Etosha - Rundu

A quick check of the gardens before breakfast proved to be a little quiet, although we did see Crested Francolin, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Black Tit, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Common Duiker. We left here shortly after breakfast and headed towards Rundu with a Dark chanting Goshawk a good find during the first section of the drive. 

Dark Chanting Goshawk

We were heading eastwards and making good time on the long, straight tarmac road but making a few stops proved fruitful with a Pied Cuckoo drinking at a roadside puddle, a group of Southern Pied Babblers and a pair of Temminck’s Coursers in a large field.

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Lunch was taken in the shade of a large leafy Acacia where we were joined by a flock of White-crested Helmetshrikes and an African Paradise Flycatcher. Continuing on, the scenery began to change to a more open habitat and we had our first Bradfield’s Hornbill, followed by a pair of Spotted Flycatchers and a pair of African Harrier Hawks. 

Pale Flycatcher

Golden-breasted Bunting

We checked out a nice woodland for Rufous-bellied Tit but it was 39 degrees Celsius and there was barely a bird to be seen until we returned towards the van and found Pale Flycatcher and our first Yellow-fronted Canary.

Lilac-breasted Roller - a common bird here.

We eventually arrived at Rundu Sewage Pools around 5pm where Hottentot Teal, African Greater Painted Snipe, White-throated Swallow, Senegal Coucal, Red-billed Firefinch and Giant Kingfisher were the highlights. Moving on there were Wattled Starlings, Magpie Shrikes and our first Coppery-tailed Coucal. Arriving at Nkwazi Lodge on the banks of the Okovango River a Kurrichane Thrush was spotted at its nest as soon as we arrived. Once we had reached our cabins overlooking the river we saw a group of Arrow-marked Babblers, quickly followed by Hartlaub’s Babblers, a closer Coppery-tailed Coucal, White-browed Robin-Chat, Swamp Boubou, and a brief Meyer’s Parrot.

During dinner a Small Spotted Genet was coming to scraps beside the restaurant and whilst some of the group enjoyed the local dancing provided by the lodge, others spotlighted a very confiding Fiery-necked Nightjar hovering in front of us before alighting on a nearby fence. We followed this with a Rufous-cheeked Nightjar in the spotlight calling from around 10 metres way in a field near the lodge. A great end to the day.

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Etosha Day 3

Another morning’s game drive into Etosha began with a Yellow-bellied Bulbul and a brief Southern Black Tit, and most of the group saw the resident speciality of Black-faced Babbler in the lodge gardens as well. Inside the park a Steppe Buzzard was perched nearby before we reached the first waterhole. This produced a fascinating encounter between 3 Lions feeding on a carcass, who were surrounded by 5 Spotted Hyenas and a bunch of Black-backed Jackals. 

Lions, Spotted Hyenas and Black-backed Jackal

The Jackals kept rushing in to steal some bones and meat whilst the hyenas just circled nearby and then one chased down a jackal and stole a leg of flesh from it! This went on for quite some time and whilst waiting we also saw Black-throated and Yellow Canary.

Green-winged Pytilia

Moving on, we visited another waterhole with some Golden-breasted Buntings drinking, and the next waterhole had lots of bids feeding in the bushes next to us. Pride of place were quite a lot of Violet-eared Waxbills, with several stunning males present. There was also an obliging Green-winged Pytilia and a few Scaly-feathered Finches. At Namutoni Fort, Charly located a stunning Red-necked Falcon perched in a Palm tree, and we also saw Long-billed Crombec, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Red-chested Swallow and at least two Icterine Warblers.

Violet-eared Waxbill

I think the 3 hours rest we had back at the lodge was very much appreciated by everyone before setting out on safari and headed 42kms north of Namutoni Fort to an area where some Blue Cranes had been seen yesterday. It was a long straight road to the area but along the way we called into a waterhole where a family of African Elephants were drinking. We didn’t stop long and continued along a never-ending road until dropping down to a huge, wide-open grassy plain. At the far end was another waterhole and here we found the treasure at the end of the rainbow in the form of 21 beautiful Blue Cranes. 

Blue Cranes

What a great, elegant bird this is and we lapped up the views through bins and scopes, whilst photos were being taken by the dozens. The pool was also home to lots of Little Stints and Kittlitz’s Plovers, plus a single Common Ringed Plover and Banded Martin. After a few unsuccessful attempts at finding any new larks we headed back, finding a pair of Burchell’s Sandgrouse along the way and a Fawn-coloured Lark.

