Monday 26 October 2020

Tsumeb

Our welcome sign!

Our little cottage, with all mod-cons inside!

 We arrived in Tsumeb on 20th October to have our covid test as per Namibian government guidelines. We did this with no problems & then went to Connie & Artu's house, which would be our base for the next week. 

Young Crowned Plover

Cape Glossy Starling

The next few days were a round of shopping & doing chores ready for our up coming trip to Etosha National Park. We received our negative test results, so we are now free to go where we want to in Namibia.

Delana on a Zoom call to South Africa.

Crimson breasted Gonolek

Carp's Tit


On 22nd October we visited Markus & Erica farm at Zuri. This was primarily for Delana to get a good connection for her Zoom meetings with her on going work in South Africa. I sat on the deck & did a spot of birding in the intense heat: best species was Carp's Tit.

Connie at her testing station!

Erica & Markus, doing the test!

A little later in the evening!

In the evening we had a few social distancing friends around for a covid party!

African Hoopoe



Bare cheeked Babbler







Arrow marked Babbler

The next day I birded the garden & the surrounding Golf Course seeing 37 species. Bare-cheeked Babblers were an ever present in the garden. As were Arrow-marked Babblers. The latter species according to e-bird is several hundred kilometers out of range! 

The wonderfully eccentric bush-camp.

Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

Grey Lourie

It was an incredibly hot day.

On 24th October we briefly visited Delana's Bush Camp, mainly to check up on the place & make a list of all the equipment we have to replace after thieves stole all the electrical stuff. It was suffocatingingly hot but birds were seen on the tracks & coming to drink at the main waterhole. 

Best birds: African Hawk Eagle; Red crested Korhaan & Small Buttonquail.  

Pectoral Sandpiper?


On 26th October we briefly visited the Tsumeb Water Treatment Plant & found an intriguing bird.  At first glance we thought it was a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper! However, looking at the photos it could be a Sharp-tailed or even a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper! Didn't get enough on the bird as all possibilities are mind blowing for Namibia!



Delana arranged the fairy lights!

Me thinks it is time to go home!


We then went to Markus & Erica's farm for a nice pool party! It was a very enjoyable week here. Big thanks to Connie & Artu for giving us superb hospitality.

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