November 1-20, 2022 with Tarry Butcher & Megan Edwards Crewe
What a fabulous time we had rambling our way across the wide, wild stretches of Namibia and Botswana! From the monumental red sand dunes of the Namib-Naukluft National Park and the plentiful lagoons around Walvis Bay on Namibia's famed "Skeleton Coast," we wound our way to the craggy Erongo Mountains and the vast dry saltpan and stony steppes of Etosha National Park, and then on to the watery wonderland of the Okavango delta. With our tight-knit "Band of Seven" (ably led by the indomitable Tarry), a trusty safari vehicle or two, a boat, and the capable help of various drivers and boatmen, we found a slew of southern Africa's special flora and fauna, including a multitude of birds and many of southern Africa's most well-known mammals. We started our adventure with a quick half hour of birding around our Johannesburg hotel before our flight to Windhoek, picking up a quartet of species we wouldn't see again: Glossy Ibis, Karoo Thrush, Cape Robin-chat and Red-throated Wryneck. After an easy flight to Namibia, we made our way across the city to our hotel for lunch and a short break, then headed out to the Gammans sewage treatment plant for the late afternoon -- because what's a birding tour without a sewage treatment plant?
We had plenty to look at once we got there. An out-of-place Fulvous Whistling-Duck paddled along the edge of a settling pond, along with more expected Blue-billed Teal, Little Grebes, Red-billed Ducks and Red-knobbed Coots. A Spotted Thick-knee sank lower and lower as a pair of chattering, heavily-laden women walked ever closer. African Darters and Reed Cormorants squatted spread-eagled in treetops, drying their wings. Single White-throated and Greater Striped swallows coursed over the ponds with a mob of Southern Crag-Martins. Hundreds (and hundreds and hundreds!) of Wattled Starlings decorated the wires and metal sides of the plant's treatment tanks. Scarlet-chested Sunbirds and Southern Red Bishops gleamed against gray vegetation. A Burnt-necked Eremomela and a trio of Pied Barbets flicked through thorny bushes. Pin-tailed Whydahs scrabbled in the dust, searching for fallen seeds. Fork-tailed Drongos hunted from convenient fence posts. Purple and Gray herons stalked the shallows while African Reed and Lesser Swamp warblers twitched through the reeds. After spending several hours exploring the site (picking up 47 species in the process) we proceeded on to the Trans-Namib station, where a row of stately palms had attracted a noisy mob of Rosy-faced Lovebirds, and a quartet of swifts -- Bradfield's, Alpine, Little and African Palm -- zoomed back and forth overhead.
The next day, we birded our way south to the Desert Hills Lodge, on the edge of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. A flock of 40-plus Marabou Storks stood in a field, some preening, some poking desultorily at the ground, some resting on folded legs. A trio of Purple Rollers sat on a roadside wire like beads on a string. A quintet of White-backed Vultures, now considered to be critically endangered, circled lazily over a sere landscape. Two Verreaux's Eagles perched atop a roadside hill, surveying their domain, and a Klipspringer stood atop its own hill later in the day. We made a stop at the Guisus dam and scrambled our way up to the edge of the reservoir, where we found a nice mix of waterfowl and shorebirds, including a dozen endangered Maccoa Ducks, a Red-knobbed Coot with some very small (and very ugly-cute) chicks, and three dozen bill-sweeping Pied Avocets. We had a picnic in a shady grove near the base of the dam, where we also found a busy little mixed flock of Pririt Batis, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Eremomela and more. A group of 18 Ludwig’s Bustards stopped us in our tracks as we worked our way south, as did a trio of Ruppell's Bustards -- and the tour's only Karoo Chats -- a bit further on. A stop in Solitaire netted us a food-carrying Familiar Chat, a Chat Flycatcher, a very busy Cape Ground Squirrel colony, and a Yellow Mongoose that nosed around under the bird feeders for a bit.
