Archive for February, 2010
Bird of the week – Week 9 : Swainson’s spurfowl
Chicken-sized, brownish francolins and spurfowls are quite common in Namibia. Vaguely similar in size and build, closer examination quickly divides them up into several different species. The Swainson’s spurfowl distinguishes itself from its relatives by being brown overall, streaked with black, its bill dark above, red below; its face and throat red; its legs black. Sexes are alike in plumage, although the males are bigger than the females.
Swainson’s is a very common near-endemic resident of Southern Africa, and one that has managed to expand its range through its tolerance of humans and by adapting to areas under cultivation; it is now to be found in Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola and Malawi. In Namibia it is found mainly in the northern half of the country, and prefers the highlands. Usually found in pairs or small groups, they are bold and quite conspicuous. The male calls very loudly, especially at dawn and at dusk; a harsh crowing, krrraa krrraa krrraa, repeated 6-7 times and reducing in volume towards end of the series. He often calls while perched conspicuously on a fence post, tree stump or other elevated spot.
They are found in grass and thickets, on cultivated lands, in riverine bush, and around vleis and dams, in pairs or in small coveys of up to 8 birds. Generally the Swainson’s feed in open fields on seeds, berries, shoots, roots, bulbs, insects, snails and slugs and will seek cover in dense vegetation when disturbed. They usually drink in both the morning and the evening. In spite of spending most of their time on the ground, they fly strongly and are quite agile in flight.
Swainson’s spurfowl are monogamous and territorial. The females lay a clutch of 4 to 12 eggs in a hollow in the ground in the grassveld or bushveld that is lined with dry grass and leaves. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of about 24 days.
The scientific name for the Swainson’s spurfowl is Pternistis swainsonii; pternistis from the Greek meaning “one who trips from the heel”, perhaps referring to the spurs of the male; and swainsonii after William Swainson (1789-1855), the British naturalist, artist, and author.
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Swakopmund – Namibia’s favourite seaside spot
February 24th, 2010 | 
Author: Jane
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Posted in Trips | 
Show on Map (Geotagged at lat -22.7255230, lng 14.5349121)
No holiday in Namibia is complete without a visit to Swakopmund on the west coast. This quaint little town with its German architectural influence is much-loved by Namibians and tourists alike. With its temperate climate, and the cooler weather it offers over the scorching months of December and January, it is a haven for those wishing for some respite from the hot summer weather inland. Many locals own second homes in Swakopmund which they use for weekends or summer holidays, so for most of the year a lot of the accommodation lies vacant.
The weather is influenced largely by the cold Benguela current in the Atlantic Ocean. Mist rolls in often and shrouds the town making visibility very poor and causing metal to rust badly, but the fog also has an upside as it supplies precious moisture to the flora and fauna in the area. Rainfall cannot be relied upon as the average figures are less than 15mm per annum.
Flanked on the south by enormous dunes, Swakopmund is prey to unpleasant sand storms, which we, as campers, have had the misfortune to experience.
For the tourist Swakop has an amazing variety of action and adventure activities, from quad-biking and sand boarding, to sky-diving or camel riding. We’ve tried most of these and I must say that sand boarding had to be the most exciting of the lot. There’s no other thrill like speeding down the dunes at 80 kph with one’s nose a few centimeters from the sand. Never mind the fact that we had sand in every bodily orifice for the next two weeks! Our camel ride was also fun – especially as they dressed us up like Lawrence of Arabia (or Louwrens of Namibia as they say here).
The icy waters of the Atlantic are superb for fishing, so there are excellent seafood restaurants everywhere. And a visit to Cafe Anton is a must if you’re into delicious cakes and pastries. Of interest too, is the Crystal Gallery which features examples of the many gemstones and enormous crystals found in Namibia.
Although it’s a tad cold for swimming, the beachfront is a wonderful focal point for tourism and one can enjoy the many delights on offer on the waters edge.
There is an excellent African market with colourful and original displays of crafts and goods for sale or one can visit the Swakopmund Museum to pick up on the history and culture of Namibia.
For those wanting a very civilized and more sheltered camping option, the Alte Brucke campsite has private ablutions and good security. However, I much prefer taking the fifteen kilometer drive out to Langstrand, which is halfway between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Here one has fabulous seaviews, and on clear evenings the sunsets are quite spectacular.
Swakopmund will draw you back time and again – there is just so much to see and do in and around this friendly little town.
Bird of the week – Week 8 : Red-eyed bulbul
The African red-eyed bulbul is near endemic to Southern Africa, its range extending only marginally into southern Angola and Zambia. It is extremely common throughout most of Namibia, with the exception of the Namib Desert, inhabiting savanna grasslands, woodland and riverine bush, farmyards, gardens and orchards, preferring to be near water. Its cheerful call is heard throughout the day as the birds are conspicuous and vocal in pairs or small groups, often calling from the tops of trees.
