2019 at 3:04 PM, Soukous said:

Heat wave my ar*e

 

Go visit your cousins in France 

[Soukous]

16 hours ago, xelas said:

 

Go visit your cousins in France 

 

Not cousins, my sister and nieces 

[Galana]

Temperature wise it is allegedly winter here but it is still tropical for me. I don't have numbers maybe 30 noon and a lot cooler at night.

Especially when against my better judgement I am in a bloody tent some nights. Not your actual "Safari" tent but the sort that folks go trekking with. No fool like an old fool.

Memo to self. NO MORE CAMPING!! No Lodge..NO GO! And make sure there is a cook alongside.

As WC Fields once said, "We went on Safari once and some fool forgot the bottle opener. We had to exist on food and water!" The hardships we must endure.

Update while the Wiffy is less than iffy.

Currently at Waterburg Guest Farm on our last night in Namibia. Tomorrow we fly north!

I got some 'ticks' but the lowest ever count for an African country.

2nd Memo. Go to Africa when the birdies have not migrated to where you have just come from. (But what I did get are reasonable including an EBC to end all EBCs.)

 

Note for

@PeterHG@Peter Connan

Cinderella did not go to the Ball but stayed home in Kunene River Lodge.

That's it folks, for now!

[xelas]

Glad to read you are enjoying the trip, including the camping part. What happened to the cook?!

[Soukous]

Sometimes I wonder at my own stupidity.

When you wrote I got some 'ticks' but the lowest ever count for an African country

I immediately thought you meat ticks, as in nasty little blood suckers and tried to recall whether Namibia was a place where one might expect to get ticks.  

Then, eventually, I realised we are in Big Year territory and your ticks were of a different variety. 

 

You may think you are too old to go camping, but clearly I am too old to think straight.

 

 

[Galana]

@Soukous

Sorry about any confusion. there are undoubtedly parasitic Ticks in Namibia but happily this is one species I have avoided to date.

Not sure how I can change the 'word' to avoid the confusion. It is a throwback to my checklist habits.

Suggestions welcome for a replacement.

@xelas Cook? Who mentioned cooks? I was appointed Wine waiter mainly because I could spell Sommelier!

Cooking was not on the packing list which is why we were mainly to be found in local restaurants and my companions habits boosted sales of Pringles 200%

More will no doubt emerge as details are recalled.

[Galana]

Q. Is it really possible to travel in Africa and NOT photograph easy birds such as various doves, mousebirds and BeeEaters? Even Pied Crow was a struggle.

Now where was I? Ah, yes. Trying to make the best of a comparatively poor result.

NB. As is my habit all posts are in order of first achieving a usable result although the final offering may well have been obtained later in the trip.

Moving, slowly, towards the 200...

190. Speckled Pigeon. Ondekaremba Farm. Windhoek.

 

1912. Burchell's Starling. Ondekaremba. I feel sure I have a better one somewhere.

 

192. Southern Pied Babbler. Ondekaremba.

Next morning I meet with my companion, pick up our HiLuxe and drive to Etusi Camp.

A one night stand yielded these next morning:-

193. Familiar Chat. Etusi Farm.

 

Peekaboo! Come out your blighter!!

194. White-tailed (Chat) Shrike. Etusi. One of my favourite birds of Namibia. This bird has Attitude!

 

195. There is enough detail to show this is/was a Ruppell's Parrot. One of the few I saw.

All the above are BBBs. (Before Breakfast Birds!!) Now we re-locate.

[Soukous]

On 7/11/2019 at 6:16 AM, Galana said:

@Soukous

Sorry about any confusion. there are undoubtedly parasitic Ticks in Namibia but happily this is one species I have avoided to date.

Not sure how I can change the 'word' to avoid the confusion. It is a throwback to my checklist habits.

Suggestions welcome for a replacement.

 

No need for another word. If I had read the whole sentence there would have been no confusion. 

[PeterHG]

Great photo of the White-tailed Shrike! One I missed last year

[Galana]

2 hours ago, PeterHG said:

One I missed last year

Me too. Hard to describe it but last trip 2017/18 I never saw one. This trip they were everywhere. Many seen as we drove along. They are non migratory as far as I know but it is hard to understand the difference in  sightings.

Thanks.

[Galana]

Another submission to hit 200 but nothing special. (Blame the order I saw them in. Birds simply don't understand why we need them in a set sequence!)

196. Damara Red-billed Hornbill. Medisa Camp. By my tent. A tough split but I am going for Damara due to white face and neck. Eye colour inconclusive on these offerings.

 

197. White-browed Sparrow-weaver. My Tent in Madisa Camp.

 

198. Bare-cheeked Babbler. Yes. Outside my tent in Madisa. (I got most of my birds in camp this trip.)

 

199. Purple Roller. Walking from my tent to dinner in Madisa Camp. Sunset with the ISO cranked up to 1600.

 

And for 200 a well known bird gets it's moment in the limelight!