We spent much of the following day at the Namib-Naukluft National Park, marveling at its vast red sand dunes and big herds of Gemsbok. We tracked down a couple of Dune Larks, Namibia’s only endemic bird, shortly after arriving at the park and followed them around for a while in slanting morning sunshine, watching them bounce across the sand, leaving tracks of tiny footprints behind. A scattering of interesting invertebrates (ants and beetles) captured our attention and Will showed us the distinctive silk-hinged door of the African Trapdoor Spider. Hundreds of Sociable Weavers flew over in chattering flocks. Near some convenient restrooms, a pair of Pygmy Falcons provisioned their out-of-sight nestlings with a steady stream of little lizards. Two distant Lappet-faced Vultures and a couple of closer Black-chested Snake-Eagles circled over the barren landscape. Greater Kestrels and Southern Fiscals scanned from scraggly treetops. We reached the scorching Deadvlei Pan near midday and sheltered in some convenient shade, which we shared with a showy pair of Crimson-breasted Gonoleks and a host of Cape Sparrows. While we watched, a Black-backed Jackal trotted by within yards of us, completely unfazed by our presence! Late in the day, we explored the dry Tsauchab riverbed near our hotel, adding the tour’s only Karoo Long-billed Larks and another Chat Flycatcher among a handful of other more widespread species.
Black clouds glowered as we made our way towards Walvis Bay the next morning and the heavens opened before we reached the coast, turning the salt road slickly treacherous. Clearly, this was an unusual event for the Skeleton Coast: when we went to dinner that night (with yet more rain falling), some of the locals were quite literally singing in the rain! The area's extensive lagoons and salt flats were our focus here, and they didn't disappoint. Thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingoes swarmed along the shorelines, dancing on improbably long legs. Hundreds of plovers -- Chestnut-banded, Kittlitz's, Three-banded and White-fronted -- huddled together on windy mudflats. Damara Terns fluttered like bits of confetti. An early morning prowl through the neighborhood around our hotel netted us close views of the range-restricted Orange River White-eye, with its distinctively tawny flanks. Scores of Hartlaub's and Kelp gulls wheeled in big flocks or floated on the surface of the sea, and a single Crowned Cormorant snoozed on a railing along the shore. South African Shelducks, Cape Teal and Cape Shovelers shared ponds with Eared and Little grebes, while a scattering of shorebirds -- Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Whimbrel and more -- prowled shorelines. Vast strings of Cape Cormorants hurtled past or added to burgeoning nests on platforms near the Swakopmund saltworks, with a few Cape Gannets sprinkled in among the flybys. Nearby, Gray’s Larks (a near-endemic that just barely edges into Angola) blended in with the graveled plains they pattered across.
We spent the next three days exploring the Erongo Mountains, with two nights at Hohenstein Lodge on the south side of the range and another at Ai-Aiba Lodge on the north side. We took walks on the trail systems of both places in the mornings and relaxed on game drives in the afternoons -- with “sundowner” cocktails each day as an added bonus. At Hohenstein, Dassie Rats darted through the plantings around some of the cabins, scores of Speckled Pigeons gorged on food put out for them, and a party of Rock Hyrax sprawled on a rocky outcrop, surprisingly close to a pair of Tawny Eagles. Along the trails, we were serenaded by a very cooperative Rockrunner and an uncommon Herero Chat, a Kalahari Scrub-Robin danced through some bushes near the old windmill, Southern Yellow-billed and Monteiro’s hornbills bounced through treetops, a Red-billed Spurfowl trailed a gaggle of puffball youngsters, and both Black and Yellow mongooses (mongeese?) scrambled across the rocky hillsides. On our afternoon game drive, we found a pointblank pair of Double-banded Sandgrouse frozen beside the track, watched a Red-crested Bustard in flight display, racked up nine Monteiro’s Hornbills, and enjoyed a spectacular sunset after exploring the Acacia scrub (and finding some 30 species of birds) in the property’s northern stretches. Sadly, our driver Will developed sniffles on our second night at Hohenstein Lodge, and a COVID test showed he’d picked up the bug. Consternation all around!
