Etosha is one in every of Namibia’s most well-known pure websites and nationwide parks, and rightly so. Not solely the massive pan but in addition the encircling plains lined in grasslands and woodland are productive locations for birding. Spending a number of days right here on a cross-Namibia tour which additionally included the Spitzkoppe, I might solely scratch the dust-covered floor, so to talk, of this thrilling space. Nonetheless, already such a brief keep produced a wide variety of pretty species.
Halali camp is a good spot to see some woodland species, the highlights being Naked-cheeked Babblers and Violet Woodhoopoes. Nonetheless, I used to be extra within the species of extra open, arid areas. One in all these was the Double-banded Courser, which is widespread on this park. This was a pleasant case of how one yearns to see some species after which being within the right spot and discovering them plentiful to the extent that you just begin feeling mocked by them. Nonetheless, I didn’t let that get to me just because they’re simply elegant birds and had been enjoyable to observe every time over once more, specific one person who was incubating a single egg merely laid onto the soil.
Comparable in habits to the courser and simply as fairly (though not as elegant) was the Pink-capped Lark. These birds had been usually seen immediately on the highway. It appeared that they discovered some prey within the dry, cracked floor right here. In fact, it might additionally simply be that these had been simply the seen people, with the others being invisible within the grass, simply because the lions I noticed a number of days earlier within the Kgalagadi.
Two birds had been much less hidden and thus simply seen from a distance. One was the Northern Black Korhaan, which referred to as actively throughout our time within the park, making them unmissable. Additionally they made use of slight elevations to be much more apparent, and the small mounds created on the fringe of the roads when they’re being levelled appeared to be the right spots for this. When calling, they misplaced all the shyness that korhaans normally exhibit, producing glorious alternatives to admire their deep black and finely barred plumage.
One other species that was simply seen, though not by being noisy just like the korhaan, had been Blue Cranes. Oddly extra widespread right here than I’ve seen anyplace in South Africa the place they’re the nationwide hen, these birds strode gracefullly and serenely by the grass, their natural physique form accentuating the class of their actions. These are actually magnificient birds, and it was pretty to acquire such good views of them.
On a few of the dry bushes, a Chat Flycatcher was perched within the method of shrikes, utilizing the uncovered perch to catch bugs. Whereas this species might be the definition of a uninteresting hen, they had been among the many most approachable species and when up shut, their plumage was truly engaging in the best way a few of the grey-brown tones merged into one another. Admittedly nonetheless, this might not preserve me busy for lengthy after I knew there have been some uncommon larks to be present in these plains.
One such species I didn’t handle to see in Etosha was Dusky Lark, which does happen within the wooded areas round Halali within the japanese areas of the park. Caspian Plover can be seen within the park with some luck, and is a hen I’m determined to see. Nonetheless, given the brief time we spent right here, we sampled a wealthy assortment of the park’s avifauna, and I’m trying ahead to visiting once more in the future.
