The elusive Dune Lark is the only true endemic bird in Namibia – and we know where to find it!
The Kuiseb Delta vegetation comprises of Tamarisk Trees, stunted vegetation, and huge ‘Nara’ hummocks with a backdrop of the red dune fields. Further upstream towards Rooibank fairly large Camelthorn Trees are also found.
Out of the 16 near-endemic birds of Namibia, it is here that your guide will find the only true endemic of the country, the Dune Lark.
This little lark is one of the most arid-adapted birds in the world. It lives at the base of the huge red dunes of the Namib where it is most active in the morning and late afternoon. Here you can find it running rapidly over the bare sand between patches of vegetation and dune grass. It scurries between the dunes searching for seeds and small insects on which it feeds. By mid-afternoon, the birds become quiet and take shelter in the shade of grass tufts on the dune edges.
Approximately 20 – 30% of the Dune Lark’s diet is invertebrates, ants, termites, grasshoppers, etc. This helps to metabolize enough water to survive as this species does not drink water. Besides this species, we may also see the coastal form of Tractrac Chat en route and in the riverbed there are several other species such as Bokmakierie, Black-chested Prinia, Ashy Tit, Chestnut-vented Tit Babbler, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Cape Sparrow, Dusky Sunbird, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Rock Kestrel, Lanner Falcon, and Black-chested Snake Eagle.
From the Kuiseb we travel to the Walvis Bay Lagoon and salt pans (proclaimed as a RAMSAR site) where depending on the time of the year you may see thousands of wetland species (over 200,000 birds in summer) such as Curlew Sandpiper, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, both Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Great White Pelican, Damara Tern and with luck Terek Sandpiper, Greater Sandplover, Red-necked Phalarope, Franklin’s Gull and European Oystercatcher may be seen in some years. However, the best time to see most of the above-mentioned species is in our summer months from December to mid-April this is when most of the migrants have arrived for the austral summer to feed off the lagoon mudflats.
On a full-day excursion we will spend a short time at the sewerage works near Walvis Bay where large numbers of Common Moorhen, Hottentot Teal, Red-knobbed Coot and other freshwater wetland species may be found and if time allows we then travel to the Salt Pans near Swakopmund to look for any specials that may be around at the time before searching the surrounding desert plains to search for Gray’s Lark, Rufous-eared Warbler and Tractrac Chat.
The Key species for this trip are Damara Tern, Gray’s Lark, Orange River White-eye, Tractrac Chat and the only true Namibian endemic the Dune Lark.
We have had 80+ species of birds, 14 mammal, and many reptiles species seen on this tour.
Information
HALF-DAY
Costs: On Request
Pick up Time: 08h00 – 13h00 from your hotel in Swakopmund
Duration: Approximately 5 hours
Included: Guide, vehicle, bottled water & soft drinks
What to bring: Walking shoes, jacket, sunblock & hat, binoculars & photographic
equipment
FULL-DAY
Costs: On request
Pick up Time: 08h00 – 16h00 from your hotel in Swakopmund
Duration: Approximately 8 hours
Included: Guide, vehicle, bottled water, soft drinks & light lunch
What to bring: Walking shoes, jacket, sunblock & hat, binoculars & photographic
equipment
- Minimum 2 adults required for a tour, single travelers are welcome to join existing bookings.
- Children’s rates apply to children under the age of 12 years.
- Tours are guided in English unless otherwise pre-arranged.
- All activities are weather-dependent.
ECO DUNE TOUR ROCKY DESERT DESERT NIGHT WALK DUNE LARK, KUISEB DUNES & WALVIS LAGOON GRAYS LARK & COASTAL WETLANDS BIRDING SPITZKOPPE BRANDBERG
ECO DUNE TOUR ROCKY DESERT DESERT NIGHT WALK DUNE LARK, KUISEB DUNES & WALVIS LAGOON GRAYS LARK & COASTAL WETLANDS BIRDING SPITZKOPPE BRANDBERG