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Cape Birding Tour
Namaqualand Birds & Flowers
Top birds
• Cape Eagle-Owl
• Ludwig's Bustard
• Damara Tern
• Cape Long-billed Lark
• Karoo Lark
• Barlow's Lark (Port Nolloth)
• Fairy Flycatcher
• Southern Grey Tit
• Cinnamon-breasted Warbler
• Ground Woodpecker
• Layard's Tit-Babbler
• Dusky Sunbird
• Black-headed Canary
• Damara Canary
Tour description
Namaqualand forms the largest portion of the succulent Karoo Biome,
the only desert biodiversity hotspot on Earth!
From giant aloes to minute stone plants, it hosts the world's greatest
diversity of succulent plants. Spectacular floral carpets of daisies
and arid-adapted plants cover the region in spring. More than a
1 000 of its estimated 3 500 plant species are found nowhere else
on earth.
Ludwig's Bustard, Cape Eagle-Owl and the endemic
Barlow's Lark are best seen here.
In this winter-rainfall region, August and September
offer the most prolific wildflower displays and the best birding
opportunities, as the birds are likely to be breeding this time
of year.
It is impractical to cover all great birding spots
in Namaqualand in a few days, so we usually suggest that the area
is explored over at least five or six days.
Our tours to this region are usually linked with a Tanqua
Karoo and perhaps Bushmanland visit, hence,
we sometimes approach the area from the south via Ceres and the
Tanqua. Otherwise, we drive along the West Coast from Cape Town
towards Kamieskroon and Springbok, visiting Rocher
Pan, Verlorenvlei and Lambert's Bay en route.
Budget Namaqualand Tour
8 days
15-22 August 2010 (please enquire for other dates)
This itinerary is designed to complement birds with flowers.
Namaqualand is perhaps best known for its spectacular spring floral
displays in August and early September. Birds also become more active
at this time of year and a total list of 200-220 bird species (many
of them Cape endemics) can be expected.
Our journey starts and ends in Cape Town and offers birding in Strandveld
and some freshwater pans along the West Coast, and in Namaqualand
in mainly Renosterveld and farmlands. Climbing the escarpment up
Vanrhyns Pass, the habitat changes to protea-rich Fynbos, before
gradually transforming into more arid Karooveld. The gravel plains
of the Tanqua's Succulent Karoo holds some unique flora and birdlife,
as well as offering wide open vistas for those who enjoy getting
away from it all.
This tour also offers some mammal encounters, mainly in the Goegap
Nature Reserve and Tanqua Karoo National Park: Springbok,
Klipspringer, Steenbok, Common
Duiker, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok
(Oryx), Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Cape Mountain
Zebra, Cape Hare, Springhare,
Porcupine, Blackbacked jackal,
Bat-eared Fox and African Wild Cat.
We'll explore:
- Velddrif, Rocherpan and Verlorenvlei for Grey Tit,
Black Harrier, Southern Black Korhaan,
African Rail, Greybacked Cisticola,
Southern Pochard, Cape Clapper Lark and
Karoo Lark.
- Eland's Bay, Lambert's Bay Bird Island, Vanrhynsdorp, Garies and
Kamieskroon: Cape Gannet, Crowned Cormorant
and several species of tern; Cape Long-billed and Cape Clapper
Lark, Verreaux's Eagle, Jackal
Buzzard, Protea Canary, Pale-winged
Starling, Cape Siskin, Mountain
Wheatear and Greater Kestrel. Also Martial
Eagle, Lanner Falcon, Black-headed
Canary, Spike-heeled and Large-billed Lark,
Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Rufous-eared
Warbler and Chat Flycatcher.
- Springbok: Goegap Nature Reserve known for Karoo Eremomela,
Cinnamon-breasted Warbler, Karoo Korhaan, Dusky
Sunbird and Ground Woodpecker. Nababeep and Spektakelberg
for Layard's Titbabbler, Mountain Wheatear,
Verreaux's Eagle and Ludwig's Bustard.
- Namaqua National Park and Kamieskroon: Cape Penduline
Tit, Damara Canary, Karoo Lark,
Cape Long-billed Lark, Orange River White-eye,
Cape Clapper Lark, Grey-backed Cisticola
and White-throated Canary. (Floral displays here
will be at their best when the sun reaches its zenith).
- Nieuwoudtville Waterfall and Nature Reserve: Booted Eagle,
Layard's Titbabbler and Grey-winged Francolin,
African Stonechat, different larks and Pale
Chanting Goshawk.
- Tanqua Karoo National Park: beautiful scenery and birds like Ludwig's
Bustard, Karoo Korhaan, Namaqua
Sandgrouse, Burchell's Courser, Karoo
Long-billed Lark, Karoo Lark, Fairy
Flycatcher, Karoo Eremomela, Namaqua Warbler, Rufous-eared
Warbler, Sickle-winged Chat, Dusky
Sunbird, Black-headed and Damara
Canary.
- Karoopoort and Ceres: We'll look for the nomadic Grey-backed
and Black-eared Sparrowlark, elusive Cinnamon-breasted
Warbler and lots of Karoo Chats.
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See Cinnamon-breasted Warbler on a Namaqualand, Cape Endemics, Tanqua
Karoo or Bushmanland Birding Tour with Birding Africa © Callan
Cohen
'Pincushionson' flowers of the Protea family, Leucospermum genus
on a Cape
Birds & Flowers tour © Callan Cohen.
Karoo Korhaan on a Birding
Africa tour © Callan Cohen.
Orchids and lillies on a Cape
Birds & Flowers tour © Callan Cohen
Ground Woodpecker on a Birding
Africa tour © Callan Cohen.
Cape Sugarbird on 'pincushion' flowers on a Cape
Birds & Flowers tour © Callan Cohen.
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