Burchell's Sandgrouse

Etosha Day 2

We had an early breakfast before packing the luggage into the trailer and checking our the Okaukeujo waterhole one last time where a pair of Tawny Eagles were new for the trip. This was a great day in Etosha beginning with a Red-crested Korhaan crossing the road in front of us as we drove to the entrance gate to pick up our safari vehicle, where another Secretarybird was seen. 

Red-crested Korhaan

This converted truck offers all-round viewing from an elevated position and is perfect for a safari – and off we set. In all today we had five different encounters with Lions today, including this cracking young male. 

Another Lion

On the opposite side of the road a non-breeding plumaged Caspian Plover was a really good bird to see and we spent quite some time watching it. 

A distant Caspian Plover

Further on, we called in a stunning Rufous-eared Warbler before coming across three Spotted Hyenas that were hiding in a culvert under the track. 

Rufous-eared Warbler

Spotted Hyena by Tom Bray

They had obviously just been feeding on something as they had blood around their muzzles and kept trying to return to their hiding place, coming very close to our vehicle. Then a Black Rhino was seen, followed by Rufous-chested Swallow, a group of White-crested Helmet-Shrikes and a pride of Lions at a waterhole.

Black Rhino

Burchell's Courser

We kept criss-crossing the flat, stark Etosha landscape and found several pairs of Burchell’s Coursers including some recently fledged young before reaching yet another waterhole. This one was crowded with a variety of animals including a group of African Elephants, Blue WIldebeast, Burchell’s Zebra, Black-faced Impala and Springbok. The interesting thing about this spot was a Lioness was hunkered down behind a fallen tree waiting in ambush but she never had any prey close enough to pounce on. 

Meanwhile two young male Lions were sleeping in the shade of some bushes a little further away! A Lanner was also present here along with an African Jacana.  As we headed to Halali in a gale and sandstorm a pair of Bat-eared Foxes were seen running alongside the road – a really good quality mammal.

Bat-eared Fox

At Halali we had lunch, saw a day roosting African Scops Owl and best of all a few Bare-cheeked Babblers. 

Bare-cheeked Babbler

Moving on, there was Purple Roller, Bateleur, and another Lioness with a small cub.

Purple Roller

 The undoubted highlight was a family of 3 Cheetahs walking across a vast, open plain and this sighting came totally out of the blue – a great 18^th birthday present for Tom.

Cheetahs - wow!

Etosha

Our first game drive into Etosha wasn’t as straight forward as it should have been as one of our two jeeps broke down about two miles from Okaukuejo. So Charly had to return to camp and bring the minibus to us, and some of the group jumped into that vehicle whilst the others remained in the serviceable jeep. There were a few Double-banded Coursers showing nicely beside the road, along with Capped Wheatear, Spike-heeled and Pink-billed Larks. 

Double-banded Coursers were quite common in this area...

Pink-billed Lark 

This barren landscape held a surprisingly high number of birds, as we also saw Grey-backed Sparrow-Larks, some Northern Black Korhaans, a few Namaqua Sandgrouse and a Common Fiscal.

After breakfast we set out on another jeep safari, this time with both jeeps in full working order and headed out to view some waterholes. They were attracting numerous Springbok and Black-faced Impalas, with Southern Oryx and Kudu also present. 

Southern Oryx and Greater Kudu

Burchell's Zebra

We criss-crossed along a network of trail systems and found Sabota Lark, lots of Red-capped Larks, a soaring White-headed Vulture, and even some Kittlitz’s Plovers that were sheltering in the shade of a few rocks. 

Red-capped Lark 

A quick stop at a rest area for a toilet break resulted in a flock of Red-headed Finches and a pair of Violet-eared Waxbills, and the drive back produced a Spotted Eagle-Owl sat on its nest next to the track. And that was our morning.

The afternoon safari commenced at 3pm and we headed out into the wilderness to checkout a few more waterholes. The first one had 5 huge African Elephants that had been spraying themselves with the muddy water, which had dried and they were now what appeared to be the ‘Ghost Elephants of Etosha’ and a dull white colour. 

The famous 'Ghost Elephants'

The 'Ghost Elephants of Etosha' by Tom Bray

Common Ostriches by Tom Bray

There were plenty of Springbok, Burchell’s Zebra, Oryx and Common Ostriches here, and as we were leaving a Kori Bustard was seen close to the track. Moving on it was pleasing to notch up Chat Flycatcher and Great Kestrel in quick succession before we moved on to some more waterholes. 

The King inspecting his domain...!

The last one had a huge male Lion sitting under a tree and we watched him walk out into the open and sit down to survey his domain. Truly a stunning beast. Driving back at dusk, there were so many Northern Black Korhaans out in the open, and we reached Okaukeujo just before the gates closed.

Northern Black Korhaan