Wilkinson's World

The Namaqua dove prefers dry woodland, such as arid shrub and acacia savanna, and is also found on farms and in quiet gardens.  They are usually solitary birds and are most commonly found singly or in pairs, although they may gather in quite large numbers at water sources.

Namaqua doves feed mainly on grass seeds, and other small seeds, foraging on the ground, often along the edges of gravel roads.  The call is a rather mournful “kuh-whooo”.

Namaqua doves are monogamous and their nest is a frail platform of twigs and small roots lined with fine grass, usually located low down in a convenient shrub or bush.  The female lays a clutch of one or two eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 15 days.

The scientific binomial for the Namaqua dove is Oena capensis; Oena from the Greek for a “wild pigeon” and capensis from the Latin for “from the Cape (of Good Hope)”.  Thus a wild pigeon (or dove, I suppose) from the Cape of Good Hope.  Which is accuate enough, although it could apply equally to several other species of pigeons (or doves).

 

The area supports the elusive desert elephant, which we didn’t see, but on an early morning walk we did see wild giraffes grazing near the road.

There is plenty to see in this beautiful area.  Twyfelfontein has been declared a National Heritage Site because it has the largest concentration of rock art in Namibia.  Whilst there are plenty of the usual Bushmen paintings, where staining material was used for their art, Twyfelfontein is famous because the rock art has been engraved deep into the soft red sandstone rocks.

There are over 2500 petroglyphs of various sizes, mostly of animals and people.  Considered a sacred site by the indigenous people, Twyfelfontein was an ideal spot for the Bushmen to tell their stories by means of art about fifteen thousand years ago.  Twyfelfontein means “doubtful fountain” in Afrikaans and the little spring that rises in the area has been supporting life for thousands of years.

Nearby, the Organ Pipes are an interesting geological feature in the Twyfelfontein area.  We walked down into a narrow gorge and were surrounded by literally thousands of perpendicular dolerite pillars, some measuring up to five meters in height.  These were formed when dolerite that had intruded into the shales of the Karoo Sequence, shrank during cooling and split.

Our next stop was Burnt Mountain, formed by the Karoo shales and limestone deposits about 200 million years ago.  The dramatic changes that took place over the centuries left a mountain sporting various shades of colour (red, black, grey, purple, white and orange), which, at certain times of the day with the rays of the sun hitting it, give the impression that the mountain is on fire.  Seen at midday, people might wonder what all the fuss is about as it just looks like a black mountain!

This is a beautiful area to visit, with so much to see and do.  From here it’s a short drive to the petrified forest, which I wrote about in a prevous blog.

The Giant kingfisher is widely spread throughout most of Africa and in the southern African region is confined mostly to the wetter western part of the region.  In Namibia it is found only along the Cunene River in the north and the Orange River in the south.  They are quite solitary by nature and are usually found singly or in pairs.  Within its range it is found along almost any stretch of water that provides sufficient food, preferably stretches with trees that have branches overhanding the water from which it can hunt.

The call of the Giant kingfisher is a loud “kek” or “Kak-kak-kak-kak”.  It generally hunts from a perch, diving into the water to catch its prey and often submerges itself completely.  It feeds on fish mainly, but also on crabs and frogs.  Once the prey has been caught, it is usually beaten vigorously against a branch or other solid object before being eaten.

The Giant kingfisher is monogamous and builds its nest in a tunnel excavated into a suitable bank close to the water.  These tunnels may be anything from one to seven meters long and end in the unlined chamber in which the female lays a clutch of three to five glossy white eggs that hatch after an incubation period of approximately 26 days.

The scientific binomial for the Giant kingfisher is Megaceryle maxima; Megaceryle from the Greek for a “great kingfisher” and maxima from the Latin meaning “the largest”.  Thus we have the largest great kingfisher, and that it certainly is.

 

When the climate warmed up, it caused great glaciers and ice fields to melt, which resulted in severe flooding.  This, in turn, uprooted and broke many enormous trees and sent them on a journey far from their origins.  Completely buried in silt and sand, the trees were not exposed to their usual decomposition.  Over time, more and more sand covered them and the quartz present in the sediment above the trees dissolved, causing rich silica deposits to leech into the wood.  The acidity eventually dissolved the organic matter in the trees and replaced it with crystalline quartz.

When Gondwana broke up and split, the upheaval pushed the ground up and further erosion took place over the centuries.  Eventually the trees were once again exposed in the dry desert conditions where they can now be seen as fossilized trunks.

The trees grew to heights of 40 meters and were members of the Cordiates family (Dadoxylon arberi Seward).  Their structures were like conifers and pine trees as we know them.

It is fascinating to see fossilized trees – you can see the bark, the rings, as well as the knots!

We were shown around by a trained local guide who had a very good knowledge of the trees, as well as the unusual welwitchia mirabilis plants that also thrive in this arid environment.

Namibia has some interesting fossil sites – apart from the Mesosaurus that I have already mentioned, you can also see dinosaur footprints near Omaruru.

 

Approximately 18 cm in length, the male Short-toed rock-thrush has a slate-grey head, throat and back, with the remainder of the under parts being a rich rufous orange.  The forehead and crown are whitish-grey; the legs, bill and eyes are black.  Although the males and females are of similar size, the sexes are dimorphic in plumage colouration; the throat of the female is speckled white and and the forehead and crown are slate-grey.

The call of the Short-toed rock-thrush is a series of quite jumbled sounds with a whistle-like intonation.  It forages mainly on the ground, feeding on insects such as grasshoppers and termites, as well as fruit and seeds.

The Short-toed rock-thrush is monogamous, usually building its cup nest at the base of a suitable rock, and lining it with soft vegetation.  The female lays a clutch of two to four sky-blue or greenish-blue eggs that hatch after an incubation period of about 14 days.

The scientific name for the Short-toed rock-thrush is Monticola brevipes; Monticola from the Latin for “an inhabitant of the mountains” and brevipes from the Latin for “short footed”.  Thus a bird that inhabits the mountains and has short toes, which I guess is accurate enough as names go.