Flying Southern Africa on the infobahn

Click on the small picture to see a larger, more detailed version. I toured Namibia in September 2009. Most of the photos were taken with a new Canon SLR camera (T1i, 15 Mpixels) with a new 100-400mm zoom lens, but I also use a Nikon point-and-shoot for both scenery and digiscoping. Some of the pictures are degraded by having been taken through vehicle windows and/or by being taken in low light when the camera switches into a noisy, high-speed mode. In all, I took 3300 pictures, using nearly 24 Gbytes of camera memory. Many of the pictures are very good and it is painful to reduce the numbers down even to the substantial number shown here.

The larger pictures are in many cases larger than can be seen on the usual computer screen. Some viewers (e.g., Firefox) will show the picture sized to fit the screen and offer a button to display at the full resolution. When so displayed, scroll bars or other means are needed to roam around the picture. Note that I have cropped almost all pictures displayed here - this new camera has a lot of pixels!

The trip was very enjoyable and was led by the Josele Saiz (Boletas Birdwatching Centre, Loporzano Spain, www.boletas.org) with an excellent local guide Charly Rhyn. Assisting them was Jan Hansen (dba Otus Asio Tours otusasiotours@bellsouth.net). Jan leads a variety of trips, all of which I would recommend. Jan has purchased a camera for digi-scoping and got a number of wonderful pictures.

Windhoek area

Laughing Dove, Fork-tailed Drongo, African Pipit, Lilac-breasted Roller,
Scaly-feathered Finch, Windhoek Airport, September 2, 2009

Southern Masked Weaver, Black-faced Waxbill, Cape Teal, Red-billed Teal,
Comb Duck, Great White Pelican, White-breasted Cormorant,
Gammas Sewage Farm, Windhoek, September 2, 2009

Yellow-bellied Ereomomela, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Hartman's Mountain Zebra,
Blue Wildebeast at Daan Viljoen Game Park,
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Dusky Sunbird, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver at Avis Dam,
near Windhoek, September 3, 2009

White-backed Mousebird at Windhoek hotel,
African Fish-Eagle, Green-winged Pytilia, Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk,
along route north of Windhoek, September 4, 2009

Erindi Game Park

Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Common Warthog, Three-striped Mouse,
at Lodge, September 4, 2009

Yellow-billed Hornbill, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Marabou Stork, at Lodge
Lions on afternoon safari, September 4, 2009

Tawny Eagle, Crowned Lapwing, African Spoonbill with Egyptian Goose,
Giraffe with Blue Wildebeast, Common Warthog,
on morning safari, September 5, 2009

Slender Mongoose, Red-crested Korhaan, Jan, Charly (left) with Josele,
on morning safari, September 5, 2009

Blacksmith Lapwing, White-backed Vulture, Black-headed Heron,
Three-banded Plover at Lodge, September 5, 2009

Eland, Grey Go-Away-Bird, Acacia Pied Barbet, Wild Dog,
at Lodge, September 5, 2009

Lion, Pygmy Falcon, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Helmeted Guineafowl,
afternoon safari, September 5, 2009

Red-billed Francolin at Lodge, Little Grebe, White-faced Duck
with Egyptian Goose at sewage works on road north, September 6, 2009

Etosha National Park

Springbuck, Fiscal Shrike, Spotted Hyena,
in western (near Okaukuijo Camp) area, September 6, 2009

Common Ostrich, Northern Black Korhaan, Kori Bustard, Gabar Goshawk (black phase),
Martial Eagle, African Red-eyed Bulbul, in western area, September 7, 2009

Spike-heeled Lark, Sabota Lark, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark,
Double-banded Courser, Namaqua Dove, in western area, September 7, 2009

Springbuck, Common Zebra (Burchell's), Black-faced Impala, Greater Kudu,
in western area, September 7, 2009

Sociable Weaver, Pied Crow, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Cape Glossy Starling,
Okaukuijo Camp, September 7, 2009

Namaqua Sandgrouse, Burchell's Courser, Spotted Thick-knee, Lions,
South African Ground Squirrel, in western area, September 7, 2009

Giraffe, Yellow Mongoose, in western area, September 7, 2009

Crimson-breasted Shrike, Cape Glossy Starling, African Red-eyed Bulbul, African Hoopoe,
Cardinal Woodpecker, Okaukuijo Camp, September 8, 2009

Southern Oryx (Gemsbok), Common Zebra (Burchell's), Blue Wildebeast (Gnu), Black-backed Jackal,
Okaukuijo Camp, September 8, 2009

Chat Flycacher, White-crowned Shrike, Lion (after missed kill), African Scops Owl (at Hilali Camp),
Lappet-faced Vulture, Purple Roller, Okaukuijo to Namutoni Camps, September 8, 2009

African Elephants (right-most by Nolan Pope as matriarch checks us out)
Okaukuijo to Namutoni Camps (western to eastern sides), September 8, 2009

Painted Snipe, Red-necked Falcon, Blue Waxbill, Banded Mongoose,
Namutoni Camp, September 9, 2009

Desert Cisticola, Secretarybird, Tawny Eagle, Lilac-breasted Roller,
Red-billed Quelea (with Southern Grey-headed and Great Sparrows, Red-headed Finch),
eastern side (near Namutoni Camp), September 9, 2009

Greater Kudu, Southern Oryx (Gemsbok), Giraffe,
eastern side (near Namutoni Camp), September 9, 2009

Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk, White-crested Helmet Shrike (at Mushara Lodge),
White-backed Vulture, Damara Dikdik, eastern side (near Namutoni Camp), September 9, 2009

Caprivi Strip

Green-winged Pytilia, Pearl-spotted Owlet, approaching Rundu, September 10, 2009

White-browed Robin-Chat, Hartlaub's Babler, Little Bee-eater, Black Crake,
Kurrichane Thrush, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Nkwazi Lodge, Rundu, September 11, 2009

Jan with local children at their family compound, Red- and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers,
road from Nunda Lodge to Mahango Game park, September 12, 2009

Sable Antelope, Common Warthog (with Red-billed Oxpeckers), Common Impala,
Lechwe, Mahango Game Park (south side) , September 12, 2009

Jan, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Hippopotamus, Carmine Bee-eater,
Red-crested Korhaan, Mahango Game Park (south side) , September 12, 2009