Sandwich Harbor Tours

Over the last few days I did some day tours down to Sandwich Harbor. Sandwich Harbor is really an amazing area. One drives south from Walvis Bay, one of Namibia's coastal towns. Once you pass the salt works on the southern end of the town, you are in a landscape of dunes, salt flats and beaches, with very little to remind you that there is a town only a few kilometers away.

I did the tours with a company called Turnstone Tours. I have been familiar with the company for some time, but this was the first time I had actually done tours for them. Turnstone have been one of those companies I have admired for some time. It's small and the owner, Bruno Nebe, still does many of the tours himself. The main reason for liking the company is all the feedback that I got from my own guests over the years at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge who had done tours with Turnstone. Of all the companies at the coast, the feedback that I got about Turnstone was by far the best.

Sandwhich Harbor is uninhabited, but once was the a rather important spot on the coast due to fresh water springs.  Today the fresh water is getting less and the dunes have covered most past human activity.  The lagoons and mudflats support huge numbers of birds and the area is a ramsar site.

The tour runs for a full day from Swakopmund.  If you are planning to spend some time at the coast it is certainly worth doing the tour, and I can say with certainty that Turnstone is the company to do it with.  It's not a place to take lightly in terms of the driving.  The dunes, dangerous salt marshes (with quicksand if it gets wet,) and the tides that can trap you along the dunes all mean that it's a much better tour to do with a local expert than to try to negotiate it yourself.  You could loose your car.

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Coastal Day Tours - Safari Wise

 

This post is simply an announcement that Safari Wise have brought out their brochure for their day tours at Namibia's central coastal region.  I will be doing most of these day trips, with a big focus on the coastal birding, for them.

These pictures are of the brochure which they have printed.  These are simply screen shots.  You can also view the pdf version of the day tour brochures.

 If you plan to be in Namibia some time in the near future, please don't hesitate to get hold of me or Safari Wise for one of these trips.

I will be posting more detail about each of the trips on my website some time in the future, once I have a feel for how they run.  I am sure that Safari Wise will do so themselves as well, in a more professional fashion manner than I can do.

 

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Swakop River Mouth Bird Count March

Today we counted the birds at the small lagoon at the Swakop River Mouth. I have been writing about the Swakop River in earlier posts. Having had a significant flood event this year, where the river reached the Atlantic Ocean, the whole system has changed. This bird count was significant because it was the first monthly count of the river bed since the river flowed.

I mentioned before that the very high tides had flooded into the lagoon. Today it was clear that this has had a major impact. I didn't take notes, and so I don't have actual numbers to give, but it was certainly clear that the total number of birds had gone down significantly. There was only one grater flamingo, very few waders and generally less birds.

Should we be concerned? Probably not. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next few months. It is a really small wetland, and elsewhere nobody would be to concerned at all, but obviously we are in a desert here, and wetlands are few and far between. One wetland out of the loop, so to speak, could be a significant problem. We don't know, but we will certainly learn more as the year goes on.

For now there are still lots of pool in the river bed. But as time goes on these may dry. It is still rainy seasons, and perhaps the whole river could reach the ocean another time. Many of the birds such as Ducks, Teals and Coots may be holding out in these bits of water further up the river for the time being.

So, for now there are really more questions than answers about what the river has done to the system and the overall wetland status here at the coast. It is interesting, though, to be watching while it all happens.

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Today's birding at Mile 4 salt works

I went out this morning for a nice bit of birding at the Mile 4 salt works. It was foggy when I went out, but the fog was not obstructing the view, so it was fine.

Today's birds: Cape Cormorant (thousands,) Common Whimbrel, Kelp Gull, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover, White-fronted Plover, Sandwich Tern, Hartlaub's Gull, Greater Flamingo, Damara Tern (only a few, they will be gone soon,) Common Tern, Swift Tern, Common Greenshank, Black-necked Grebe, Pied Avocet, White-breasted Cormorant, Cape Teal, Little Egret, Barn Swallow (heading off soon?) Cape Wagtail, Black-winged Stilt, Lesser Flamingo (actually lots today,) African Black Oystercatcher, Ruff (only a few, and looking better by the day, ready for breeding further north,) and lastly the star of the day, a Common Redshank, a rare bird we have been seeing lots of, but it is still a rare vagrant. The picture with this post is a much cropped picture with the Common Redshank.

