Doing a Nature Oriented Tour of Namibia

Some time back I wrote a blog post called Ten Reasons to Visit Namibia. The post has been one of my most read posts, and I still get a visitor or two there till now. I have also found that I spend a lot of time dispensing advice to people who write to me directly or through social media, such as Twitter. Over the last few weeks my wife and I have been working on using Frantic Naturalist to set up a web based booking office. We are still working on the details of that and I'll tell you more about it in the coming days. But the basic idea is to create an information platform to sell various things such as activity bookings, hotel and lodge bookings and so on through it.

As a result of building the website, I have been doing a lot of reading and talking about Namibia, it's various bits and pieces, the tourist routes, stuff like that. Namibia really is a wonderful country. I have been so fortunate to have seen more of the country than most Namibians would ever have the chance to do.

I am guessing that I can assume with some confidence that if you are reading this blog you have some clue as to where Namibia is (if not, I'm sorry...look it up).

I'll also assume you enjoy nature...since you are reading a blog called Frantic Naturalist.

So, just for fun, here is a mock-up Namibia tour itinerary for the Nature Enthusiast. I'll be sort of vague where I can, so that this can be used for either a top end trip, or more middle budget. I don't think it will fit to well for a cheap trip, but with a bit of help, it could be done fairly cheap.

Day 1. Land in Windhoek, travel in to town, stay (I would recommend a guest house over a hotel). If you have the energy, go out to Avis dam for a walk around. You may be interested in the botanical gardens, though they are not that interesting. Sleep well...lots of travel to come.

Day 2. Travel to eastern Etosha. If it is the dry time, basically you just want to get this done with. It's a really long drive. You could even fly it, and get a guide to meet you at a lodge east of Etosha or perhaps even organise delivery of a hire vehicle there?

If you are a birder, doing this now (rainy season - Feb, March, April sort of time) slow that first day down just enough to spend time stopping for raptors.

With good timing you could do a drive in Etosha.

Day 3 (and maybe even day four) spend doing drives in the eastern part of Etosha. I could (and probably will elsewhere) write a great deal about how to do game drives in Etosha if you are there self drive. The basic plan usually is something like:
Cover ground early in the morning, both at waterholes and away. This is the time to see a lot more of the exotic things, including cats and rhinos, that you are not likely to see later on.

Once it gets hotter and animals are slowing down, make a deliberate effort to change your approach. I think it is a good idea to go for a toilet stop at Namutoni. Then head out, but this time plan to head to waterholes and no longer aim for the exotic things. Now spend time watching whatever is there. Zebra, Springbok, Ostrich, Giraffe, Kudu, Guinefowl, Tawny Eagle, Parrots, the terrapins in the water trying to take Red-billed Quelea...basically, get the mad rush out of your head and take time to REALLY enjoy, experience, absorb the experience.

When you feel a bit sleepy/hot, head back to camp, have some brunch, take a walk around the lodge grounds/campsite. I like a place like Kempinski Mokuti Lodge for that. It is not a typical game lodge...more sort of resort/hotel...ish, but because of that there are huge grounds that you can walk around in. By mid morning there are actually lots of birds around...look for water spots. If you are at Mokuti, go to the snake/reptile park. It isn't the best (not much in the way of small stuff) but it's grounds are good for birds too.

Take some time to relax and head out for the afternoon. My afternoon plan always depended on two things, 1. What we had already seen (and what my guests still wanted to see), 2. What I had found out earlier in the day. As a guide, Etosha is always fun because you have a huge number of people who can give you an idea of whats happening where in the park.

But, usually you will want to plan your afternoon around doing about three waterholes, saving the best for last. I would say, without any knowledge of something at another waterhole, you should end with Chudop. Leave enough time for the gate - don't make a mad rush for it...trust me, you don't want to run into an Elephant...not good for health or insurance.

Day 5(ish) - the 'cross the park' day. Trust me, this day is tiring. Driving 160 km is very easy. Doing a game drive is a whole different story. So, what you want to do is do it just like any other day. Get up early and spend time looking for cool stuff while making good progress for the first hour or so. Then slow it down at the waterholes as it warms up. Then take a good break for lunch at Halali. I advise a rest there, and a swim just before you head back out to cool yourself down (remember to keep your swimming stuff handy). You could even spend a night in Halali. Sometimes the grounds staff can find owls for you...ask the security guards. And give them something for their efforts.

Mid afternoon head through to Okaukuejo for the remainder of the cross park journey. Usually this bit feels especially long. I advice just doing it straight, especially if you have a couple days on that side of the park to do all the loops and waterholes.

Once you get back into camp settle in and relax a bit. Unless it is rainy season, you want to really spend a good amount of time at the waterholes at night.

Your days here would be much like I explained for the other side of the park except that you really want to spend a lot of time at the waterhole at night, so give yourself plenty of time to rest in the day.

Day 7 or so: Heading out from Etosha, you could go a number of places, most of which are far to the west. I would suggest going to Etendeka Mountain Camp. It is a very simple, small camp on a huge area getting into the drier regions. Etendeka (and the nearby Palmwag area) is unique. One of the reasons for doing Etosha first is to get the 'mega-fauna' stuff out of the way, but the Etendeka area still has a good bit of wildlife, especially considering how dry the area is. Here you could find things like the Desert Elephants, Black Rhino, Giraffe, Cheetah, Leopard, Lions and Hyena. But you may not see any of these in a visit to the region. It is the setting, more than anything, that is just so amazing. Etendeka is set in a massive 1km thick layering of Basalt. The lava had actually flowed enough to make the volcanic rock appear to be sedimentary. It is a dark red landscape. It is one of those places that a person in a rush comes to and sort of thinks "Why did I come here" for one afternoon, and then over the next day you settle in, your mind slows down, and you find, actually, that visiting that place is the reason you came to Namibia in the first place.