So, we had to leave him behind and headed on to Ai-Aiba with new driver Gerhardus instead, working our way around the eastern end of the Erongo range during the course of the day. At a spot along the Omaruru River, we tracked down a trio of Groundscraper Thrushes shuffling through the leaf litter under the trees, watched three Green Woodhoopoes glide through the forest, spotted our first Carp’s Tits and delighted in the agitated mob of birds – crombecs and batises, brubrus and cameropteras, and even a Pearl-spotted Owlet or two – that appeared in response to our owlet imitations. We reached the Ai-Aiba Lodge in time for a late afternoon game drive, with some ancient wall paintings of various animals and gangly humans on a rocky cliff face plus our first Steenbock among the highlights. Later that evening, we spotted several Freckled Nightjars on the cliffs between our rooms and the dining room as we walked to dinner. An early morning's ramble the following day brought great views of a mixed flock of Cape, Lark-like and Golden-breasted buntings and at least a dozen White-tailed Shrikes.
From there, we moved on to the impressively large Etosha National Park, with its arid plains and immense dried salt pan. It was very hot and surprisingly crowded here; each of the camps was packed, particularly at the restaurants and in-camp watering holes. And those watering holes were marvelous, alive with mammals (particularly at dusk and after dark) and birds (during daylight hours). We had a pride of Lions unsuccessfully trying to grab prey coming to the Okaukuejo waterhole, with multiple failed attempts, plus numerous prides elsewhere in the park -- one of which walked down the road right past our vehicle, eyeing us as they went by. We saw vast herds of Blue Wildebeest with a few Hartebeest sprinkled in, a mom Black Rhinoceros and her baby snoozing near the Moringa waterhole, lots of Common Giraffes with their attendant Yellow-billed (and a few Red-billed) oxpeckers, Warthogs and many Burchell’s Zebras, plenty of African Bush Elephants, some adorably tiny Kirk’s Dik-diks, Black-faced Impala, and a pair of Cheetah in the shade under a bush that Tarry spotted while hurtling past on a road 100 yards away, despite the fact that only the tips of their ears were initially visible!
The birds were equally impressive. We watched three dozen Namaqua Sandgrouse creep across the stony ground at the Okaukuejo waterhole as the light rose one morning. At the Moringa waterhole, hundreds (thousands?) of Red-billed Quelea swirled back and forth over the water in mesmerizing formations. Double-banded Coursers trotted across the dry plains, and we saw many squatting over well-camouflaged eggs or shepherding tiny chicks. Dozens of Blue Cranes strode among a host of smaller shorebirds on the Adonis plains, and we had pointblank views of a White-quilled Bustard crouched among a line of scraggly vegetation as we left the Nebrownii waterhole. There were many Ostriches, including a pair sheltering a panting mob of small chicks in their shade. A plethora of shorebirds (including the tour's only Caspian Plovers) pattered around the edges of various waterholes, a pair of impressively large Kori Bustards strode across the road in front of our vehicle, and a trio of Bare-cheeked Babblers worked through a viny tangle right outside the Halali Camp reservation desk. On our way to dinner one night, we found a Southern White-faced Owl in a small tree right in the middle of camp, seemingly unperturbed by the noise and chaos all around it. Hunting Secretarybirds sprinted through tall grasses, intent on their prey, and we found a plethora of larks, including Spike-heeled, Red-capped, Eastern Clapper and Pink-billed.
