Birds, Blooms and Bokkoms: The West Coast and Namaqualand.
September 19, 2011
After a fantastic time on the Cape Peninsula we turned our noses northwards and set off for the West Coast and Namaqualand. Like the peninsula, the West Coast is a rather unique region, characterised by salt-of-the-earth people and a languid style of life (which is perhaps why some of the small towns are turning into holiday villages). In August the normally dry ‘strandveld’ vegetation is green and lush after the winter rains, and birds such as Cape Long-billed and Large-billed Larks call from atop flowering shrubs. The coastal stretch is dotted with small harbour and fishing towns, with long stretches of empty beach in between. A few large rivers empty out into the cold Atlantic Ocean, creating some rich coastal wetlands and estuaries. The West Coast begins somewhere north of Cape Town and extends up the coast as far as the Olifants River, across which the Namaqualand region begins. Namaqualand is most synonymous with wild flowers, with August being the prime time of the year for vast carpets of orange daisies and other flowers.
Our fist stop was West Coast National Park, a large protected area surrounding the azure-hued Langebaan Lagoon. Even though it was a public holiday, we arrived before most other people, entering via the southern gate and birding our way to the Postberg Section of the reserve. This section is only open in the August and September ‘flower season’, when it is at it’s best, with vistas of green, yellow and white, set against the blue sky (ok, so we were lucky with the weather), with the Atlantic Ocean extending into the distance. This section has the most wildlife too, and we recorded Bat-eared Fox, Eland, Bontebok, Cape Mountain Zebra, Oryx, Red Hartebeest, Kudu, Springbok and Steenbok as new mammals for the trip. New bird species also began appearing on our list, including White-backed Mousebird, Black Harrier, Grey-winged Francolin and Southern Black Korhaan. Unfortunately we hit the tides wrong when it came to the bird hides on the lagoon, with not a single wader to be seen at Geelbek Hide. Seeberg Hide did have a few birds to be seen however, such as Greater Flamingo, Grey Plover, Common Whimberel, African Black Oystercatcher and others. After a night in the town of Langebaan we headed on to Lambert’s Bay, taking the less used route up along the coast. We had a wonderful stop on Bokkoms Laan in Velddrif, where we were entertained by two large and hungry Eastern White Pelicans. To put you in the picture, ‘bokkoms’ is the local word for a dried fish delicacy unique to the West Coast. On Bokkoms Laan several small factories dry their catches in racks on the edge of the Berg River estuary. The drying fish attract plenty of birds such as Kelp, Hartlaub’s and Grey-headed Gulls (Grey-headed is more an east coast bird, and thus relatively uncommon here), Grey Herons and Pelicans. One of the guys cleaning the fresh catch saw us photographing the birds, and was soon tossing fish to the waiting pelicans. Boy, that yellow throat sack is quite something! Moving on, the prime attraction (or perhaps only attraction…) of Lambert’s Bay is a spectacular Cape Gannet colony. Spectacular to see, and to smell, that is. At the time of our visit around 14 000 pairs were gathered, with a few thousand more due to arrive over the next few weeks as breeding time approached. We arrived in the afternoon, which is not the best time to photograph them as the sinking sun is on the wrong side. With fine ideas about getting great shots in the morning, when the rising sun would be behind us, we almost half-heartedly took some shots of the birds. Well, it pays not to have expectations as far as the weather goes, as the next day started off with a thick convection fog covering the land and sea. We headed down to the colony anyway, which was extra fragrant with the combined smell of a few hundred Cape Fur Seals and the gannets blowing straight into our faces, before leaving Lambert’s for Namaqualand. With a long drive northwards through the arid hinterlands, we arrived in the hamlet of Kamieskroon for some lunch before heading west into the Skilpad Section of Namaqua National Park, which was resplendent in a cloak of orange daisies. In the afternoon we arrived in Okiep, where we were booked into the Okiep Country Hotel (some venues are rather liberal with the term ‘country’). We had two nights here, exploring Goegab Nature Reserve on our full day. The morning started foggy, with the fog lifting to reveal a cold and windy day. Birding was tough, but we did see our only Ludwig’s Bustard and Black-headed Canary for the tour (there’s always something worth while, even when the birding is a bit slow). The following day we left Okiep early, heading across the vast and empty yellow-grass plains to the east of Springbok, headed for Augabies Falls, the ‘Place of Great Noise’…
People here is a wonderful opportunity being offered from Africa Geographic Expeditions along with our very own Vanga as a guide
The small landlocked nation of Malawi has to be one of the top birding destinations in Africa. Added to the diverse avian life is a wonderful blend of culture, wildlife and scenic landscapes that makes safe travelling through this country a pleasure. Malawi further affords incredible birding opportunities and is home to several Southern Rift endemics and many species restricted to south-central Africa.