Let me emphasise it, because in my experience, it is important. I learned so much of this stuff from the couple hundred travel agents I have had the pleasure of driving around in Namibia. I can probably write an interesting book about travel agent psychology, but one of the main thing is the percentage of them (lets say 30%...I think 60 or perhaps its 99%) who have the 'checklist' mentality.

It is not their fault. Most of these people don't own the company they work for. They are on educational trips and are told "Find out why people should go to ....". They come to make lists.

Etendeka isn't good for lists. But it is good for visitors for exactly that reason. It is simple. No decoration. Simple tents. Simple canvas structure main lapa. Some of the food is cooked on an open fire or in a solar oven. Water is budgeted. Have you ever taken a bucket shower? Visit Etendeka, it's special.

With enough time, you could head north from there and visit some of the more remote parts of Namibia. That is the area where you find the Himba people. You'll probably want to travel there with some of the tour operators who know the area well.

Day...after leaving Etendeka: Okay, back on my tour, we are heading back to the Twyfelfontein area, to the south of Etendeka. It isn't a long drive, so you can take it easy. In the evening perhaps do a drive with the lodge you are staying at. If you are interested in Geology, the area has some interesting sites...well documented elsewhere, so I am not going to go into detail here.

You could stay at Mowani Lodge if you are looking for a nice place. Stay one night, and, after packing up, get going early for the walk at Twyfelfontein in the morning. Then you want to make your way down to the coast.

Swakopmund and the coast is strange and foggy, but there is a lot of stuff to do. There are a whole range of adventure activities, there are some nice shops for those who are interested in stuff like that. But for the nature enthusiast, there really are lots of things to do. I would suggest going down to Sandwich Harbor, which I wrote about before.

You could also do a boat trip. Perhaps go with Mola Mola...I can't really advise at this time which is the best company.

I would stay at the Beach Lodge if you have transport. It is a little out of the center of town. Not that town is really busy, but when you have been out in the bush, it's just nice to still keep out of the center of town.

You could spend a two or even three nights in Swakopmund with ease.

Last leg: Head down to Sesriem and Sossusvlei. If you can afford it, stay on NamibRand Nature Reserve, where three nights would be very worth while. At some of the more simple places, perhaps two nights are better. I have written about Sossusvlei a few times - here is one Sossusvlei post, and you can search for others.

From there, head back to Windhoek for your trip out.

This is somewhat of a standard route, but would be a great trip.

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Kenya reminiscing

This blog post has been sitting half finished for a while. I have been doing a lot of thinking back lately, so it fits the theme. Do you have a special childhood memory of a place you once lived? Tell me about it:


I grew up in Kenya and my parents and brother and his family still live there.  I left Kenya in 1992 after finishing school and I have only been back a few times.  I am not usually someone who dwells in the past, but sometimes enjoy thinking back to those days. This post was inspired by a few lines in a friends recent blog post:

When and where were you happiest?
Consciously: Kenya, 1991-1992.
Subconsciously: In any airport or airplane going anywhere.

[Reference: Living a Quotable Life ~ Feeling Vainly Proustful]

When I read Kenya 1991-1992 was her happiest time I thought it was rather sad...it's a long time ago. But it got me thinking, what was it like. Was I also happiest then? I don't think so, but it was a special time in my life and certainly laid the groundwork for who I am now. Most of all, my Kenya childhood boosted my interest in Nature.

So I thought I would share with you areas in Kenya that have a special meaning to me in terms of my appreciation for nature:

1.  Korr.  Don't look on a map, you probably will not find it.  It is in the heart of northern Kenya, deep in the Kaisut desert.  This was (and is) where my parents lived and worked with the Rendille people.  When I was at home it was total freedom.  Hiking and riding motorbikes around this area gave me such a deep appreciation for nature.  I know motorbikes don't sound like they are to environmentally friendly (although, emission wise, they are better than cars). But it was the freedom to get out in the wild, all over the place, that made it so special to me. Thanks to Somali bandits, the area remained really remote. The bandits had no interest in the poor nomads in the desert, they were after political interests. But it meant very few tourists, very little development, not much of the modern world. We only got out first TV (in my parents apartment in Nairobi) when I was 17. TV had little to do with my childhood. We had solar lights (ah, you see, now I made up for the motorbike riding, right). So, our power would run out early most days, and we would go to bed and wake up early. It is a hot place. Really hot. So for kids who wanted to do stuff, it was important to get out and about early. We got on a mission with climbing mountains. It was amazing. I still hold on to a dream of one day taking tours through the area if the bandits left. But for now the situation remains a little poor.

2. Mombasa and the coast. We would stay in cottages as a family and spend hours in the ocean snorkling. I don't know much about what I saw. We never had field guides or anything. We just snorkeled and swam and had a good time. I love the warm Indian Ocean. It is really a thing I miss a lot on the western side of Africa. Sometime we were their on conferences, and that was fantastic...just a bunch of kids having fun. Mostly it involved late nights playing risk and Dutch blitz.

3. The Rift Valley escarpment. I did my high school at Rift Valley Academy, which was such a great location. We spent a lot of our free time in the forest. I had a really special bunch of friends, all with an interest in the outdoors. It laid a strong groundwork for my future.

4. The lakes (especially Baringo and Naivasha.) It has to be one of the most fantastic things about Kenya, these lakes. Good times were had there. Baringo is such a special place. It is considered among the best birding spots on the continent.

5. Nairobi National Park. Perhaps an odd one, but my parents spent time in conferences and workshops on a regular basis. We spent times in Nairobi National Park. Once I had my driver's license, I spent a great deal of time there on my own too.

6. Tsavo National Park. It is just such a fantastic park. I don't know what it is like now, but there was a time when the lodges were all in one small region. If you drove, you could get far away from tourists. There was less wildlife, but it was wild. I had one special trip with a friend towards the end of school. We drove out there and spent time just exploring. I really thought at the time...I need to become a conservationist. I never really did, but I did study Nature Conservation Management for four year and have become a more insightful nature guide as a result.

