Dan Vijeon Game Reserve
Had a bit of a quick bird watch around Dan Vijeon Game Reserve before we broke camp & left the area, for the open road.
Red Hartebeast
Gemsbok
Hartemann's Mountain Zebra
Blue Wildebeast
Springbok
Warthog
Rock Hyrax
Red billed Francolin
Familiar Chat in a familiar setting!
Groundscraper Thrush
Lesser Masked Weaver
Masked Weaver
Brubru
Shaft tailed Whydah
Immature Cape Bunting
Khomas Hockland scenery.
The 12th January & Tom & I are up early driving along the C28 dirt road through the hills to Swakopmund. It is a very hot day already & the scenery is nice without being spectacular. Bird life, in fact any kind of life at all, is sparse & we see only a handful of vehicles in the 300 km drive. We drive through a succession of hills & then down the very steep Basua Pass. Of course we are driving from the interior highlands, to the coast.
of the track.
After around 200 kms we hit the flat gravel plains of the Namib Desert & we skirt across a corner of this immense national park. One or two animals are seen + a couple of decent birds. Tantalizingly, we have to bypass all the lovely looking turnoffs into the desert, as we don't yet have a permit. Transit on the main road is OK, but you can't explore the area.
The historic 1905 Pier in Swakopmund.
Where are all the people?
& are a great success.
Crowned Cormorants
The soap dispenser in the
weird pub!
We got into Swakopmund mid afternoon & found a nice backpackers to stay for the next two nights. Then we set about exploring the town. Not many people around although it was pleasant enough. Later on we discovered a weird pub that also provided meals, so we spent most of the evening there.
Landscape of the moon!
It really is lunar like out here!
There is a lot of nothing out here!
Tom is happy!
One of the many Welwitschia plants.
Ruppell's Korhaan
Several birds were seen along the way.
I don't see this species very often, so very pleased!
Good!
The 13th was all about getting the permit & exploring the desert in the national park. It was incredibly hot (up to 50 degrees Celsius) but we had a great morning driving to the giant Welwitschia & seeing a few desert species along the way.
This pool was just outside Swakopmund
& held a few species.
c30 Pied Avocet were on the above pool.
The coast at Walvis Bay.
Greater Flamingo
Immature Greater Flamingo
Great White Pelican.
A mixture of species with some nice
South African Black Oystercatchers.
Visitors from the high Arctic!
Bar tailed Godwits
The afternoon was spent driving south to Walvis Bay & looking for waterbirds. It would be hard to imagine two more different parts to the same day!
South African Black Oystercatchers.
Bar tailed Godwits
White fronted Plover
The isolated Brandberg Mountain.
at the foot of the mountains.
despite searching!
The next day were headed north to Henties Bay & then inland along the very barren C35 gravel road. The first 120+ kms was so boring: nothing to see, no scenery or birds or animals. But when we hit the junction scenery & birds started to improve quickly. The Brandberg Mountain was just ahead of us.
The gardens at the lodge at dusk.
A very comfortable place to stay
in the middle of nowhere!
Check out point number 5!
Would have loved to see them, I think!
Sunset above the lodge.
Tom & me at you have guessed it!
The Sunset Spot!
Helmeted Guineafowl
The wonderful White Lady Lodge.
in the middle of nowhere!
The Sunset Spot!
The view from the campsite!
The campsite.
Didn't have chance to do much birding/photography here, as a sandstorm blew up just after these photos were taken. Must go back & explore this area more thoroughly. It really is a nice spot on the map.
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