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A boat trip on the Kwando River is a wonderful experience not only for bird lovers. Mammals in the water and on the banks are also part of the diverse animal world. In contrast to the other Gondwana lodges in north-eastern Namibia, Namushasha River Lodge does not have a neighbouring country on the other side of the river, but Bwabwata National Park. A total of 19 wetland bird species were recorded during the boat trip and altogether 84 bird species at Namushasha River Lodge during two days in mid-July this year. 

When the mighty Zambezi River overflows its banks, additional habitats with an abundant food supply are created for many bird species. Young fish thrive in the shallow warm water and countless insect larvae are also found there. For African Skimmers, however, an important habitat is lost: the white sandbanks disappear under the masses of water and with them the sleeping and resting places as well as the nesting sites.

Their numbers are increasing daily – the Carmine Bee-eaters are back at the breeding colony between Zambezi Mubala Camp and Zambezi Mubala Lodge (formerly Kalizo Lodge). They have safely made the long trip from their winter habitats in East Africa to Namibia. This year a group of several hundred birds has chosen a nesting site between the lodge and the usual colony. 

In the vicinity of the Chobe River Camp the reeds and papyrus as well as the tall trees which characterise the banks of the other rivers on Namibia’s north-eastern border are absent. At the end of July, during a boat trip in the morning, a total of 31 wetland bird species were counted along the Chobe River and within two days altogether 97 bird species in and around Chobe River Camp.