7. Samburu National Park (and Buffalo Springs)...special place. Grevy Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe. Stuff like that. Wonderful. It was our half way stop on the way home

and many more.

There was (is) a wildness in East Africa that isn't here in Namibia. It was a great, great country to grow up in.

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What Is So Special About Deserts

Long time readers of this blog would have noticed that I have a special interest in deserts.  A lot of that has to do with how I grew up, but I have often found that many nature enthusiasts don't think of deserts as being that interesting.  I'll just share some of what makes it special to me, from a nature oriented point of view.

1.  You see everything.  One thing that has been really fun for me over the years has been to learn about the behavior of animals that I have had the great fortune of seeing on a daily basis.

One animal that stands out is the Oryx, a arid-adapted antelope that is so special to the Namib.  They are attractive just to look at, but I have come to appreciate so much more about them simply because I have had the opportunity to observe them well.  The reason why it stands out to me is because if you are in areas that are more thicket like, you only witness small amounts of behavior and then the animal disappears into the bush.  And often that behavior that you see may be influenced by the presence of people and vehicles.




In the desert you see thing from far away, far enough that your presence has little influence, and open enough that you can sit and watch the whole interaction play itself out.  It really becomes small simple things that you appreciate.  One thing that has been fun to observe is simply when a herd moves form one bull's territory to another's.  There is a whole host of interactions that goes on...the old bull walking right to the edge of his territory, watching them go, the other bull waiting in anticipation.  Then he starts to sort out the young males, making sure they stay well away from the interesting females.  Then checking each female, and getting varied responses.  The whole process can take a long time.

That's just one example, and of course there are many other things that you just get to observe better than you would in the 'bush'.

2.  It's simple.  This isn't always so correct, but you get a great feel for ecology and interactions on different levels, because there are fewer things to confuse the whole process.  It's a bit hard to explain, but the ecology is a little more fun to try to understand because there isn't a lot of factors to consider.

3.  This one is special to the Namib, but you get to observe all this wildlife with amazing landscapes as a backdrop to the whole experience.

4.  It's less irritating.  Go birding in African woodlands, and after a short walk you have little gnats and things in your nose and ears while you peer at the birds in the canopy.  Sure, there are things like that in the desert, but to a large extent you don't have so many bugs to bother you while you are out on foot.

5.  It's all special simply because of the aridity.  Every animal, every plant, all this life in the desert, all of it has to deal with significant aridity...the problems of temperature and temperature control with limited water and often limited food sources.  Life is harder, and yet many organisms embrace it.

6.  One thing that was special to me about the Namib, and I think this doesn't make is stick out from other deserts, but rather from ecosystems that have more commercialization...deserts are still rather unknown.  Especially the so called "Pro-Namib" area that I got to know, isn't well known by scientists, and there is very little knowledge about it within the public in general.  It means that you have the chance to get a special inside look.  It's a special, unique ecosystem to try to understand.

7. Because there are fewer bushes, and often sandy soils, it's an easy place to learn tracking, and animal tracks can tell you so much about an ecosystem. In the desert you learn so much about the nocturnal activity that is so important in a place with souring day time temperatures.

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Enjoy Nature Alone

Noki, or Dassie Rat, seen on a walk on NamibRand Nature Reserve

I wanted to write this post some time ago. I am a very quiet person by nature, but, on the other hand, I am also sort of a people's person...I enjoy the company of people very much. When it comes to experiencing nature by far the majority of my time in nature has been with others. Having worked as a guide for over a decade, obviously the vast majority of my time was spent taking people out to experience nature in Namibia.

Other than that, I have also been out with birders, and really LOVE the chance to get to learn from some the the gurus (of which I am not one, of course.) I have been really lucky to meet really interesting people in my time, and love every minute I spend with those people in nature.

I have also got out and about with friends...and that is so fantastic. Adventure.

Already, but hopefully more in the future, I enjoy experiencing nature with my two boys. That's very, very special to me. Some of my best Namibian memories are trips to Etosha and the Okavango Delta with my family. The same is true of my growing up years visiting nature reserves with my family.

But I also love getting out alone and do it often. To me it's somewhat therapeutic. Sometimes I have a strong focus on learning new stuff or trying to understand what is happening with changing seasons and animals moving...what are they eating, who is hunting who...that kind of stuff. This may seem strange, but I also do it to keep fit. I get out and sometimes just run on the hills. When I was growing up, I spent hours walking in the desert and when I was studying I spent a lot of time getting out on my own. I love sitting in a bird hide, or hiding near natural water points in dry places and just watching it come alive. I love the challenge of finding new thing, such as new birds for my life list or simply seeing those animals you don't often see because they are small and shy. Nokis (also called Dassie Rats, but that name causes confusion), for example...little rock dwelling animals that really come out when you are still for a long time.

I find that it is these experiences that help you to learn the instinctive things about nature. You develop that much more of an authority of the region because of having experienced it that way. I believe that it has helped me become a good guide and set me apart from a lot of my peers over the years. Perhaps it just set me apart for being a little strange...if so, that's okay.

But most of all, it has helped me develop a strong passion for nature. I have strong feelings about conservation and the environment in general. I get excited about the prospect of getting out and understanding an area, getting to know what is happening with wildlife and the ecosystem in general. I am a total generalist, and enjoy taking in the experience on many levels. It's an important part of me...Frantic Naturalist.

So, I'll challenge you to do the same some time. You don't need to go to the greatest game parks in Africa. You can visit a local nature reserve, get out on a lake or river, or anywhere where nature is found. Go out there by yourself and slow right down, and take it in. Be an observer of nature, and enjoy it.