These bulbuls are smallish birds, the males, at 21 cm in length, are slightly bigger than the females. They are vocal and conspicuous, found usually in pairs or small loose groups; the males often calling from the top of a bush or tree – till-pop-peep-peep-tiddlypop or similar. They are quite distinctive with their black heads and bright orange-red eye rings and lemon-yellow undertails. They forage mostly in trees, seldom on the ground and they often hawk insects in flight. Their diet consists mainly of fruit, nectar, and insects; they drink frequently and in consequence are seldom found too far from water.
Bulbuls are monogamous and the males are territorial, aggressively seeing-off other males during the breeding season. Their nest is a neat cup of dry grass and fine twigs usually built by the female although the male may offer encouragement by singing from a nearby bush. The nest is usually well above the ground in the fork of a tree or bush and often quite well hidden. A clutch of 2 to 3 eggs is most common and the incubation period is about 12 days. They are regularly parasitised by the Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus). The African red-eyed bulbul lives for about four years.
They are quite confiding birds and will often visit campsites and gardens in search of tidbits.
The scientific binomial for the African red-eyed bulbul is Pycnonotus nigricans. Pycnonotus is from the Greek “pyknos”, meaning thick back, probably in reference to their thickly feathered backs, and nigricans from the Latin meaning blackish, apparently referring to the bird’s darkly coloured head. Thus a bird with a thick back and a blackish head. Say what!?!
The majestic Baobab – a legend in its time
Africa is not called the ‘dark continent’ for nothing. It is a continent of dark secrets and legends. The legends cover not only the people, but the animals, rivers and trees. And the tree with more legends hanging on its branches than baubles on a Christmas tree has to be the enormous Baobab (Adansonia digitata), found in just about every country south of the equator.
I personally love Baobabs and feel so excited whenever we come across them on our travels. They transport me back to my childhood in Zimbabwe where I had the utmost reverence for these giant gnarled, funny-looking ‘upside down’ trees. To me they represent Africa and mystery, and I’m obviously not the only one from whom similar feelings are evoked.
Any number of legends abound about Baobabs, from their origins to their magical powers. Every tribe has their own version of the good and bad things associated with Baobabs – which is why they are so venerated and feared. Many believe that benevolent spirits and ancestors dwell in them, whilst others fear the more malevolent spirits of both the trees and their Gods. Offerings of food and gifts are placed near the trees to pacify angry spirits or to show gratitude for bountiful harvests. Rituals are held in hollowed out Baobab trunks, with drums being beaten and prayers offered up for protection, and communication is made with dead ancestors and spirits. Animals seek shelter in them and up to forty people have been known to crowd into one hollow trunk.
In northern Namibia Baobabs are even responsible for keeping the environment clean, for legend has it that anyone who pollutes the area around a Baobab will be engulfed in its large trunk. He or she can only be rescued by a hardworking woodpecker (and this is highly unlikely as woodpeckers apparently resent humans for tearing down trees without asking their permission first) or by a hornless mooing black cow, which is extremely hard to find. The natives often say they hear victims crying in the trees. This ties up with yet another urban legend that has the evil spirits lying in wait amongst the branches. If one listens up close to the trunk one can hear the spirits laughing inside (a noise most likely caused by bees nesting in the hollow trunk).
In Botswana the Bushmen believe that the flowers, which only bloom for one day, are inhabited by spirits and if anyone has the audacity to pluck one they are sure to be eaten by a lion! Yet other Bushmen believe that one’s fate for such a crime is to be eaten by a tick. If Bushmen are hunting an animal and it passes under a Baobab tree, the hunt is immediately stopped and another animal killed to preserve the life of the one that received the protection of the tree.
There are many different versions of the origin of the tree, like God being angry because when he planted the tree in the earth it kept on walking, so he uprooted it and threw it onto the ground upside down. It didn’t die but continued to live with its roots in the air. Yet others believe that the God, Thora, flung the Baobab down from paradise (because it was always complaining) and it landed on earth upside down. Its elephant-like appearance apparently came about because its maternal creator was startled by an elephant when she was making the tree and it assumed the grotesque shape and dimensions of this large animal.
Talking of dimensions, Baobabs can reach heights of twenty meters and have trunks with a diameter of twelve meters. Their trunks, which absorb vast amounts of water (up to 120 000 liters in an adult tree), vary considerably in size during the dry and rainy seasons. Because of its watery properties, as well as the food that one can get from it (Cream of Tartar), the Baobab is also known as the ‘tree of life.’ Providing shelter, medicine, rope, cloth and protection it is no wonder that it is held in such high esteem by the people of Africa. In addition, if one drinks the water that seeds have been soaked in, one is guaranteed not to be eaten by a crocodile!