At the Mushara Outpost Lodge, on Etosha's eastern flank, a busy gang of Black-faced Babblers rummaged on the lawn, a couple of African Paradise-Flycatchers hunted along the edge of the clearing, and Violet-eared Waxbills and Green-winged Pytilia flitted near the dining room as we ate our lunch. After a final afternoon in the park, we headed to the Mushara Bush Camp, where we were greeted by a herd of Warthogs on their knees, munching the grass near the reception desk. Our follow-up COVID tests that evening (mandated for five days after exposure) led to some anxious moments until they all came back negative. Phew!! From there, we birded our way north and west to Taranga Safari Lodge, which sits on the banks of the Okavango River, the border between Namibia and Angola. A mid-afternoon walk on a toasty dried pan brought us our only Lesser Gray Shrike, a couple of furtive Quailfinches, our first Little and Blue-cheeked bee-eaters and a family of African Pied Wagtails with recently some fledged young. While Taranga failed to produce our hoped-for Ross's Turaco, it did give us some great cuckoos -- Pied, Dideric and Black as well as a White-browed Coucal. A Black Goshawk streaked past, and we had our first Rufous-bellied Heron along the river. Yellow-bellied Greenbuls and Terrestrial Brownbuls twitched through dense thickets, Arrow-marked and Hartlaub's babblers perched in vegetation along the river's edge, we found a single Spectacled Weaver among the more common Holub's Golden-Weavers and our only Kurrichane Thrushes bounced across the grassy lawn. The riverside bar gave us a great place to enjoy our final Namibian sundowners while a Fiery-necked Nightjar called from the background as the light slowly faded. We headed east the next morning, working our way along the river to the Bwabwata National Park. Kingishers and shorebirds were among the highlights at several roadside overlooks, and we found the tour's only Red-chested Cuckoo, a single Pearl-breasted Swallow, our only Common Buzzard, and a perched Black-chested Snake-Eagle as well. A mid-afternoon drive along a dusty track through Bwabwata brought us a plethora of storks, herons and shorebirds, as well as a Levaillant's Cuckoo, our only Steppe Eagle and our first Meves's Starlings and Rufous-naped Lark. We had some great mammals here too, with our only Lechwe and a group of handsome Sable Antelope lurking in a thick tangle.
From there, we moved on to Botswana, leaving Gerhardus and our trusty vehicle at the border, where a mob of Southern Carmine Bee-eaters had kept us entertained while various bits of paperwork were being completed. We traded the jeep for a boat and headed down the Okavango, stopping for two nights at Xaro Camp. Chief among our targets here was Pel’s Fishing Owl and (after an anxious half hour looking for it after it flushed as we initially approached) we had wonderful views of a perched bird being harassed by some very unhappy Black Kites, with an unexpected male Narina Trogon nearby for good measure. Just upstream from camp, we found a pointblank White-backed Night-Heron peering wide-eyed from a tangle of downed branches. Collared Pratincoles swirled overhead with Lesser Striped and Pearl-breasted swallows and Whiskered Terns hunted along the river. Wary White-faced Whistling-Ducks and giant Goliath Herons watched us pass. African and Lesser jacanas tiptoed across the surfaces of lily pads while African Pygmy-Geese paddled among them. Coppery-tailed Coucals and Fan-tailed Widowbirds swayed on reed stems, Blacksmith and Long-toed lapwings shouted challenges, and a plethora of kingfishers fled before our boat. Other good sightings along the river included Spur-winged Goose, African Swamphen, Black Crake, Water Thick-knee, African Snipe, African Skimmer, Hamerkop, Purple Heron and Slaty Egret. A hatch of giant termites along a trail near the camp attracted a busy group of munchers, including the tour’s only Crested Francolins. Elsewhere on the property, we found a quartet of Brown Firefinches, a calling Dideric Cuckoo, a couple of Lesser Honeyguides and pair of African Wood-Owls that peered down at us from their day roost. A little group of Peters’ Epauletted Fruit Bats (including one with a baby) hung from the ceiling of one of the camp’s “outdoor rooms” and a mob of agitated birds led us to an African Rock Python coiling its way up through one of the trees near the buildings.
After a relatively quick charter flight, we finished the tour at Macatoo Camp, where we enjoyed morning and evening game drives, roasted in our tents during the breaks and sat out under the stars for our dinners. The latter certainly made our celebration of Martha’s 80th birthday feel quite special! The mammal watching here was outstanding, with scores of African Elephants, plenty of Black-faced Vervet Monkeys, our first African Buffalo, Bushbuck, Tsessebe, many antelope of various species, a pair of Stripe-sided Jackals, and a vocally territorial (and slightly scary) Hippopotamus in a watering hole where we had our sundowners one evening. The birding wasn't too shabby either! A couple of wide-eyed African Barred Owlets in camp each night kept us entertained as we walked back to our rooms after dinner. A pair of Swainson’s Francolins froze in the grass right beside our vehicle on one afternoon drive and single Small Buttonquail made brief appearances along the tracks we drove on a couple of early mornings. A pair of Golden-tailed Woodpeckers chased each other around a tree trunk near the dining area. A Dickinson’s Kestrel perched in a treetop, surveying its surroundings. Swamp and Square-tailed nightjars swooped over darkening waterholes. Massive Southern Ground-Hornbills trundled across the tall grass, Meyer’s Parrots gabbled in the trees, and Saddle-billed Storks hunted the marshy pond just across the fence from our tents. At one watering hole, dozens of African Openbills festooned a scraggly tree. The camp proved to be a great spot for raptors, with Wahlberg’s Eagle, Brown Snake-Eagle, African Hawk-Eagle, Bat Hawk, Little Sparrowhawk, and Hooded Vulture among our sightings.