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Sharing a Passion

In his blog post, why I became a blogger, a blogger who calls himself Smart Boy talks about why he blogs, and puts it down to passion.

You don't have to wonder to much about passion when you see a blog called Frantic Naturalist. I will admit that early on I did just like the ring of it, and thought it would be unique. But it does represent a passion that I have for nature.

I am interested in how people perceive nature. As a ranger (the name for guides at &beyond) one of the big issues was trying to 'get into the head of your guest.' There were nice catchy slogons for doing it and it was such a big part of how they feel about guiding. If your guest is a keen birder...you should find that out early. Likes walking...photography, or whatever.

But one of the big thing for me was trying to understand how they enjoyed nature. For me the passion has always been to try to understand deeper. Why do the animals do what they do. Plants, weather, geology, stars, and so on.

For others, it's a shear admiration of nature in itself. It's an aesthetic measure. Take them to the dunes and they are simply blown away by the scene. Or a wildlife sighting.

Each person precieves nature in their own way. We each have our reasons for the passion we feel. Certainly a big part of blogging about nature is to react to that passion we feel for nature, and the desire to share it.

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Life List - Birding Eccentricities

[Image:  Part of a page on my life list]

Birding has its various eccentricities, and one of the most common is the creation of a so called 'life list.'  There are lots of feelings about these lists, some love them to the point of obsession and others hate them and see them as a non-scientific endeavor, or believe that those who keep such a list would not appreciate nature for itself.

Personally, I believe, as with so many things, that there is a healthy middle ground.  I keep my life list.  I can get a little obsessed, especial when in range of easy to get new birds for my list.  But I see the other side as well, and I appreciate nature and birds for their behavior, adaptations and simply for their beauty.  Despite 'listing' I believe that I appreciate birds as much, if not a whole lot more, than many others.  I do find them fascinating.

I did a post some time back on taking field notes. I mentioned in that post that listing would be worth a post on its own. This post looks at why listing is perceived as not being good, why I believe listing is just fine and how I go about doing keeping my life list.

1.  Why do people believe that listing is not good?

• Fist off, birders (twitchers) are simply people who run around like mad, add to the carbon issue by traveling around, and on seeing a bird simply 'tick' it and go all the way home.
• Listers are not interested in bird behavior and other aspects of their lives.
• Listers are competitive.  Tom Gullick is sitting at 8725 at the time of writing [ref:Surfbirds.com]
  
• Listing is all they do.  They make all sorts of lists, but don't do much else.  [Somewhat true for some, see here]

2.  Why do I believe it is just fine?  Well, a little lesson in what it is all about.

• First of all, I often get told that 'Twitchers are so competative??"  I don't get it?  Nobody ever told me that Rugby players are competative, or that Lodge managers are competative.  It's not a problem for them.  If a lodge manager, or business manager is not competative, they get fired.  Watch birds and competition is given as a solid reason for your list being bad????
  
• At some point in the history of birding a term 'twitching' came about.  Twitching usually refers to an activity...of running (or traveling to find) rare birds that have shown up within the country or region.  These 'Twitchers' as they could be refered to during the course of this frantic activity became a symbol for all birders and many people started to refer to birders themselves as "Twitchers."  This usage is unfortunate and perhaps the start of making the whole activity of birding look bad.  Birders spend time looking for rare birds in order to get one more "tick" on their life list.
• Life lists are simple, really [for another explanation of a life list, visit this page.]  A list of all the birds you have ever seen.  When you start it is usually very innocent.  You see some bird, flip frantically through your bird book until you locate the one you have just seen.  If you don't have it on your list, you add it.
• After a while of doing this, you soon find that you have seen all the birds in your 'local spot.'  Here it gets fun.  It's a quest.  Get out an see another bird for your list.  An outing here and there adds 10 or so, then soon it's down to the ones or twos.  I had a few days where I added as much as 14 birds.  That would be seriously hard to repeat on this much of this continent for me now.
  
• At some point all this birding starts to get a little dull.  You just end up not being able to find anything new to add to your list.  Then you start to search for the specials, try to add birds with difficult ids (that you probably looked the other way on seeing the first time, when you struggled to id them earlier in your birding) and probably at this point start to get into bird clubs.
• When you are communicating with other birders initially it may help and a few specials come your way no problem.  But it gets harder and soon, if you still have the time and money (or willing to throw out your thumb and catch a lift,) you start to chase rare birds...Twitching.

Now, that progression is what often happens.  It is normal for people to assume that you have done that.  But often, for many birders, another side comes in to play.  Not all your birding is twitching.  You start to go out to observe birds.  The birds in your garden become a fascination.  Nests, breeding, feeding, migration, there is so much of interest to birds and birding.  Conservation.  Many many birders that keep a healthy life list are also involved in bird conservation.

I believe that bird lists are a great way to get people into the hobby.  There are many people with very little interest in nature who take up birding, and through birding get into nature much more.  I can often see that with guests that I have at the lodge.  The birders tend to be the ones also interested in lizards and beetles.

There are many birders who never become mad twitchers.  The peak of "Twiching" as it was in the past is probably gone already.  There are more and more birders who are becoming very knowledgable about birds indeed.  Just search birding blogs (start here to get an idea.)

3.  How do I go about keeping my life list (some personal history)

[Image:  My sister helped decorate my life list booklet, and this is part of the art work.  This was done about 10 years ago, but still shows well on the worn cover of my book.

To decide when I started birding would be a rather tricky thing.  I have been doing it for a long time.  At school I mostly didn't have bird books or bins for ids, but went out with friends who would tell us what birds we were seeing.  As soon as I came to South Africa in 1992 to start studying, I got a bird book and had some old Carl Zeiss bins.

When I started to study at Saasveld in George I met some birders that were more serious and had birding 'life lists.' I was interested. At first I was just trying to do some ids, but I really wanted to 'be' a birder.

