March 2013

A day of birding in the Namibian dunes and Walvis Bay lagoon

We docked at Walvis Bay harbour in Namibia at 8am this morning, where we met our birding tour guide. We spent the next six hours or so in the back of an enclosed land rover, climbing and plummeting sand dunes and exploring the Walvis Bay lagoon. It was an amazing experience 🙂

A typical Namibian sand dune

Toktokkie beetle

Jackal buzzard

Tractrac chat

Namaqua chameleon

Pale chanting goshawk

Red-faced mousebird

A salt pan, glistening in the Namibian sun

And just nearby, the saltworks

A juvenile kelp gull eating the remains of a fish

An almost-tame pelican in the Walvis Bay lagoon

And just a few hours later, the Namibian pilot boat sees the MSC Opera back out of the harbour

Flock at Sea 2013

We’re aboard the MSC Opera, a luxury cruise liner on its way to Walvis Bay (and back, of course). We’re attending the annual BirdLife South Africa AGM, along with over 1,200 other birders. Besides all the entertainment on board (casino, restaurants, shows, movies and music) there are daily bird and photography talks on the go throughout the day. And a shore excursion (more birding) in Walvis Bay on Sunday. What a great way to spend a few days 🙂