Thanks for joining us for the adventure -- and for being so patient while waiting for this very overdue trip report. It was such fun sharing the flora and fauna and spectacular scenery of this special part of the world with you. This was truly one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever co-led. Tarry's intimate knowledge of the country and its wildlife was certainly impressive, and we could hardly have asked for more enjoyable traveling companions! We hope to see you out in the field again somewhere soon.
OTHER CRITTERS OF INTEREST:
Mammals:
LESSER ELEPHANT SHREW SP. (Elephantulus sp.): Some of the gang spotted one scuttling through the leaf litter while on our game drive at Ai-Aiba Lodge.
PETERS' EPAULETED FRUIT BAT (Epomophorus crypturus): A small group -- including at least one with a baby -- hung from the thatched ceiling of the "lounge hut" at Xaro camp, their ears twitching madly as they kept wary eyes on us. They're named for the bright white patches of fur on their shoulders.
BLACK-FACED VERVET MONKEY (Cercopithecus aethiops): Seen only in Botswana, including a little group along the banks of the Okavango (on the afternoon we went downriver), and some on our Macatoo game drives. A few of the females had small infants clinging to one side or the other.
CHACMA BABOON (Papio ursinus): Seen on scattered days throughout the tour, including a big male lounging on a fence around a landfill site in Namibia and some big troops scattering along the roadsides as we drove elsewhere in the country. They were regular on our Macatoo game drives in Botswana.
SCRUB HARE (Lepus saxatalis): We spotted our first on the afternoon game drive from the Hohenstein Lodge, and found others on the Ai-Aiba side of the Erongo Mountains and at Macatoo. The rusty nape quickly separates this one from the Cape Hare.
CAPE GROUND SQUIRREL (Xerus inaurius): Especially nice looks at busy colonies near the parking lot at the Solitaire rest area (and bakery!) and near some of our cabins at Okaukeujo (in Etosha NP). This open country species builds big communal burrows in areas with compacted sand.
SMITH'S BUSH SQUIRREL (Paraxerus cepapi): Daily on the second half of the tour, once we'd reached the miombo woodlands in the far north of both Namibia and Botswana.
SPRINGHARE (Pedetes capensis): One just outside the gates of the Macatoo Camp one evening, seen in the beam of Tarry's light as we returned from a late afternoon game drive. Its long back legs and bounding gait made it look like a little kangaroo.
AFRICAN DORMOUSE SP. (Graphiurus sp.): We spotted one little dormouse near dusk on our game drive at Hohenstein Lodge. According to everything I can find in books and on the internet, Woodland Dormouse is not found in Namibia, but several other species (including Stone Dormouse -- Graphiurus rupicola -- and Small-eared Dormouse -- Graphiurus microtis) are possible and can only really be distinguished by measurements.
DASSIE RAT (Petromus typicus): A few of these squat rodents scurried between rock piles near some of the cabins at Hohenstein Lodge, seen by many. This is the only living member of its family -- the Petromuridae.
SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL (Canis adustus): A pair ambled along the Okavango delta as we approached our "sundowner" spot on our first night at Macatoo Camp, and we spotted another, more skittish, pair on our game drive there the next morning.
BLACK-BACKED JACKAL (Canis mesomelas): Especially nice views of one that trotted across the parking lot at Sossusvlei, passing within yards of where we stood. We saw them daily in Etosha, typically in pairs.