The second half of 1995 I was posted at Addo Elephant National Park. [here is another post of mine about my time at Addo] I spent a lot of time alone at an outpost. As summer approached, I was finding myself with lots of daylight hours with nothing to do. We would finish work on normal days at around half past four, and at the latest the sun would set at something like 8 o'clock.

So I took my bins and bird book, and took a note book that I had, drew some lines, and decided, on the 29th of October, 1995, that I was now going to be a birder. Of course, now I would argue that I was one already, but it did make it important for me to start learning to id properly. After I was all set up, I went out for a walk. Birding in the thick bush isn't easy. Especially alone. And without really knowing your bird ids very well. That first day I only got one species that I managed to identify...Black Sunbird. They have changed the name to Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina now, which is probably the only name change that bothers me, because I don't want to change it in my book...it was my first post.

[Image:  My bins, old Swarovski 10x40 roof prisms...I love them]

Within the next five days I had twenty birds.  By the 9th of February the next year, I hit 100.  One the first anniversary of listing I had hit 177.  Two years, 319 and so it went on.  When I came to Namibia in 1998 it was fantastic.  I had a whole country of new birds and set about seeing them frantically.  But it all slowed down.  This year I have only added three new birds, two of them rare birds and one was a pelagic that happened to be inshore.  It sure is getting harder to find new birds for my list.  Yet I go birding often.  Not so much with the thought of finding new birds, but just to enjoy and learn.  But there is always that hope of one new species.

I keep my life list in a book, so the term 'tick' never really applies to me.  I started out for years carrying that book into the field, but now its much to valuable for that.  It has some character from those days, but these days I carry field note books with me in the field (or, I know this is wrong, but sometimes I even make a note in my phone's notes function or simply record some things in pictures to remind me later.)  Anyway, when I see a new bird, I make note of where I saw it, when (date and time) and just a few general notes.  I do keep a southern Africa list, and I update my list's numbers on the list of birders in southern Africa who have not yet reached 700 'lifers' [sa heading for 700 club, zest for birds], and I keep a 'life list' of all the birds I have seen anywhere. It is sitting at something like 640, which is not a big list at all. But I have really enjoyed making it and will carry on doing it in the future.

I think sometimes we take ourselves to seriously.  Lists are just a bit of fun, and there is nothing wrong with  a litte competition in it.  What other hobby/sport is totally self accessed?  If you say listing (or call it Twitching, if you want) is the worst thing about birding, then consider this...it is a competition based entirely on the honesty of the practioner, not only their honesty, but their belief in the honesty of those they compete against.  That says something good to me about the feelings of birders towards their fellow birders.  And, in my experience, here in Namibia, at least, most birders I know are some of the most dedicated conservationists in this country!

Added after posting:
Build your life list

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Passion for nature, size doesn't count

I have been lucky with my experience of nature. Very lucky. I have not just visited great wildlife areas, I have grown up and lived in or near many of them. I grew up in a remote part of northern Kenya, and had wildlife right at my doorstep. I went to school on the rift valley escarpment and had forests and savannas to enjoy in that area, as well as like minded friends to share it with. Then later I studied nature conservation and got to know wonderful places like the forests around George and nature reserves like De Hoop Nature Reserve.

In the beginning of 1998 I got on a bus and came to Namibia. Just over 11 years later I am still here. And I have had the pleasure of getting to know some seriously amazing wildlife areas.

I still live in Namibia, still guide, and still visit these amazing areas, but I am doing less guiding to be home more with my kids. In the process I am discovering the shear pleasure of the small things. At home I have put up feeders, water for birds and planted a few good bushes for birds. I get excited that I can sit at my computer and hear Rosy-faced Lovebirds fly over. Over the weekend I went out to Avis Dam to do some birding, despite many people fishing and walking their dogs, the experience is shear pleasure for me. I could even go so far as to say that I enjoy trying to see some bird I have seen hundreds of times before, but remaining challenging, like the Rockrunner for example (dipped this Sunday...I was their in the middle of the day on a windy day...)...yeah, I enjoy it more than this crazy pressure that their sometimes is when you have guests who have never seen a lion in their life, and Etosha is windy and the grass is high and the lions have it to easy, and just sleep.

The point is, despite having "seen it all" (far, far from it, of course, but there is sometimes that perception,) I am passionate about nature, and enjoy every opportunity to experience nature, even right here in town.

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Notes on taking field notes

For those with an academic orientation perhaps field notes are easy. There is a specific aim. But for the amateur nature enthusiast, or amateur naturalist, taking notes can also be a great activity and can greatly enrich your experience of nature.

You may not be sure what exactly to take notes of. I would like to provide some guidelines, share my own experiences, and reasons for note taking.

Here are some really random examples from field notes that I have taken:

• Sharpe's Grysbok on p.m. drive.


• Damara Dik dik. ♀ squatting and urinating in display manner (17h10) (Gate Namutoni,) scratches the area she urinated on.


• Bushman's South ±100 Oryx. There are many Orxy & Springbok scattered around all over now. Note: Afternoon wind still strong.


• Pan [Etosha] still with water from Springbokvlakte on. Lot's of birds, but far. Incl. Pelicans and Herons

Those notes were taken all over the place and just give examples of how I was just jotting things down. I did make some careful descriptions from time to time, tried to keep up with weather, and even GPS co-ords from time to time. But mostly it was those simple scribbled notes that I found gained a value over time.

• List Okay, I put listing first because it's worth a whole post by itself. To most people, no big deal. To birders it can be.
  
  To half the birders it's all about the lists and to others the lists are seen as evil things. I, of course, love lists. This post is a list isn't it? A list is easy to do. You go out, write what you see and you have a list. Compare it to previous lists and you start very easily to learn something about the area. Compare it with others, and you have a good reason to start a club and have a drink together!
  



