We drove from Swakopmund to Omaruru today, in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It was real foggy in the morning when we left, so we didn’t get a chance to take one more look for wildlife at the Swakop River. The good news, however, is just as we were heading home last evening this little darling hovered right over us long enough that even I could get a nice picture. It’s a rock kestrel (Falco rupicolus), and it’s only found in Africa south of the equator.
On the way to Omaruru today, Anne wanted to stop at the Ameib Guesthouse, which is situated in the Erongo Mountain Nature Sanctuary. We saw a nice group of giraffes along the road as we drove in, and a huge troupe of baboons traveled past on the way to a watering hole, but in my opinion, the birds really stole the show today.
This first gorgeous creature is a rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis). Although they can be found in Phoenix, Arizona and on Maui in Hawaii, they are native to southwestern Africa.
We also met this cutie on the drive in, as it was foraging right on the edge of the road. It’s a double-banded sandgrouse (Pterocles bicinctus) and the first sandgrouse I’ve ever seen, let alone even heard of.
This masterpiece is a swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) and only the third bee-eater we’ve seen, after the Madagascar bee-eater in Comoros and the blue-cheeked bee-eater in Jordan.
Finally, Deb found us our first woodpecker of the trip. This beauty is a bearded woodpecker (Chloropicus namaquus), and it “is one of the largest woodpeckers in Africa growing to a length of about 25 cm (10 in),” so I guess that made it easier for Deb to find, right?
Tomorrow we’ll look around here, which is right beside the Omaruru River, and then drive back to Windhoek to stay at the Trans Kalahari Inn for one more night. If we find anything pretty or interesting, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 