SLENDER MONGOOSE (Herpestes sanguineus): One of these lithe mongooses on our second full day in Etosha NP. We also saw the distinctive black "nigratus" subspecies -- sometimes considered to be a distinct species -- hunting in rocky outcrops near the Hohenstein Lodge.
BANDED MONGOOSE (Mungos mungo): A family group rummaging in the grass right outside the dining room at Okaukeujo was a treat, allowing close, extended views. This was a small group -- Banded Mongoose troops average 15-20 members, with some holding up to 40!
YELLOW MONGOOSE (Cynictis penicillata): One rummaged around under bird feeders at Solitaire, and two others did the same in underbrush near the wall paintings on our Ai-Aiba game drive.
SPOTTED HYAENA (Crocuta crocuta): Super views of one standing in the hot sun right beside the road in Etosha. Undoubtedly, it had been lying in the culvert under the road (in the shade) until just before our arrival. We saw a couple of others late in the afternoon on our penultimate game drive.
LION (Panthera leo): We had some fabulous encounters each day at Etosha NP. First, there was the trio lurking at the Okaukuejo waterhole, striking fear despite their repeated unsuccessful charges. We got much closer views of several lionesses when they padded by on the other side of the road with a measuring glance at us as they went by. Wow!
CHEETAH (Acinonyx jubatus): A pair of brothers rested in the shade of tree near the road through Etosha, seen as we made our way out of the park -- though how Tarry spotted them as we rattled past (considering that little showed other than their ears when we first backed up) is a mystery! Some careful maneuvering let us see more of these graceful animals, and a passing vehicle with some noisy workers in the back drew their interest enough that they sat up briefly, giving us even better views.
CAPE (AUSTRALIAN) FUR SEAL (Arctocephalus pusillus): One seen rolling in the surf off Swakopmund Saltworks -- little more than a sleek back and some long whiskers!
AFRICAN BUSH ELEPHANT (Loxodonta africana): Some fine encounters at various waterholes in Etosha NP, with others on Macatoo game drives. Watching the very tiny youngsters imitating their elders was particularly amusing.
ROCK HYRAX (Procavia capensis): Small numbers in the Erongo Mountains, including a family of six sprawled on the rocks early one morning near Hohenstein Lodge, warming up. To us, they seemed dangerously close to those roosting Tawny Eagles!
MOUNTAIN ZEBRA (Equus zebra): Our first were a scattered herd of 8 on a distant hillside as we drove from Solitaire to Walvis Bay. We had others on our afternoon game drive at Hohenstein Lodge, seen from the edge of the escarpment. The very broad horizontal stripes on their haunches quickly identify this species.
BURCHELL'S ZEBRA (Equus burchelli): Easily the most common of the tour's zebras, seen in huge herds at Etosha (including a gratifying number of youngsters) with others at Bwabwata and Macatoo.
BLACK RHINOCEROS (Diceros bicornis): We spotted two at Etosha's Okaukeujo waterhole on our evening visit there, then watched others (a wary female with a calf, and another adult snoozing near the waterhole that led to some consternation among the elephant moms) at the Moringa waterhole the next night. We found another big specimen walking near one of the tracks we were traveling along in the park. These big herbivores are now considered to be critically endangered, primarily as the result of a combination of poaching and habitat loss.
WARTHOG (Phacochoerus aethiopicus): A few in the northeastern corner of Namibia, and others at Macatoo. Particularly amusing were the ones on their knees nibbling the lawn at Mushara Bush Camp when we arrived there.
HIPPOPOTAMUS (Hippopotamus amphibius): We found a few in the ponds at Bwabwata, but our best views came at Macatoo camp -- including a big male that enlivened our final night's sundowners by putting on quite the show (roaring and splashing about), apparently greatly incensed by our continuing presence!
COMMON GIRAFFE (Giraffa camelopardalis): Quite common in Etosha and Macatoo camp, with others on the game drive at Hohenstein Lodge. A few of the herds contained small youngsters. Though they can be on their feet within 5 minutes of being born, calves are heavily predated, with 50-75% failing to survive their first year. Yikes!