• Behavior If you are visiting the same places regularly and often seeing the same animals over and over it can become boring. But if you keep very general notes about behavior you will be amazed a year or two in, how significant those notes are. One great personal example would be Springbok on NamibRand Nature Reserve.
  
  Over the years I made notes of what they were eating along with the date. It seemed boring. I probably did it just because I wanted to appear to be a serious student of nature and animal behavior. Well, it may have meant nothing at the time. But a couple years later I was able to compare dry years notes to wet years notes and to compare what they ate compared to what food I saw. It also taught me to 'see' the food. It made such a difference in my guiding. One year I was still talking about "Springbok gestation period...horn length...da da da.." and the next I was saying "Look, now they are starting to eat... because ...dropping...pregnant..." And that's just springbok. Same went for many things. Not just big things. Just notes I took on tracks in the dunes taught me a lot.
  
  One very important thing is that I was hardly consistent. Sometimes I took great notes. At other times I had guide issues or whatever on my mind. After a year or two it really didn't matter.
  
  The point is, even simple notes, as long as you READ them later, teach you a LOT.
  




• Special Notes give you that special knowledge. It's partly covered in the notes above. But if you look at it the other way around, the guy who didn't take notes looses so much knowledge of what goes on. I would basically say that it is the key to calling yourself a naturalist. If you take notes, you know something those who don't can't now. Like I said above, you do have to read those notes for this to be true. Taken notes, carefully filed away and never touched again just make you look organized. Notes used and read and compared and integrated into what you study, observe and hear from others, that's the stuff!
  




• Report It helps you report. Notes give you the information you need to give to report sightings to relevant authorities or conservation bodies. Sometimes you may not even know, while in the field, what you need to give these people. Careful, thoughtful notes will make it easier and you get better the more you report. I have, at times, done this fantastically, but at other times I have been really poor. I know that some of the people who may take the occasional peek at this blog know all to well how that went! Yes, I know.....
  
  But still, even if I wasn't always the best, I did try and sometimes that effort was actually useful to people. It's those facts and numbers that, used by the right people, are going to help conservationists around the world make those decisions that we need to keep the world from being destroyed at the hands of man. So, some numbers or careful observations of yours may disappear into the void of science and conservation and government archives, but don't despair. There are those who dig carefully to produce useful data out of the stuff. To summarize, just hand in your notes...come on...don't make those poor conservations beg...they have better work to do (I put this in just so that they would forgive me!)
  




• Share I don't know about you, but I love to read good stuff about nature. I love it. I subscribe to wildwatch (a nature/sightings blog by &beyond) and subscribe to many blogs. I read magazines. I hardly ever read books these days, because there is just to much other stuff to get read. With your notes, you and I have a chance to create this kind of material. Blogs, of course, give a great opportunity to share not only with conservationists, but to everyone.
  
  If you ever do have a good story that you would just love to share from your experiences in the wild, let me know and I may post it on this blog or, if it's African in nature, may even post it on African Bush Stories (my wilds of Africa stories blog.)
  
  




• Discover Perhaps this is obvious. If you take careful notes when you find stuff, you are going to know much better when what you see is interesting from a taxonomy point of view. Your notes are the proof that what you saw has not been seen before. Or your insight may lead to a significant study.
  




• Remember Just for you. If I take a look my field notes, it can really take me back. I remember special events and I remember my life at that time. Sightings are a memory tag.
  
  I noticed one thing over the years. Hyenas decreased and Leopards increased over time on NamibRand Nature Reserve. Why, well, I could talk at length about that, and probable have mentioned it in this blog before. But that's not important. What is important is that my notes clearly show this trend over the year. Clear to me, perhaps not as scientific data, but enough to give me an understanding of what was going on.
• Another side to using notes in this way relates to photography. When you take photographs these days with digital cameras it is getting easier and easier to just shoot more images. When you get home it may be hard to remember which ones are important. If there are notes in your field notes referring to a photograph you took, it is easier to remember why you took it.
  

Next time you have the chance to be out in nature and do some birding or simply enjoy the experience, scribble a couple of notes and you may find it becomes a habit that makes your experience in nature much richer!

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Namib Sand Sea as a world heritage site

I have just been looking at the Namibian sites that were submitted to UNESCO to be proclaimed world heritage sites. One of the sites included is the Namib Sand Sea.

Sossusvlei, where I have been taking tourists for over a decade now,is in the heart of this sand sea. It's conservation status is of real importance to me, and to Namibia. It may not be under to much threat, but there is the very real threat of more and more mining areas in or nearby the dunes. Mining is perhaps fine, and an important income generator for the country, but they do need to be controlled in order to minimize their impact on the environment.

So, I would be really happy to see the Namib Sand Sea become a world heritage site. The trouble is that this recommendation was submitted in 2002. So it doesn't look good for it to become a world heritage site.

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Trip down the Kuiseb Delta

A couple days ago I wrote a post about reading that the Kuiseb River had flooded. Yesterday I was in Walvis Bay with family, and after lunch we decided to go and have a look.

The river was flowing strong. It was adventure trip to go out along the river bed, as the main road along the river is basically covered in dunes.

One highlights for me was finding areas where Dune Larks were fairly abundant. It's a bird I know very well from my time on NamibRand Nature Reserve, but I wanted to find a reliable place to show birders these birds around Walvis Bay. I will need to do some more exploring before I know the area well.

Dune Larks are a Namibian Endemic. Really they are the only bird that is a true endemic, having 100% of their population in Namibia. They are exclusively found in the Namib Sand Sea, so finding them always means getting into the dunes.

The trip was rather fun. We had my wife's grandmother along, celebrating her 83 birthday. It was rather amazing that she managed all this dune driving, including a spell of getting stuck (that wasn't me, I promise.)

The Kuiseb river and Kuiseb delta are amazing areas. The Kuiseb river stops the huge Namib Sand Sea from spreading north. If you look at the Kuiseb from a satellite photo (example here), or on Google Earth, you will see this dramatic line.

