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After a very successful series of summer counts at the four Gondwana lodges - Hakusembe River Lodge, Namushasha River Lodge, Zambezi Mubala Lodge and Chobe River Camp - in February it was time to repeat the exercise, this time in winter. Although the primary aim of the visit was the wetland bird counts, bird mapping (atlasing) was also done. 

It is three months now since a heavy shower of over 50 mm came down in and around Lüderitz on May 17th. It revived many flowers that had not bloomed for years, or even worn leaves. Seeds which had slumbered in the parched soil for ages, awakened to life. The greenery and the colours are not short-lived, however: delicate pink blossoms are still to be admired, lush green stands out against the greys and browns of the desert floor, large patches turn yellow and insects are out and about everywhere.

In the middle of May a Windhoek resident called to tell me that her father-in-law had brought an injured pearl-spotted owlet with a ringed leg to her house. He had picked it up from a busy road in Klein Windhoek earlier that morning. She asked if I wanted to care for the owlet. When I brought the small bird home I noticed that I had actually ringed it myself. Owlet number 5H63061 had probably been hit by a vehicle.

Many people perceive the Marabou Stork as ugly or describe it as an old man wearing a tailcoat. Some call it the “undertaker bird”. The Marabou is a large member of the stork family, just under 1.5 metres tall. Since they are highly effective scavengers these storks are very useful to people. Marabou Storks are classified as “possibly endangered” in Namibia. 

One doesn’t expect to find much fish in Namibia – after all it’s the driest country south of the Sahara.  And yet a large number of Namibians make a living from catching fish. Besides the fact that commercial fishing is the second largest sector of the economy there are also countless opportunities for leisure and sport angling. 

Heavy gusts of wind are relentlessly battering the landscape. Trees and shrubs are blown back and forth for hours. Several metres above the ground an almost white nest dangles from a thin, thorny branch. It consists of soft plant material which looks like cotton wool. Crouched inside are three Cape Penduline Tit (Anthoscopus minutus) chicks. Cape Penduline Tits are among the smallest birds in southern Africa.