248 | BIRDSCONTOUR REPORT (09.4.-19.4.'14)

248

Art. # 248

BIRDSCONTOUR REPORT

(09.04.’14 – 19.04.’14)

Text and photos from Stefan Rust

2014

(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belong to Stefan Rust)

Dear birding friends, 

as birdwatching is a relatively new and one of the fastest growing and a most popular pursuit, it attracts people of all ages around the world. There can hardly be a better place than southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa) to nurture an interest in birds as it supports almost 1000 bird species, which is about 10 per cent of the world's entire bird. Taking birding to new heights, Hobby-Ornithologist Stefan Rust together with BirdsConTour represents some of the ontour bird sightings and several other interesting birding aspects to showcase the fun of birding, promote citizen science, highlight conservation, indicate where to view what birds and raise awareness of southern Africa's (sometimes international) birds and their habitats.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORK GETS DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIONALLY

Have a quick look if your name or business is included in this scientific informational work (alphabetically arranged):

Barchan Dune Retreat

Desert Camp

Duwisib Gästefarm (Jochen Frank-Schultz)

Frank-Schultz Jochen (Duwisib Guestfarm)

Greifenstein Jürgen Dr.

Katutura

Leicher Birgit

Leicher Thalia

Moon Mountain Lodge

Rust Leni

Rust Wencke

Trip Travel (Isolde Venter)

Venter Isolde (Trip Travel)

Windhoek

Zebra Kalahari Lodge

Sites and countries visited during this period incl. amount of species per site:

(0-0 - Haven’t been there myself)

(single letter – indicates several sites per day)

09.04: (A) Gocheganas, Windhoek (21 species)

12.04: (A) Road from Windhoek to Barchan Dune Retreat (18 species), (B) Barchan

           Dune Retreat (19 species)

13.04: (A) Barchan Dune Retreat (3 species, additional to yesterday), (B) Road from

           Barchan Dune Retreat to Moon Mountain Lodge (19 species), (C) Moon Mountain

           Lodge (16 species)

14.04: (A) Road from Moon Mountain Lodge to Sossusvlei (4 species), (B) Namib Sand

           Sea (13 species), (C) Desert Camp (15 species)

15.04: (A) Desert Camp (2 species, additional to yesterday), (B) Road from Desert Camp

           to Duwisib Gästefarm (24 species), (C) Duwisib Gästefarm (38 species)

16.04: (A) Duwisib Gästefarm (3 species, additional to yesterday), (B) Road from

           Duwisib Gästefarm to Zebra Kalahari Lodge (25 species), Zebra Kalahari Lodge

           (35 species)

17.04: (A) Zebra Kalahari Lodge (4 species, additional to yesterday), (B) Road from

           Zebra Kalahari Lodge to Windhoek (18 species)

Total Distance traveled:

1 312 km

Personal Highlights:

AIDING WINGS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY

AIDING WINGS, HAPPY EASTER

JACKAL BUZZARD (adult white-breasted morph with entire underparts white)

KAROO CHAT

09.04.'14  Irmis Kinderecke, Windhoek, Namibia  Young Birders and Birding Training  Twenty four kids were awarded with an one penguin rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award. More info in article 241 under Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com.

09.04.'14  Gocheganas, Windhoek, Namibia  Great Egret (1) A common visitor at dams and sewage works.

12.04.’14 Barchan Dune Retreat, Namibia  Jackal Buzzard (1) An uncommon white-breasted morph individual lives in the mountains of Barchan Dune Retreat. As mosltly only the breast is white, but in this case the entire underparts are white, but its underwing coverts are black.

13.04.'14  Moon Mountain Lodge, Namibia  Spotted Thickknee (2) Presumably the loss of these birds through roadkills is bigger than expected. One injured bird was found nearby Solitaire on the C24 and not far away a second dead individual was found on the same road. These nocturnal birds can reach a proud age of 31-32 years.

14.04.'14  Desert Camp, Namibia  Karoo Chat (4) This near-endemic species to southern Africa seems to benefit from sparse vegetation cover in heavily grazed shrublands.

15.04.'14  Gästefarm Duwisib, Namibia  Lark-like Bunting (±50) Their egg laying time varies with rainfall, therefore some birds start building nests on Guestfarm Duwisib only now, because of late rains.

16.04.'14  Zebra Kalahari Lodge, Namibia  Common Quail (8) In North Africa it has been observed that early hatched young breed in the same season. In Europe the breeding productivity increases with high rainfall.

