On November 7, (day 5 of our tour) we drove from Swakopmund to the beautifully situated Hohenstein Lodge in the Erongo Mountains near Spitzkoppe.
The day yielded several excellent sightings, some along the way and and others near our lodge:
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Hartlaub’s Spurfowl
Ruppell’s Parrot
Elephant Shrew (now called Western Rock Sengi)
On the 8th (day 6 of our tour) we drove from Hohenstein Lodge via the mighty Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, to the Rustig Lodge, located on private farmland in Damaraland.
Along the way we found, after much effort, a Herero Chat which is near endemic. We also saw
Violet Wood Hoopoe
Bearded Woodpecker
Lesser Masked Weavers
Northen Black Korhaan
Red-crested Korhaan
Namoqua Sandgrouse
Along the way we witnessed a case of animal abuse of a team of skinny donkeys being lashed at top speed along the road in the noon-heat. Also, to our surprise, several women along the way in colorful traditional garb, excluding tops.
One of the most enjoyable episodes of the trip was a night-drive through the farmland around the Lodge. This night drive yielded good views of a few night birds and several animals that I had hoped, but not expected, to see in Africa:
Aardvarks (2 of them)
Aardwolf
The next morning, November 9th, (day 7 of our tour) we headed for our major destination in Namibia, the huge and game-rich Etosha National Park, where we would spend the next 3 nights.