• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Where to see Pel's Fishing Owl (Shakawe or Drotsky) + Caprivi Specialities (1 Viewer)

Hello

We are going to do a tour in Namibia between 28/06 until the 17/07/2019. We are starting in Windhoek and ending in the Victoria Falls.

I have the book Southern African Birdfinder but I have specific questions.

Pel's Fishing Owl We are going to cross to Botswana. It seems quite easy to see at Shakawe Fishing Lodge and Drotsky Cabins. What's the best place? White-backed Night Heron should be also present here?

Rufous-bellied Tit and Grey Penduline Tit are mentioned around Rundu. Any specific place tp look for?

Any good place for Wattle Crane, Marsh Owl or Racket-tailed Roller?

Schalow's Turaco should be present around Katima Mulilo. We are staying at the Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge. The bird is present on the lodge gound. Correct?

I guess we will be too early for the Southern Carmine Bee-eater?

Thanks for your help

Raphael Lebrun
Belgium
 
I saw Pel's fairly easily on a boat trip from Drotsky's in 2015. I think that's how most people see it and presumably it's still possible to do so. I saw White-backed Night Heron at Shamvura, which I think is regular for it.
 
I saw Pel's fairly easily on a boat trip from Drotsky's in 2015. I think that's how most people see it and presumably it's still possible to do so. I saw White-backed Night Heron at Shamvura, which I think is regular for it.

I saw it at Drotsky's in 2011 but the original tree in the camp where they were, fell down about ten years ago so we had to go up river in a boat to another site, presumably the same place that Andrew went, a government facility I think it was?. This was fine as we picked up African Skimmer on the way.

It's also an easy site for Narina Trogon.

Try and visit Ngepi Lodge in the Poppa Falls area, it was the only place we had Rufous-bellied Heron on the marsh just at the back of the camp, and ours seems to be the only shot on Surfbirds?
 

Attachments

  • 20120122061006.jpg
    20120122061006.jpg
    91.2 KB · Views: 31
Last edited:
A bit more recent:

https://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport/repository/MEARS_Namibia_12_2017.pdf


[Rufous-bellied Tit and Grey Penduline Tit are mentioned around Rundu. Any specific place tp look for?]
We were told Rundu is not what it used to be.

[Any good place for Wattle Crane, Marsh Owl or Racket-tailed Roller?]
Saw the crane at Mahango by the river and RTR by the River Kwando, west bank, south side of road in the nature reserve area.

[Schalow's Turaco should be present around Katima Mulilo. We are staying at the Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge. The bird is present on the lodge gound. Correct?]
See notes in my report...

[I guess we will be too early for the Southern Carmine Bee-eater?]
We were told at Shamvura 'no, gone' but then found plenty along the road between there and Katima.

Send a PM if you want, cheers,
Andy
 
Last edited:
Hello

We are going to do a tour in Namibia between 28/06 until the 17/07/2019. We are starting in Windhoek and ending in the Victoria Falls.

I have the book Southern African Birdfinder but I have specific questions.

Pel's Fishing Owl We are going to cross to Botswana. It seems quite easy to see at Shakawe Fishing Lodge and Drotsky Cabins. What's the best place? White-backed Night Heron should be also present here?

Rufous-bellied Tit and Grey Penduline Tit are mentioned around Rundu. Any specific place tp look for?

Any good place for Wattle Crane, Marsh Owl or Racket-tailed Roller?

Schalow's Turaco should be present around Katima Mulilo. We are staying at the Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge. The bird is present on the lodge gound. Correct?

I guess we will be too early for the Southern Carmine Bee-eater?

Thanks for your help

Raphael Lebrun
Belgium

Was in Namibia + Botswana last month, so some recent info:

Pel's Fishing Owl: I doubt there's much difference between Shakawe and Drotsky's as they are very close; we stayed at Drotsky's and saw the owls on an island half way between the two lodges. If you stay at Drotsky's, ask for Ray to be your boat driver / guide - he's very good.

White-backed Night Heron - at least 2 pairs plus 2 juvs in tangles on the river bank next to Drotsky's boat ramp. Also a pair seen at Shamvura.

Rufous-bellied Tit - we had a pair near Shamvura Lodge, and a single bird a few kms along the road towards Katima. Not sure about Grey Penduline Tit - we didn't make any effort to see this.

Wattled Crane - unmissable at Mahango during both out brief visits.

Marsh Owl - the only place we saw one was, oddly, at the floodlit waterhole at Halali in Etosha.

Racket-tailed Roller - there's a reliable roadside stake-out a few kms along the road towards Rundu from Katimo. Ask at the Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge as they know where it is.

Schalow's Turaco - easy at Zambesi Mubala camp site and Caprivi Houseboat Safari Lodge.

Hope this helps.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top