16.04.’14  Zebra Kalahari Lodge, Namibia  Bird & Birder Friendly Award  Dr. Jürgen Greifenstein supported BirdsConTour by making use of BirdsConTour as a guide for his tour. This generated income for BirdsConTour and as a means of appreciation he was rewarded with a one penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award (article # 243 in Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com).

17.04.’14  Corner of road D 1222 and B1 (inbetween Rehoboth and Kalkrand)  BirdsConTour for a cleaner Bird Habitat  With this regular cleaning session BirdsconTour tries to create an awareness in the public in regard of keeping the country clean and therefore saving life of animals (art. # 242 in Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com).

17.04.’14  Trip Travel, Windhoek, Namibia  Bird & Birder Friendly Award  For booking BirdsConTour as a guide, Mrs. Isolde Venter from Trip Travel was awarded with a one penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award. With this income money is created for bird conservation.

19.04.’14  Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia  Aiding Wings  International operating BirdsConTour (Birds Conservation & Tourism) formed the non-religious and non-political charity program Aiding Wings.

Read more about Aiding Wings in Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com, article 243.

19.04.’14  Katutura, Windhoek, Namibia  Aiding Wings, Happy Easter  Aiding Wings and a volunteer, Mrs. Birgit Leicher, visited impoverished children in Katutura, a township in Windhoek, Namibia, to give them an Easter surprise.

Read more about this surprise in Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com, article 245.

19.04.’14  Inge Raith, Otjiwarongo, Namibia  Bird & Birder Friendly Award  Mrs. Inge Raith, a senior citizen, is the first awardee receiving a two penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award in the town of Otjiwarongo, also known as the Cheetah Capital of the World.

Read more about this in Birds in Words, www.birdscontour.blogspot.com, article 247.

Index to bird species observed in this period:

(English names and date when seen)

(*  - See text about species on according date above)

(A or B – Appears when species is recorded at different sites on same day, specifying where on according date beneath species list)

-Abdim’s Stork   16.4.(B) /

-Acacia Pied Barbet   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(B) / 13.4.(C) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B)(C) /

-African Grey Hornbill   16.4.(C) /

-African Hoopoe    15.4.(C) /

-African Red-eyed Bulbul   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A)(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-African Sacred Ibis   16.4.(B) /

-African Scops-Owl   17.4.(A) /

-Ant-eating Chat   16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Barn Owl   13.4.(A) / 16.4.(A) /

-Barred Wren-Warbler   09.4.(A) /

-Black-chested Prinia   09.4.(A) / 13.4.(C) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Black-chested Snake-Eagle   14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B) / 16.4.(B) /

-Black-faced Waxbill   17.4.(B) /

-Black-headed Heron   16.4.(B) /

-Black-throated Canary   15.4.(C) /

-Black-winged Stilt   16.4.(B) /

-Bokmakierie   12.4.(B) / 13.4.(C) / 15.4.(C) /

-Booted Eagle   15.4.(C) /

-Bradfield’s Swift   14.4.(B) / 16.4.(B) /

-Brubru   15.4.(C) /

-Burchell’s Sandgrouse   13.4.(C) /

-Burchell’s Starling   16.4.(C) /

-Cape Crow   15.4.(B) /

-Cape Glossy Starling   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B) / 15.4.(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Cape Penduline-Tit   15.4.(C) /

-Cape Sparrow   12.4.(B) / 14.4.(A)(B) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Cape Turtle-Dove   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A)(B) / 14.4.(A)(B) / 15.4.(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Capped Wheatear   13.4.(B) /

-Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler   15.4.(C) /

-Common Fiscal   12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B)(C) / 15.4.(B) / 16.4.(C) /

-Common House-Martin   09.4.(A) /

-Common Ostrich   14.4.(B) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-*Common Quail   15.4.(C) / *16.4.(C) /

-Common Scimitarbill   12.4.(B) / 16.4.(A)(B)(C) /

-Common Swift   13.4.(B) /

-Crimson-breasted Shrike   09.4.(A) / 15.4.(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Crowned Lapwing   16.4.(A) /

-Dusky Sunbird   12.4.(B) / 13.4.(B)(C) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(C) /

-Egyptian Goose   15.4.(A) / 16.4.(B) /

-Eurasian Golden Oriole   13.4.(A) /

-Familiar Chat   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Fork-tailed Drongo   12.4.(A) / 15.4.(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Gabar Goshawk   17.4.(B) /