When the South African army was present in Katimo Mulilo in the Caprivi region of Namibia during the Bush War, they held no reverence or fear of the mighty tree as they fitted a flush toilet into one, thereby defiantly showing the world what they thought the of the superstitions and legends. The tree had the last laugh though, as its trunk grew over the door, making it difficult to open.
Bird of the week – Week 7 : African fish-eagle
Bird of the week – Week 7 : African fish-eagle
Picture this. Reclining on a sofa-bed in the open air pub at Oddballs Camp in the Okavango Delta, beer in hand, looking out over the water in the late afternoon sunshine. In the distance the classic cry of the African fish-eagle, one of the most easily recognizable sounds of the African bushveld. The next cry is a somewhat louder. The bird appears, flying low above the water; it swoops and in split second it has a fish firmly gripped in the vice of the talons of one foot. In a few more seconds it has disappeared from view, leaving Jane and me with a powerful and enduring memory.
(4)
The African fish-eagle features on the coat-of-arms of Namibia and is also the national bird of both Zimbabwe and Zambia. They are found, usually in pairs, on most of the larger rivers, lakes, pans and dams of Africa, south of the Sahara, and also in many coastal lagoons and estuaries.
They are big birds, the females slightly larger than the males, being up to 73 cm in length and with a wingspan of over 2.3 metres. They are most often seen during daylight hours perched on tall trees near water.
(1)
The well-known call is most commonly heard at dawn, with the male and female sometimes performing a duet, but they call at any time of the day, often while in flight. As described above, they stoop to catch fish, usually of less than 1 kg in weight, with their feet, usually taking them within 10 or 15 cm of the surface without even slowing their flight
(2)
Rather less dramatically, fish-eagles also eat carrion, eggs, nestlings and even occasionally adult water-birds, frogs, terrapins, insects and rarely even dassies and monkeys.
The fish-eagles mate for life and their nest, which they re-use from year to year, is an untidy bowl of sticks, lined with grass and leaves, high above the ground, usually in the fork of a tree near the water. Most commonly two or three eggs are laid, but often only one chick will survive.
(3)
The scientific name of the African fish-eagle is Haliaeetus vocifer; haliaeetus being from the Greek words “hals” meaning “salt” or “the sea” and “aetos” meaning “eagle”, and vocifer from the Latin “vocifero” meaning to “cry out aloud”. Hence “the Sea-eagle that cries out aloud” – Perfect!
Picture this. Jane and I are reclining on a sofa-bed in the open air pub at Oddballs Camp in the Okavango Delta, beer in hand, looking out over the water in the late afternoon sunshine. In the distance we hear the classic cry of the African fish-eagle, one of the most easily recognizable sounds of the African bushveld. Then a second cry, somewhat louder. The huge brown and white eagle appears, flying low above the water; it swoops and in split second it has a fish firmly gripped in the vice of the talons of one foot. In a few more seconds it has disappeared from view, leaving Jane and me with a powerful and enduring memory. What a wonderful moment!
The African fish-eagle features on the coat-of-arms of Namibia and is also the national bird of both Zimbabwe and Zambia. These classic symbols of Africa are found, usually in pairs, on most of the larger rivers, lakes, pans and dams of Africa south of the Sahara, and also in many coastal lagoons and estuaries.
They are big birds, the females slightly larger than the males, being up to 73 cm in length and with a wingspan of over 2.3 metres. They are most often seen during daylight hours perched on tall trees near water where they spend much of their time.
The well-known call is most commonly heard at dawn and at dusk, with the male and female sometimes performing a duet, but they call less frequently at any time of the day, often while in flight. As described above, they stoop to catch fish, usually those of less than 3 kg in weight, seizing the fish in their powerful talons while their legs are thrown well forward, usually taking those within 10 or 20 cm of the surface of the water without even slowing their flight.
Rather less dramatically, fish-eagles also eat carrion, eggs, nestlings and even occasionally adult water-birds, frogs, insects and rarely even dassies and monkeys. They are very agile and are quite capable of taking birds in flight. They are also not above stealing fish from other birds, including pelicans and storks. Kleptoparasitise, if you want the correct word for this chicanery.
The fish-eagles mate for life and their nest, which they re-use from year to year, is an untidy bowl of sticks up to 1.5 metres in diameter, lined with grass and leaves, located high above the ground, usually in the fork of a tree near the water. Most commonly two or three eggs are laid and they hatch after an incubation period of about 45 days, but often only one chick will survive. Life expectancy is estimated to be around 20 years.
The scientific name of the African fish-eagle is Haliaeetus vocifer; “haliaeetus” being from the Greek words “hals” meaning “salt” or “the sea” and “aetos” meaning “eagle”, and vocifer from the Latin “vocifero” meaning to “cry out aloud”. Hence “the Sea-eagle that cries out aloud” – Perfect!
