Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Tara

The Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis), also known as the Rosy-collared or Peach-faced Lovebird, is a species of lovebird native to arid regions in southwestern Africa such as the Namib Desert. A loud and constant chirper, these birds are very social animals and often congregate in small groups in the wild.

There was a small flock along the Kunene River.

This one was seen at Oppi-Koppi Rest Camp in Kamanjab.

Spectacular in flight!

They have a specific range from Angola through Namibia and into the Kgalagadi NP in South Africa. There are reports of them in Etosha NP and I personally saw them in Kamanjab, Kunene River and Omaruru.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

VIDEOS

Beautiful footage from Namibia

Documentary slide show in German but still interesting to English speakers.

Monteiro’s Hornbill (Tockus monteiri)

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Tara

The Monteiro’s Hornbill (Tockus monteiri) is a species of hornbill that is native to the dry woodlands of southwestern Africa. It is a common, near-endemic species in Namibia, with a total population estimated at 340,000 individuals.

I do remember seeing these guys in several places usually roadside as we were driving from one place to another so I can’t believe I only got one shot while driving from Huab Lodge to Omaruru. They are only found in Namibia and a small part of Angola so Namibia is really you best chance to see them.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MONTEIRO’S HORNBILLS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Biodiversity Explorer

VIDEOS

Nothing on Youtube! There are a few clips on HBW taken around the Erongo area.

Lodge Review: Omaruru Guesthouse

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Tara

With a focus on birding and very little time planned for this overnight stop, the Omaruru Guesthouse was a good budget option.

The door with the lit windows is where the reception and restaurant is. Unfortunately, they don’t have dinner service, only a breakfast buffet. You have to go to one of the nearby hotels for a proper dinner. In our case, we were still pretty full after a huge late lunch at the Wimpy’s (like a Denny’s or Coco’s-ish) in Outjo so we were satisfied with snacks and drinks.

There is an attractive pool area which we didn’t have time to use.

The rooms were very pleasant and the wifi was pretty good.

Omaruru is the one town we passed through that I would have liked to spend more time. It’s quite an attractive little town and has nice cafes and gift shops and the birding in the surrounding area is excellent. It’s unlikely that we would get enough miles to afford a return to Namibia but Omaruru would be at the top of the return visits!

Birding Around The Omaruru Area, Namibia

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Tara

This would be our last chance for birding in Namibia before heading home. After leaving Huab Lodge, we headed south to Omaruru via Outjo to avoid dirt roads. I had had enough of those to last a lifetime! We arrived in Omaruru around 3pm so headed off towards the Erongo Wilderness Area for birding before heading to the hotel for an overnight stop.

Approaching Erongo Wilderness Lodge which has a gorgeous setting but was way out of our budget.

What’s this? Looks interesting! (Seen on the Erongo Road)

Shaft-tailed Whydah

There is a guarded gate but they let us in, no problem.

We were planning to go to the lodge, have a drink at the bar and see as many birds as possible. We were stopped in our tracks by a bad road.

Lower car park, lodge guests are given transport if they can’t drive themselves but not day-trippers.

Bad photo of a beautiful Violet Wood-hoopoe

We stopped in here for a quick look around and I was hoping they had some of those Lovebird artworks for sale (they don’t). I wish I had known Camp Mara existed, we would have stayed here! For future reference: Camp Mara