9 Apr 2019: Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, Windhoek

Zebra, Daan Viljoen GR

I was completely knackered after the previous day’s 1200 km drive, and had a bit of a sleep-in. The loud, harsh calls of numerous Red-billed Spurfowls in the campsite woke me up, and after a leisurely cup of coffee I birded the surrounding area. A Bearded Woodpecker started drumming in a nearby tree and the White-browed Sparrow-Weavers complained about the Groundscraper Thrushes invading their territory. Later the morning I gathered enough energy to look for the Rockjumper in the surrounding hills, but with no success. I did, however, manage to find two Damara Red-billed Hornbills, a sometimes difficult near-endemic species to tick. After a very expensive hamburger at the restaurant I headed north to Ameib, a private game reserve in the Erongo mountains.

Groundscraper Thrush, Daan Viljoen GR