BUSHBUCK (Tragelaphus scriptus): One on the penultimate day of the tour, at Macatoo camp.
GREATER KUDU (Tragelaphus strepsiceros): Fine views of these twisty-horned bovines on more than half of the days of the tour, including a trio of big males approaching, and then walking tight past our vehicle in Etosha late one afternoon.
AFRICAN BUFFALO (Syncerus caffer): Regular around Macatoo camp, including a massive herd galloping across the plains one afternoon -- put into flight, as it turned out, by horse riders from the camp and not the lions or hyenas we had theorized.
LECHWE (Kobus leche): We spotted one of these reddish kobs in a grassy stretch at Bwabwata -- the only one on the tour. The subspecies we saw (leche) is sometimes called Red Lechwe.
REEDBUCK (Redunca arundinum): One at Bwabwata, and a few others each day around Macatoo camp -- always near water.
SABLE ANTELOPE (Hippotragus niger): A little group of these uncommon antelope stood scattered among the trees in the miombo forest at Bwabwata. The sweep of their curved horns was pretty impressive!
GEMSBOK (Oryx gazella): The quintessential mammal of Namibia, seen wonderfully well both in the vast, red-sand desert around Sossusvlei and daily in Etosha NP.
TOPI (Damaliscus lunatus): Small numbers in Bwabwata and daily on our Macatoo game drives. We saw the subspecies lunatus, which is sometimes split as a separate species -- the Tsessebe.
HARTEBEEST (KONGONI) (Alcelaphus buselaphus): Seen in small numbers in Etosha, typically with other antelope. The subspecies we encountered -- caama -- is sometimes known as Red Hartebeest.
BLUE WILDEBEEST (Connochaetes taurinus): Abundant on the plains of Etosha, with others on our Macatoo game drives. Like its northern relatives, the animals found in Namibia and Botswana are more or less continuously nomadic. The subspecies we saw -- the nominate taurinus -- is also known as Brindled Gnu.
KLIPSPRINGER (Oreotragus oreotragus): One peered down from a rocky outcrop along the drive from Windhoek to Solitaire, one of a string of ungulates seen that day. This species is unique in that it walks on the tips of its hooves.
STEENBOK (Raphicerus campestris): Singles seen on half a dozen days, often in tall grass under trees. Their huge, white-lined ears are extraordinary!
KIRK'S DIK-DIK (Modoqua kirki): Best seen on our way out of Etosha NP at dusk on our final afternoon there, when we found numerous feeding pairs scattered along the roadsides. These are among the world's smallest antelopes -- and they're pretty darned cute!
IMPALA (Aepyceros malampus): Regular in Etosha NP and Mahangu, as well as throughout the Okavango Delta, with many small herds seen very well. The Black-faced Impala, currently considered to be a subspecies (petersi) of the Impala, is vulnerable, with fewer than 1000 thought to remain in the wild. Despite that, they can still be hunted -- outside national parks, that is. They're found only in the arid northwest of Namibia and the very southern edge of Angola.
SPRINGBOK (Antidorcas marsupialis): Very common across Namibia, but surprisingly, we didn't see a single one in Botswana.
Reptiles and Amphibians:
TURNER'S TUBERCLED GECKO (Chondrodactylus turneri)
BARNARD'S NAMIB DAY GECKO (Rhoptropus barnardi)
KALAHARI TREE SKINK (Trachylepsis spilogaster)
WEDGE-SNOUTED DESERT LIZARD (Meroles cuneirostris)
NAMIBIAN ROCK AGAMA (Agama planiceps)
ANCHIETA'S AGAMA (Agama anchietae)
ETOSHA AGAMA (Agama etoshae)
SOUTH AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON (Python natalensis)
MOZAMBIQUE SPITTING COBRA (Naja mossambica)
NILE CROCODILE (Crocodylus niloticus)
LEOPARD TORTOISE (Geochelone pardalis)
WATER MONITOR (Varanus salvator)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/344930
You can see my iNaturalist report of non-avian taxa at this link: https://uk.inaturalist.org/projects/namibia-botswana-2022
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/nam22bTRIPLIST.pdf
-- Megan