-Golden-tailed Woodpecker   15.4.(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-*Great Egret   *09.4.(A) /

-Great Sparrow   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Greater Kestrel   15.4.(B) /

-Greater Striped Swallow   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A)(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Grey-backed Camaroptera   15.4.(C) /

-Grey-backed Sparrowlark   12.4.(A) / 13.4.(A)(B)(C) / 14.4.(A)(C) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Grey Go-away-bird   09.4.(A) / 17.4.(B) /

-Grey Heron   16.4.(B) /

-Groundscraper Thrush   17.4.(A) /

-Hamerkop   16.4.(B) /

-Helmeted Guineafowl   12.4.(B) /

-House Sparrow   12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B) / 14.4.(B) / 17.4.(B) /

-*Jackal Buzzard   *12.4.(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Kalahari Scrub-Robin   16.4.(C) /

-*Karoo Chat   *14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B) /

-Lanner Falcon   14.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B) /

-*Lark-like Bunting   12.4.(A)(B) / 13.4.(B)(C) / 14.4.(C) / *15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) /

-Laughing Dove   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A)(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Lilac-breasted Roller   16.4.(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Little Swift   09.4.(A) / 16.4.(B) /

-Ludwig’s Bustard   13.4.(B) / 14.4.(A) /

-Marico Sunbird   17.4.(A) /

-Mountain Wheatear   12.4.(B) / 13.4.(C) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(C) /

-Namaqua Dove   15.4.(A)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Namaqua Sandgrouse   13.4.(C) / 14.4.(C) / 16.4.(B) / 17.4.(B) /

-Northern Black Korhaan   13.4.(B) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Pale-winged Starling   12.4.(B) / 13.4.(C) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B) /

-Pearl-spotted Owlet   16.4.(C) /

-Pied Crow   13.4.(B) / 14.4.(B) /

-Pririt Batis   16.4.(C) /

-Pygmy Falcon   13.4.(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver   16.4.(C) /

-Red-billed Spurfowl   09.4.(A) / 16.4.(C) /

-Red-crested Korhaan   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A) / 16.4.(C) /

-Rock Kestrel   12.4.(A)(B) / 13.4.(B) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B) /

-Rock Martin   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(B) / 13.4.(B)(C) / 14.4.(C) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B) /

-Rosy-faced Lovebird   13.4.(B) / 15.4.(C) /

-Rüppell’s Korhaan   14.4.(C) /

-Sabota Lark   09.4.(A) / 13.4.(C) / 15.4.(B) / 16.4.(C) /

-Scaly-feathered Finch   14.4.(B)(C) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Secretarybird   14.4.(B) / 15.4.(B) /

-Sociable Weaver   12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B)(C) / 14.4.(B) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B)(C) / 17.4.(B)

-South African Shelduck   16.4.(B) /

-Southern Grey-headed Sparrow   12.4.(A) / 14.4.(B) / 16.4.(C) /

-Southern Masked-Weaver   09.4.(A) / 12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B) / 15.4.(B) / 16.4.(C) /

-Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk   12.4.(A) / 13.4.(B) / 15.4.(B)(C) / 16.4.(B) / 17.4.(B)

-Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill   09.4.(A) / 16.4.(C) / 17.4.(B) /

-Speckled Pigeon   13.4.(A) / 14.4.(B)(C) / 15.4.(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Spike-heeled Lark   13.4.(C) /

-*Spotted Thick-knee   *13.4.(B) /

-Swallow-tailed Bee-eater   15.4.(C) / 16.4.(C) /

-Tractrac Chat   15.4.(B) /

-Verreaux’s Eagle   13.4.(B) /

-Violet Wood-Hoopoe   16.4.(C) /

-Wattled Starling   16.4.(C) /

-White-backed Mousebird   12.4.(A) / 17.4.(A) /

-White-browed Sparrow-Weaver   12.4.(B) / 16.4.(B)(C) /

-White-throated Canary   12.4.(B) /

-Yellow Canary   15.4.(B) /

-Yellow-bellied Eremomela   15.4.(C) /

Total number of species identified:

104

Enjoy Birding, 

Stefan Rust

Please note: Most scientific information has been taken from Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, V11th edition!

(For further reading see www.birdscontour.blogspot.com)

(For more information contact Stefan Rust on +264 (0)81 129 8415 or birdscontour@iway.na)