Spitzkoppie

It is amazing how green everywhere is!

Getting closer to the Spitzkoppie area.

Stark's Larks were common & singing

 everywhere in this area.

We left Walvis Bay on the morning of 30th March. The drive to our next destination Spitzkoppie was only 160kms, however, the roads were not good & in parts slow going. It was an interesting drive, with wild uninhabited landscapes & it was so green. 

Our campsite.

We decided to stay just outside the protected area at a community campsite. This proved to be a good choice, as it was situated by the side of a dry river bed with great shade trees. We also had are own bathroom, which was great. The campsites in the reserve are situated in scenic spots but with no facilities apart from a long drop toilet. So we were happy with our choice for the next three nights. 

Lush vegetation after the recent rains.

The gravel tracks were quite good, 

which made exploration easy.

It was one of those days where it is a joy

 to be out & about.

Rock Hyrax

Common in this habitat.

Delana taking it easy!

Monteiro's Hornbill

Rosy-faced Lovebird

They make it easy to find the special birds here!

And here it is!

Mountain Chat

Lesser Grey Shrike

White- tailed Shrike

A wonderful little bird: near endemic.

Pririt Batis

Black-chested Prinia

Lark-like Bunting

Pockets of this species were in grassland 

with scattered bushes at the base of koppies.

The next day we drove into the protected area to explore. The entire area is very scenic & it was a joy to be here. The weather was wonderful & everywhere was so green, with abundant flowers carpeting the ground. This is a well known location for several Namibian endemics & is one of the best spots for the elusive Herero Chat. 

The path to the Rock Arch!

A little tight for some!

The Rock Arch looking against the light.

The view looking through the Arch.

The 1st April saw us taking it easy in our exploration of this fantastic area. We had seen all the special birds the previous day, so spent the morning looking at flowers & in the afternoon we visited the famous Rock Arch (which is not that easy to get to)!

After a lovely evening around the camp fiire, we set off early morning of the next day, for our next destination, the Erongo Mountains. It had been a nice two days exploring this area, very scenic & good birding.5