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Kuiseb River Foods

It is with interest that I heard that the Kuiseb river has flooded.

The Kuiseb River flows south of Walvis Bay and cuts off the Namib Sand Sea (the huge dune field) from moving further north. This river is very important for the water supply in the towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, as they drill into the river bed for water. So ironically, when the river floods we have water problems.

The kuisebs flooding is of interest to me for various reasons. First, if you live in dry places, it's just cool when a river flows.

Secondly, it is going to have an impact on the urgency with which the plans for a desalination plant get pushed. I am concerned that proper EIA evaluations get cut short. I am all for desalination, as it is probably the only sustainable way for us to get water at the central coastal area in Namibia.

Lastly, I am perhaps most interested because I hope to be taking people to the Kuiseb river on tour this year, and it's just going to mean more birds and more wildlife in the river.

Read about it in the Namibian

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Frantic Naturalist Development Method

Where does one develop a passionate interest in wildlife and all things nature. There is only one way. Experience nature, up close.

I have just read a wonderful blog post which I though needed sharing as a great example of how ones fascination in nature first begins. It's very well written, and I enjoyed it so much that I read it a couple times and even left a comment.

So, please go an visit this story on Bird Ecology Study Group's blog

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What do you want from a nature oriented tour company?

Over the last few days I have done some reading on various companies websites to see what people around the world offer. I find it really hard to find companies with a strong focus on nature. I understand that even a superficial level nature experience is still experiencing nature, but I just feel that for the person who really wants a quality nature experience, it's rather hard to pick?

I don't know if I am right about it. I would love to hear from travelers who have planned holidays around the world and aimed to visit areas with tour companies who are nature oriented? Are they easy to pick, or is it hard to know who really has a good field knowledge and who doesn't?

My feelings only reflect the reactions that I got from guests that I have had over the years. I guess that for a good 70% its not a big deal. If you, as a guest, don't know a great deal about nature and don't have expectations about what you will learn, then it's not a problem. Perhaps you may feel that to much field knowledge is not at all what you want your from your guide.

But I find it frustrating, on the few birding outings and game drives that I have been on. I feel that even if a guide doesn't need to be divulging copious amounts of information all the time, he/she should still be able to back up his stories and tidbits with solid facts and a rock solid field knowledge background.

In any other profession that sort of knowledge would be expected, but somehow in guiding a lot is let slip. Many a guide still gets away with telling the guests rubbish, and getting away with it so often that they even start to believe either that they can just always lie or simply believing their own lies.

Now, that said, I know that their are a great many good, very good field guides out there in the business. I have even had the great pleasure to be mentored or to have meet some guides I would rate right up there with the gurus in the business. Go on tour with them, and there is no question that a good field knowledge in important. Everyone hangs spellbound by the expert. A solid field knowledge like that means that they know enough to not have to tell you the boring things. They know enough about the natural world in that area that they can tell you interesting stuff for hours. Those guides are out there. Lots of them. But in the world of internet marketing, how do you know where to find them. What are the standards? Perhaps you know?

[Just a note about my opinion about top end guides - I do not for a second think that all top end guides have a strong educational background. It's a huge advantage. But there are other ways to study. Spending time with wildlife. Some with a very poor educational background, poor English (Spanish, Chinese, or whatever is relevant to their guests) and un-scientific approach would keep you spell bound with their knowledge and appreciation of nature. I almost felt this note didn't need to be included, but it's important to me. I would go so far as to say it the other way round. The guy with the book knowledge makes a very week guide if he/she didn't spend time in the bush.]

If you read this blog as a potential traveler to Africa or anywhere around the world, seeking a naturalist or nature experience, what are you expecting? Do you think that your travel agent is able to point you to those guide and companies where that sort of field depth is provided? I'm not answering the question. I am asking.

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Swakopmund Desalination Plant

This evening I went to attend a public meeting for the proposed 'mile 6' Desalination Plant, to be built just north of mile 4. (Just before Mile 8...really)

There are a lot of mixed feelings about the whole thing. For one, the main reason why we need all this water is to supply Uranium mines. Rossing Uranium has been around for a couple decades and uses more water than Swakopmund (3.3 million cubic meters to 3 million cubic meters per annum.)

The location is also poor. They want to place the desalination plant just north of the Mile 4 salt works, which is a bird sanctuary. There are lots of Damara Terns in the area, as well as many other birds. It will probably have an impact on the guano (bird sh..I-mean-poo) production.

But in the end, it is going to happen, like it or not. It was an interesting meeting because for once the developers (town, housing, etc..) seemed to be on the same side as the environmentalists...they want the area north of Swakop to build their houses, we want our desert and birds. But the big money is with the Uranium.

The plant is going to cost a staggering amount, and with that much money in the thing, I can imagine that these town open meetings are merely done to appease and comply with the law.

But, everyone, at the end of the day, has to agree that they are doing one thing right...they will probably reduce our dependence on ground water.

So, we'll see what happens. Construction starts somewhere near the middle of the year, and it is a 13 month project. Then we will see what the birds think of it?

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Damara Tern

If you visit the area around Swakopmund you may see little signs out in the desert with a picture of a bird on them. The Damara Tern is a breeding near endemic to Namibia. They are small little Terns (family Laridae) that breed on the open gravel plains.

These small terns have suffered the off-roading craze. In the Namib Sand Sea, south of Walvis Bay, the area is protected. But the dunes and gravel plains north of the Kuiseb River are declared a 'recreation area.' This isn't some small little park. This is a significant peace of land, with hundreds of kilometers of coast.

Each year Swakopmund becomes a mad buzz with holiday makers in December. If you stand along the road leading in to Swakopmund from the east, thousands of four-wheel drive vehicles and thousands of quad bikes on trailer arrive into the town. Prior to this boom, the terns had miles and miles to breed and the loss of a few nests here and there could be tolerated. Now, however, the sheer number of vehicles that use these areas means a significant threat to a very special little bird.