There were lots of young White-fronted plover's around. It's always amazing how they make it in these very open habitats. You would think the Kelp Gulls would have them all.

I also watched Kelp Gulls harass Cape Cormorants until they regurgitate the contents of their crops, which the Gulls would quickly eat.

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Birding Namibia's central coastal region - Some background

I have noticed a lot of new visitors on my blog. I thought I will just give a brief background to birding in this area, Namibia's central coast.

First, why am I a bird guide in Namibia's central coastal area. Well, for me it's just getting going. I have lived in Namibia for over 10 years (grew up in Kenya and studied in South Africa.) I lived here in Swakopmund for a number of years, before moving to Sossusvlei where I spend around 7 years. The whole time I was guiding and the whole time I had a passion for birds, birding, and sharing birds and nature in general with guests.

I have found with time, as I have learned more, that I enjoy specialist tours more, simply because there is a focus. I have been birding the area for all these years and now my family live here and I have two boys who need school. I was offered a deal by Safari Wise to do their coastal birding and regular day tours. I was also trying to start up Frantic Naturalist Tours and Safaris, my own company. It will still get going in the long run, but for now, with a downturn in the economy and with kids needing dad around a little more, it's great to have the chance to do birding here. It's just getting going, but I am confident that it should be a good arrangement.

So that's me, Safari Wise and birding in this area.

The area: Swakopmund and Walvis Bay sit near each other and hold a few wetland areas that are great birding spots. These towns sit on a coastline, the Skeleton Coast, a vast desert area with few town, few people and few wetlands.

Why come birding in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay?

1. Walvis Bay Lagoon and salt works
   
   Description: Walvis Bay Lagoon is situated just north of the massive Namib Sand Sea, the huge region of sand that includes Sossusvlei. South-east of the Lagoon, the bigger dunes can be seen, and dunes pose a realistic threat to Walvis Bay itself.
   
   The Lagoon is created by a 14 kilometre sandbar stretching northwards. On the northern side the water is deep, creating Walvis Bay's main economy, the harbor.
   
   Further south it get more shallow and creates an area of tidal mudflats. Some of these mudflats are vast.
   
   South of the mudflats are commercial Salt Works. Here large pans are flooded with sea water and evaporation is used to get the salt. This area is important for birds like Lesser Flamingo because in these warmer pans (being shallower than the ocean, and not influenced as much by the tide) are good for Algae that the flamingos feed on.
   
   Walvis Bay is good for terns, both greater and Lesser Flamingos, a great population of Black Necked Grebe, as well as loads of migrant waders. The Chestnut Banded Plover population is up and down.
   Links
   Peregrines Birding Blog did a post on Walvis Bay. I have also posted some stuff on Walvis Bay, here's one.
   The Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia (CETN) has a useful website with information about the Walvis Bay Lagoon. They were instrumental in getting the Lagoon registered as a Ramsar Site and they oversee the bi-annual wetland counts for the Lagoon.
   


2. Swakopmund Salt Works
   Description: The Swakopmund Salt works is not situated in a lagoon like Walvis Bay. The site is also restricted and so most birders can only do the outside of it. One can, though, drive right round the whole periphery of the area. This area has a guano platform (a large wooden platform to collect bird poo) which means there are huge numbers of Cape Cormorants around. Rare birds frequently show up here. It can be good for Terns.
   Links: This is my regular spot, and so I post frequently about it on this blog about the area.
   


3. Swakop Sewage Works
   Description: A small area, but packed full of birds. It is in the middle of town. It's a great area to see ducks and things like that, not often seen on the more open lagoon and wetlands. It is, though, a sewage works area, and may not appeal to everyone. The area is closed after working hours and on weekends.
   Links: I also visit this area somewhat regularly, and so it will also feature in this blog.
   


4. Swakop River Mouth
   Description: A small wetland at the mouth of the Swakop River just separated by the Atlantic by a short stretch of beach. The wetland is small, but can be a rewarding birding site. We do monthly counts of the area, and recently had an American Golden Plover as a fun rarity for twitchers.
   Link: I also regularly count this spot, and participate when I can in the monthly counts. A recent bit of excitement has been the river flooding.
   I found a site that has a short video of the Swakop River Mouth. Nothing fancy but it gives you an idea. They were not super birders and I left a little comment you can check out at the bottom of the post. Check it out here
   


5. The Gravel Plains
   Description: The Gravel Plains are fast areas of desert devoid of Dunes for the most part, and often covered by small gravelly rocks or with a gypsum crust. Nearby Swakopmund the main reason to visit the gravel plains is to see Lichens, but for birders, one of Namibia's near endemic birds is only found on these plains, the Grey's Lark.
   