A special 8-day trip has been put together for this December to explore the extraordinary montane area of Nyika National Park in the north of the country with its wide range of birding habitats, from miombo woodland, wetlands and montane forest pockets to high-altitude grasslands. "Rolling, folding grass-covered country; deep in the heart of Africa and filled with animals of Africa, yet covered with the grasses, the flowers, the colours of Europe"...This is how Lauren’s Van der Post flamboyantly described the scenic splendour of the Nyika Plateau in his 1949 expedition to Malawi, documented in his book Venture to the Interior. Anyone visiting today will find that very little has changed. Three full days are available to explore the delights of Nyika. Notable summer grassland species present include Montane Widowbird, Blue Swallow (largest breeding population in Africa with around 300 pairs!), Black-lored and Churring Cisticola, Angola Swallow, White-headed Saw-wing, Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Mountain Yellow Warbler and Montagu’s Harrier. Other specialities include Augur Buzzard, Red-winged Francolin (endemic sub-species), Bar-tailed Trogon, Dusky Turtle Dove, Southern Mountain Greenbul, Chapin’s Apalis, Scarlet-tufted Sunbird, Moustached Tinkerbird, Fülleborn’s Black Boubou, White-chested Alethe, Rwenzori and Pennant-winged Nightjar, Malawi Batis, Wallers Starling, Tree Pipit, White-winged Black Tit, Jackson’s Pipit and Olive-flanked Robin-Chat to mention just a few! In miombo woodland areas of Nyika chances are very good in finding specials such as Rufous-bellied Tit, Souza’s Shrike, Collared Flycatcher, the stunning White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Pale-billed Hornbill, Woodland Pipit, Spotted Creeper, Whyte’s Barbet and Miombo Pied Barbet. Birding is interspersed with ample mammal viewing and photographic opportunities of impressive herds of eland and roan antelope, Crawshay’s zebra, bushbuck, bushpig, side-striped jackal, spotted hyaena, leopard, serval and even possibly elephant! In summer, the botany is an added highlight. Nyika is one of Africa’s hidden gems!
Nyika is not the only exciting birding destination on this trip however. We will also visit the Viphya Plateau – part of the second largest montane complex in Malawi. Although much of this region is commercial plantations there are still some wonderful tracts of miombo and mixed woodland as well as open wetlands and forest at Luwawa itself. The birding is extremely productive and target species are many here and include Short-winged Cisticola, Moustached Grass-Warbler, Evergreen Forest-Warbler, Bronzy Sunbird, Cabanis’s Bunting, Bertrand’s Weaver, Red-rumped Swallow, Eurasian Marsh Harrier and White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher.
After the heady heights of Nyika and the Viphya then travel down to the central lakeshore of one of Africa’s Great Lakes – Lake Malawi. Bird watching in lowland forest is very productive and can produce many new species on this itinerary. These could include Blue-spotted Wood-dove, East Coast Akalat, Narina Trogon, Green Twinspot, Palmnut Vulture, Green Malkoha, African Barred Owlet and African Broadbill. A juvenile Pel’s Fishing-Owl was even recently seen in the large trees of the lodge where we will be staying here! Snorkelling amongst the Lake’s equally famous cichlids is another possibility. Interesting mammals could include four-toed elephant shrew, mutable sun squirrel and samango monkey.
After the main trip an optional 5-day extension takes in the Zomba Plateau and the lush lowlands of Liwonde National Park. Zomba Mountain, a huge granite outcrop rising to over 2000 metres offers open mountain grassland, pristine forest and tranquil streams. Target species include Scarce Swift, Mountain Wagtail, European Blackcap and the highly localised White-winged Apalis and Tchyolo Alethe. Undoubtedly another top birding spot in Malawi, Liwonde’s wide range of habitat includes the languid Shire Rive with its extensive floodplains, deciduous thicket, riverine forest, seasonal wetlands and mopane woodland – over 350 bird species have been recorded here. The park simply abounds with specials including Lilian’s Lovebird, Brown-breasted Barbet, White-backed Night-Heron, Spur-winged Lapwing, Bat Hawk, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Pel’s Fishing-Owl, Gull-billed Tern, Speckle-throated Woodpecker, Collared Palm-thrush, Eastern Nicator, Bohm’s Bee-eater and Livingstone’s Flycatcher. There is even a shot at African Pitta depending on the rains!! This Park also boasts good mammal densities including healthy numbers of African elephant, waterbuck, sable antelope, buffalo and black rhino. Two full days are allocated to explore the tapestry of habitats and ecotones found here. Activities include walking, birding and game viewing drives in open 4X4 vehicles and boat trips on the Shire River itself.
Malawi is very different to birding other regions in Africa. Prices for this trip are also very reasonable considering where we are staying! Drop a mail to
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for a detailed itinerary and prices. Group size is limited to six people only and three have confirmed already so space is rather limited! Hoping you can join us for this very special exploration of Malawi!
I was walking through a small reserve hidden in the northern suburbs in Johannesburg, one Sunday afternoon in January, when I came across this Spotted Flycatcher hawking insects from a perch. It was so occupied with its hawking activity that it paid me little attention which allowed me to get up nice and close to take this shot.
Camera: Canon EOS 400D Exposure: 1/400 Aperture: f/5.6 ISO: 400 Focal length: 400mm Lens: Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
About the bird species:
Muscicaoa striata It is a common summer non-breeding Palaearctic visitor to Southern Africa which frequents savanna, open woodland and parks and gardens.
.gif "Africa Birds and Birding Magazine")
The Sociable Nest 