If it wasn't for the work of a few dedicated individuals, this bird may well have been right on the point of extinction. There is one man, Rob Braby, together with his family, who has almost single handedly taken on the plight to save this bird. Elevator cable fences have been put up in places to restrict the use by off-road vehicles. Nests are monitored and the constant battle with developers and those who wish no restrictions to be placed on the off-roading community.

I will certainly post a lot more about the coast in 2009, but if you would like to learn more about conservation of the Damara Tern and other Namibian birds, visit the NACOMA website.

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World Wetlands Day

On the second of February it is going to be World Wetlands Day. Over the last week I have spent a significant amount of time and effort counting birds at various wetlands. So the wetlands day is currently of great significance to me.

Having lived many years in the desert (most of my life has been spent in dry areas) it is easier for me to appreciate the importance of wetlands than what it is for most people - I believe.

Wikipedia has this:

A wetland is a biome characterized by land that is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs.

Wetlands have faced numerous threats at the hands of man, and wetlands have been reduced significantly world wide. They are important areas for the livelihood of many people, including millions living in poverty. They are important to the overall health of the natural world and one good example is the importance of wetlands on birds. Birds are an easy indicator for the health of wetlands as they are easy to count. Hence the counts with which I have been involved in over the last week.

If you want to learn more go to the websites of Ramsar and Wetlands International.

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The Great Adventure

The picture is of a Lizard we found on a family outing to the beach. It had a clump of parasites on the left side, behind the front, right leg.


I have not been out and about on tours over the last few months. I have been in Swakopmund, and spending a great deal of my time birding and even just enjoying the thrill of taking out my kids and watching beetles in the dunes or fish swimming in the tidal pools. Over the last week or so, I have been engaged in a lot of birding with the focus on the counts for wetlands (see Wetlands International website) around the world.

Africa has long had an image as the continent of adventure. In a good and a bad sense. It's retained perhaps more 'wildness' than other continents. And, it has the big stuff - lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, leopards, and on and on. It's somewhat of an easy sell - you want to see a lion in the wild - you must go to Africa. And experience the adventure around it - go out in the bush, drive around with your guide or ranger, and find this creature in it's habitat. Adventure for sure.

As a tour guide, however, it is possible to sometimes get the attraction in reverse. It's cool to see a lion. Sure it is. Elephants, giraffes, etc. It's all cool. But very often seeing a lion is more a sense of relief for me...you know, the pressure of the guests you have with you on safari. So it makes the enjoyment of those amazing creatures perhaps a little less of an...ADVENTURE.

So, at home, with my friends, my kids and the birding community, it's for pure joy that I go out and enjoy birds, lizards, fish, fog, sand, the exercise in nature and so on, brought on by my own 'adventures' with nature. I can't wait. I love going out and finding it, learning about it, coming home and reading about what I have seen. It's pure indulgence for me.

I believe that this renewed sense of adventure that I feel for nature, having had a really good break, has made me so much more enthusiastic once again for sharing my passion for nature with the guests that I will be taking out over the next few months. Regardless of what I will be doing...a simple birding trip, and educational trip or a full fledged safari, I hope that I convey the feeling for adventure, the sense of discovery all over again.

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Safari Wise Birding

I have received an offer from Safari Wise to work together with them doing birding tours. I will mainly be doing birding in the Swakopmund and Walvis Bay area on full and half day excursions.

Safari Wise has long been an established tour operator and they have done nature and birding tours for many years.

At the moment they are still completing the brochures and web update for the day tours.

If you are interested in doing some birding while in Swakopmund, please get hold of Safari Wise through their website.

Frantic Naturalist will be placed on hold for the time being.

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Astronomy on Namib Rand Nature Reserve

I have just returned from a stint as the astronomer at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge. They use volunteer astronomers to manage the astronomy talks for guests. Most astronomers stay for a few months, but I just fill some of the gaps. It's a great way to keep in touch with astronomy and to have some time to do my own thing.

The astronomy wasn't to great for most of the time. September can be a little poor as they burn fires in much of the interior of the subcontinent in the late dry season. It makes the sky a little hazy. Usually not to bad though, but there are some days where it's really thick. There were also some cloudy days. These are the first hint of the rainy season that will start to appear. Usually early on there will only be a few days of clouds, then weeks between before more clouds. I just hit a spell with my astronomy unfortunately. However, I did get some viewing in, and spend one night up till about half past one, looking at the stars after the guests had gone to bed.

I did a lot of walking. Most days I walked both morning and afternoon. I love getting out early. In the evenings I usually didn't go to far with walking as I had to be back to set up for astronomy. I did some walking in the dunes and some in the mountains. It really gave me a chance to get back in touch with the pro Namib area that I love so much.

I also had the chance to do some guide training, which I always like. It always helps put a new prospective on one's own field knowledge.

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Recent tour completed

I have just come back from my most recent tour. This was my last camping tour. I will no longer be doing camping trips from now on. I am trying to focus on the tours that I aim to do with Frantic Naturalist.

Some sightings from this last trip include: Three Black-Rhino in the Palmwag concession, one old elephant bull there as well. Then a female lion, appearing to be on her own at the waterhole at the Hobatere camp. From there we drove through western Etosha and had a cracker day, with two lions, two cheetah (brief sighting,) Hyena (I thought it was brown...just getting excited, but the guests, who had the benefit of a better view, said it was Spotted,) two black-rhinos in the day time, and some elephants all in the one drive. This is amazing for that area. We carried on to have some good sightings in the park, though we had one day where the weather wasn't good for Etosha game viewing.

In a couple of days time I leave my family once again to go to Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge where I once worked, and doing Astronomy for the guests each night for about 10 days. Should give me some time to play with my camera.

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