6. The Kuiseb River
   Description: The Kuiseb river makes a fascinating desert outing and for birders it gives a chance to see some of the typical Namibian birds that one doesn't often see at the coast. The Kuiseb river blocks the northward march of the Namib Sand Sea, Namibia's largest dune field, and the vegetated dunes on the river's south bank is a great place to find Namibia's only totally endemic bird, the Dune Lark.
   Links: Some info can be found at the Gobabeb Training and Research Center's website.
   


7. Further out
   Description: If you stay in Walvis Bay you could do a trip out for a day or a couple days. This may be an ideal way to do a good bit of local birding, and may suit South Africans very nicely. Perhaps a night in Omaruru or the Erongo mountains and then a night up to Damaraland and back to Swakopmund. There are many options for this kind of arrangement. If you would like to do this kind of birding trip, get hold of me or contact Safari Wise.
   

There is more useful information in NACOMA'S website.

Email me for recommendations on accommodation if you like.

If you plan to visit the area, you may find there books useful. Get them from Amazon: Birding in Namibia and Sasol Birds of Southern Africa.

Namibia is one of the safest and logistically simple countries in Africa to visit. It is rewarding for birders and nature lovers. The central coastal area's wetlands are especially special for birding as it holds a few wet areas along a huge desert coast, where rain seldom falls at all. It's interesting, rewarding, beautiful, perhaps a little strange, and well worth a visit. For more information about Namibia, please contact me. If you enjoyed this post please share it with others who may be interested or bookmark it on social media sites. You are most welcome to leave a comment.

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More on Swakop River

In reference to my previous post on the Swakop river flooding, I thought I would just post a link for those interested in the area, but who have not visited Namibia yet. I plan to spend a good bit of time birding the Swakop River mouth over the next week or so to see what happens, and will, of course, blog about what is going on.

The best place for information about a lot of what I talk about is the NACOMA website, and specifically the page 'walk our coast.'

The Namibian, a prominent Namibian newspaper, had a story about the Swakop River reaching the Atlantic.

That whole page contains lots of information about Namibia's coastline, and for any traveler planning to visit the region, it is certainly worth reading.

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New Life Bird

Today we decided to take a drive north of Swakopmund, past the town of Henties Bay and past Cape Cross. It's an interesting area mainly because it is so remote. The beach stretches for miles with very few people around.

We drove out to the beach and just had a look around. We were north Cape Cross where the huge Fur Seal colony is and there were hundreds of dead seal bodies along the beach. We really didn't know why? Is it just normal, or has the recent warm water or overfishing or something like that had an impact? Not sure.

But we did see a number of Kelp Gulls, a very normal bird along this coast. But as we drove along we saw another bird sitting on the coast. It was a little smaller than the Kelp Gulls. As we got close we had a good look and identified it as a Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus. It's not a very unusual bird, but it was new for me. These days each new bird is celebrated, so it's a good day for me!

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Walvis Bay Birding trip

Most of my birding is done around Swakopmund, but today I went to Walvis Bay for a morning birding at the Lagoon. It wasn't a great time of day because the tide was in, but I still had a good time birding.

Birds for the day: Hartluab's Gull, Common Tern, Kelp Gull, Cape Cormorant, Greater Flamings, Pied Avocet, Cape Wagtail, Grey Plover, Common Greenshank, Grey-headed Gull, Common Whimbrel, Sanderlings, White-fronted Plover, Common Sandpiper (only one,) Cape Teal (Huge numbers of them,)Little Egret, Caspian Tern, Grey Heron, Black-necked Grebe, Ruddy Turnstone, White-breasted Cormorant, Ruff, Little Stint, Common Ringed Plover, Chestnut Banded Plover (a fair number,) Red Knot (only a couple,) Bar-tailed Godwit and thousands upon thousands of Curlew Sandpiper.

Amongst others, the Curlew Sandpipers appear to have their first hint of breeding plumage. For those of you in the northern hemisphere, this means summer is on it's way!

