KUNENE TRIP 22/08 - 30/08/2015 (copyright 2015 Helga Detering) 15 participants of Namibia Bird Club – under the leadership of our efficient chairlady Gudrun Middendorff undertook the annual trip to the north of Namibia. Saturday 22nd August all left WHK at their own accord and met at Porcupine Camp -about 8km away from Kamanjab.

We stayed at the mopani-treed bushcamp. After sunset we had the oppurtunity to watch the-porcupine feeding.The pellets and maize were thrown on an area in the garden and we had a close view of 12 of them that came out of the wild. Porcupines are rodents and are covered with glossy hair & sharp spines or quills – which protect them against predators.←This quill at the back is hollow & by wiggling it in the water- it fills up – thereby

carring water to the young ones in the burrows. A watercarrier as the sandgrouse too!! ←After a stunning sunrise we headed north to Opuwo. Due to foot & mouth disease we had several vet controls – tyres and shoes were being disinfected.→

Opuwo “ City centre”↓ →

admidst piglets enjoying the muddy pool A very dusty and partly→

corrugated road D3700

to EPUPA our campsite on→

the banks of the Kunene river

What a fascinating water landscape! -Namibian/Angolan border-↑ From left to right:- Anita Zimny Elke Ahrens, Michael Houlden, Gudrun Middendorff, Neil Thom son, Franz Klein, Frank & Anne Gschwender, Klaus Detering, Judy Fuller sitting Danie & Gertrud Piek, Uschi Bauer, Delene van Dyk& Helga Detering. & our camp companion ↓a squirrel (MH )

2/..

Visit to Epupa Falls & 3 days of intensive atlassing with Gudrun, Neil & Franz Saw a “Lifer” the rufous-tailed Palm -thrush ↓ (MH)

↓Ruppell’s parrot(MH) Angolan fruitbat (MH)

←Sundowner on view point

↑short-toed rock thrush ↑ golden weaver ←Afr. Pied wagtail (MH)

↓Our next stay for 3 days- Kunene River Lodge

with the most beautiful & shady campsite around.

3/ A trip into the Zebra mountains ( see the black/white stripes)→ was done with Pete Morgan to see a “Lifer” Angolan Cave Chat in that specific area, surrounded by an awesome autumn-coloured Mopane forest. We were so fortunate to watch that rare species (only sighted by 218 birders)

We too saw another “Lifer” the Cinderella Waxbill.

Home of the Himbas.

←Ringing a Meves’s Gl Starling. Birding→ along the Kunene

Red-necked Francolin (lifer) bare-cheeked Babbler golden tailed woodpecker Ashy Flycatcher Red-billed Woodhoopoe Goliath Heron

were↓ captured by birder Michael Houlden. (MH) ↓ Sundowner cruise with Pete Morgan

with crocs & many blou-

apies grrrr..

↑ duty in our ← camp-kitchen

4/. After 3 very successful”birding” days at the Kunene River Lodge we headed eastwards along the Kunene river to Ruacana. We paid a vist to Nampower Hydro Electric Scheme. The Ruacana falls were dry due to low rainfall.↓

We entered the cavern by means of an inclined access tunnel 360m long. Water flowing from Angola is diverted to the power station by a weir and flows underground

into ←this reservoir – and then falls 130m down onto 1 to 4 turbines below. Thereafter the water is released at Hippo-pool back ←into the Kunene river.

Our last campsite was at Ruacana EHA Lodge. Their Bungalows resembled an igloo. Birding was done around there as well as at Hippopool.Double-banded Sandgrouse ↓(M.H.photo)

Franz had reported that our group had→ seen or heard 132 different bird species during our trip. Well done!! The last evening was rounded off with a surprise from Anita “2 bottles of champagne” and everyone

conveyed our heartfelt gratitude to Gudrun and her team for all the special input to this magnificient adventure. We had been a bunch of very special “ birders”. Sunday early most left for Windhoek. Gudrun, Neil & Delene stayed & the Grey Kestrel was one of their highlights of that day.

Klaus and myself made a detour Our highlight at the artesian via Oshakati to Etosha. Drove → spring on the Andoni plain slowly through drought stricken Avocets, Saddle-billed Stork area↓cattle grazing on rubbish Kittlitz Plover &grey-headed

↓ the water canal Gull ↓→ from Calueque dam & dried up “Oshanas”

What a contrast!