200. Southern White-crowned Shrike. Guess where!! Next morning as we set off north again.

 

[pedro maia]

Congrats on the 200, camping seems productive but I’m not going to do it, not even to increase my count.

[TonyQ]

Well done on reaching 200, your tent is very productive!

[xelas]

I am joining the ranks to congratulate you on the #200, @Galana Was that a permanent tents that they have at Madisa?

[Tdgraves]

Congrats on 200

[Peter Connan]

Congratulations on the double century!

[Galana]

Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated.

 

Tents. No way I crawl in and out of a small tent and then try to undress while prone.

 

When I say "tent" I mean something like these.

Etusis.

 

Madisa.

I will spare you the Puros and Olifantsrus tents (for now)

Time for more birds..

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Galana
Additional text.

[Galana]

More birds from around Madisa/Khorixas/Twyflefontein.

201. Brown Snake Eagle.  Madisa I think.

202. Bradfield's Hornbill. My tent. Madisa.

 

203. African Grey Hornbill. Road to Khoixas.

 

204. Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill. akas "Flying Banana". My tent at Madisa had a very attractive tree just by the stoop.

 

205. Crowned Lapwing. No idea but must have been around Madisa but we saw them almost everywhere by the road side in some unlikely spots.

 

[Kitsafari]

congrats on the 200th!

 

the others have sofas, and you have a tent. Ain't that the life to live.......

[Galana]

@Kitsafari  Thanks and very true. I don't mind 'tents' as long as they have minimum dimensions and contain a bed!

 

 

This was so not me.

Puros Community Camp. D ponders the cooking 'stove!'

 

Olifantsrus Camp. Etosha. Somebody has lost the corkscrew. We may have to live on food and water.

[michael-ibk]

Congratulations on your #200! 

[Galana]

Time for more birds?

 

206. Ruppells 'Koorhaan' or Bustard. Palmwag.

 

207. Pale-winged Starling. Khowarib Camp Another day another tent.

 

208. Crimson-breasted Shrike. Khowarib Camp. Namibia's national bird.

 

209. Common Ostrich with Springbok. The only bed being that of the river Hoanib as I drove to Amspoort and Puros.

210  Ludwig's Bustard. Crossing the Ganias Plain from Amspoort Gorge to Puros.

 

See below for this days drive... A very interesting trip. Check with your Car rental firm before trying this.

We even got to see some Ellies!

 

Let's stick to birds though. I will post a link to trip photos later.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Galana
Additional updated comment.

[Soukous]

18 hours ago, Galana said:

Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated.

 

Tents. No way I crawl in and out of a small tent and then try to undress while prone.

 

When I say "tent" I mean something like these.

Not so much a tent, more a room with canvas walls

If it has an en-suite bathroom and beds that is fine with me

[Galana]

7 hours ago, Soukous said:

If it has an en-suite bathroom and beds that is fine with me

Well it was not En suite but it the plumbing worked 'out the back!'.

 

More birds as we arrive in Puros canyon with the Hoarasib river flowing in the desert.

The Hoarisib River flows over ground and underground for some distance until it reaches Puros where the strata forces it to surface as it cuts a course through higher ground to the Skeleton Coast. The more or less permanent water is of course a valued resource for both domestic stock and wildlife. The reedbeds are much favoured by lions and elephants use the river course as part of their historic migration routes.

Camping other than in designated sites is not recommended due to the lack of escape routes from sudden flash floods from any summer storms that may occur many miles upstream.

Finding 'waterbirds' in such an arid area is quite a surprise.

211. Hammerkop. Puros Canyon.

 

212. Black-headed Heron. Puros.

 

213. Three-banded Plovers were very common here. That really IS fresh clean water in these shots.

 

214. Southern Grey-headed Sparrow.  Puros Community Campsite. Yip. By my tent.

 

215. Red-billed Quelea. Puros Community Campsite.

With all the driving most of my birds were captured when and where I could steal a few minutes to pick up a camera.

We stayed two nights in Puros so the bird count got a small boost.

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by Galana

[Galana]

More from around camp:-

 

216. Dusky Sunbird. These little birds seemed attracted to my tent in Puros and frequently sat on the ridge pole or whatever the top bit is called. Even a BIF counts.

 

 

217. Yellow-bellied Erenomela. A frequent skulker who would come out as I sat quietly with a glass of something cool to hand. Puros and Khowarib Camps.

218. Long -billed Crombec. Even shyer but I got him.

 

219. Yellow-billed Oxpecker rode through Puros camp on a cow.

 

220. Mountain Wheatear. Puros.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Galana
Corrected text.