What I missed: Lesser Flamingos. They are often more numerous on the salt pans south of the Lagoon. I saw a distant bunch of pink and I presume those were Lessers. It is different from other areas, because the salt supports more algae blooms, it's better food for the lessers. The small shrimps and things the Greaters eat are more abundant in the regular lagoon. Kittlitz's Plover an Three-banded Plover (I must have seen them, but didn't write it down, and can't actually remember one,)

Notable others that I missed, Swift, Damara, Black and Sandwich terns. I am sure there were good numbers of them around, just not a good time to see them. Marsh Sandpiper would have been nice. As would a phalarope or two. But I didn't see any of those. No rare or unusuals either.

It is really such a pleasure to bird the lagoon. It is a very vast area and round the back I was mostly totally alone. Great morning outing!

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Bird Ring

I mentioned that I had found a dead bird with a ring on it's leg. Today I found out where it was ringed.

The bird, whose metal ring was a SAFRING ring, was ringed on the 27th of April on Possession Island, off the Namibian coast. Did you know that there was also a Plumpudding Island off Namibia's coast? Well it has nothing to do with Possession, but it must have given the guys who did the naming something to smile about.

The birds was obviously a young bird, and didn't make it's first year. It was probably a Jackal that got hold of it (by it's state, and I could see from the tracks when I found the dead bird.

If you don't know what a Swift Tern is, I found some pics here and here.

There was a white stork reported today at the Salt works. It's not an unusual bird in Namibia, but doesn't show up at the coast much, and it seems there are now records of it ever at the Salt works. I went to have a look, but no luck. I went at mid-day when I was going to pick up my boys from school, so the light was bad. I might try later again.

I still haven't seen the gull that I saw earlier with the dark head. I would really like to find it again. It certainly could be something special.

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Frantic Naturalist stuff

Well, the we still haven't found the gull with the black head again. I have been studying the field guides. I really need to get a better view. It could be a very dark Grey-headed Gull, which is a local bird.

I am changing things around here at Frantic Naturalist, just for fun. It will take a while, as I am busy with various things, including trying to find above bird.

Tomorrow is our Swakop River Mouth count. I went down their a couple of days ago. I was interested to see it, just in case the river came down. Till now the Swakop River hasn't reached the mouth.

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Daily birding turns up a rare bird

Well, recently I go birding every day. Very often I go alone. Sometimes I go in the late afternoon with my kids and just have a look around. I just feel it's important to get out every single day. I am really working on building tours on the one hand, and just having fun on the other. But almost every birder has the idea at the back of their head that they may just turn up something rare.

This afternoon I was out with my boys at the Mile 4 Salt works. It isn't too far from home, and I take the boys out there to get a bit of space and let my older one ride his bike. I went round to have a look at a tern roost while I was there.

While I was looking around I saw a gull with a dark head. It's easy to miss in the group of terns. But sure enough it was a gull with a somewhat darker head. It didn't look dark enough to be Franklin's Gull. I thought it must be a Common Black-headed Gull.

My kids were getting restless, and so I took them back home, grabbed various field guides to help with the id. The bird was really far off, not moving much at all, and the day was running out. I tried and tried to get a better view. I would still put my money on Common Black-headed Gull, which, though we had one in Walvis Bay recently, is still a rare bird. A Franklin's would be much better.

Anyway, day ran out, and I still haven't seen the wings, which would really clinch it. I hope to get out there with a friend tomorrow with a scope and hope to still catch up with the bird. It's no mega, but it's still a big deal to call in a rare bird. It was a lifter for me just recently, and I am getting to the point where lifers are starting to be very hard to come by in this region of the country.

If you know these birds, here is some of what I saw:

It sat low down, hardly lifing it's head at all. That could just be the result of getting lost. Other rare birds I have seen in this area do have a bit of a daze about them. I think if you show up lost on the central Namib coast as a bird, you are super lost.

Anyway, head looked a bit grizzled in front, more uniform behind. It doesn't extend very far down the back of the neck.

There is some white around the eye. It was really hard to get a good look at it, despite great light. It was just to far off. But it seemed to me that the white around the eye was only above the eye.

The color of the beak I couldn't say. Legs too. The belly was a yellowish compared with the terns. Still white, but not as white as the terns. The back was similar color to a Common Tern, slightly darker than Sandwich tern. It was never near other gulls, but when I compared it with Hartlaub's gulls, it seemed smaller. But that could just be the fact that it sat low down, and perhaps it was further in the water. It was constantly surounded by a lot of terns.

Anyway, hopefully we shall see.

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