March 7, 2023

About solitude, vultures and looking towards Rostock Mountain

Discover the beauty and conservation efforts for vultures in Namibia's Khomas Region. Learn about the challenges faced by Cape Vultures and the efforts to re-establish their population. Join the journey to create a safe haven for these majestic birds and appreciate their symbolic significance in Buddhism.
March 7, 2023

The Enigmatic Horns of Gemsbok: Nature’s Intriguing Anomalies

Explore the intriguing world of gemsbok and their unique horn formations. Witness two remarkable animals seemingly unaffected by their peculiar horns, while another faces the challenge of a curling horn causing distress. Learn from Dr. Hans-Otto Reuter, a renowned wildlife veterinarian, about the origins of these uncommon horn shapes and the challenges they pose.
June 21, 2023

Looking for Namibia’s EMPEROR MOTHS

They are nature’s flying nocturnal artworks, short-lived, some well-known but others secretive and little-known, often overseen and attracted to light. The adults do not feed at all, and the larvae – caterpillars – are very selective regarding their food plants. A few species are a valuable food source for humans, such as the so-called “mopane worms”, whereas of some species the caterpillars and food plants are not yet known.
June 21, 2023

The land of sand and freedom: Birds of a feather

We feel tremendously privileged to know some nature specialists who are founts of knowledge. Luckily, they are also amazing human beings who share their wisdom and their knowledge. Birds of a feather flock together. As this story is about our birding experiences over the years, that seemed like an apt segue.
June 29, 2023

Birding with Pompie: Three wise men from the west

Did they bring any presents? Yes, they did. Are they wise? Indeed they are. Are they windgat? No. Are they your typical bird watchers/guides? Not at all. Do they know everything about birds? No, they know everything about nature, be it birds, bees, flowers, trees, butterflies, reptiles. They do not know that much about rugby, but that makes it so much easier to explain the finer points of the Blue Bulls, not to be corrected by wise-guy Stormer supporters. These are probably all the reasonable nice things I can say about these fellows.
January 17, 2024

Not another GREY GO-AWAY

As our skipper slowly turns the boat toward the dock along the bank, a flutter of wings catches my attention in the canopy of the adjacent Ana tree. My brain-eye coordination is still set on “bird spotting mode”, even though our water adventure has come to an end for the day. There, in the lofty canopy, I see the characteristic mohawk-style wispy crest of a Turaco.
January 17, 2024

The Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier ELEPHANT SURVEY

The first flight to begin an elephant survey covering parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe took off from a dirt strip in Zimbabwe on 22 August 2022. The survey area, known as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), hosts over half of Africa’s savanna elephants, which underlines the importance of the survey.
January 17, 2024

At Home Under A Bushmanland Baobab

Bumpy roads often lead to the best destinations, especially when accompanied by dense bushveld all around and the sight of a baobab in the distance, protruding far above the treeline. This particular jeep track veers deep into the Nyae Nyae conservancy of Namibia’s northeast and leads us to a crescent koppie – in the nape of its bend a quintessential Bushmanland baobab – for the inauguration of the research base camp of the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation (PCRF).
January 21, 2024

Back to Basics

The juxtaposition of Namibia’s landscapes continues to leave me speechless. The northwest, characterised by rocky flat-top and pointy mountains cascading into valleys and then rivers. The deep south, where standing on a hilltop has you overlooking endless stretches of deserted plains. Our coastline, misty and magical, where gemsbok occasionally stroll on the beach. The fingertip of the Caprivi, lined by wondrous waterways, lush greenery and punctuated by rural villages.
March 21, 2024

Namibia’s fascinating world of Scorpions

If you are a Scorpio, you were born between October 24th and November, 22nd. If you want to see the constellation of Scorpius in the clear, possibly moonless night sky in Namibia, the best time is winter. But if you are interested in finding scorpions out there in nature, it should be a dark and warm night in summer.
March 21, 2024

Practice Makes Perfect

This is probably the most fascinating bird that occurs in Namibia, at least as far as their hunting/ fishing methods are concerned. They are skimming the water with accuracy and precision with their flexible orange red bill only 2–5 centimetres below the surface for fish that might have the audacity to come up that close.
March 28, 2024

Giving Plastic Pollution a Cute Face

Seals are popularly known as the dogs of the sea. This is because seals and dogs are physically similar and therefore classed in the same carnivore sub-order called Caniformes (meaning dog-like). Even their behaviour is similar, as seals are known to be playful and intelligent. Not surprisingly, humans can easily relate to seals as the marine version of man’s best friend.
March 29, 2024

Dwarf Lions of the Desert

The ancient Greeks referred to the chameleon (chamai leon) as dwarf or earth lion because of the fighting spirit the small creature revealed when attacked. Given the fact that the embryo develops underground – the female digs a hole for the eggs and the young have to literally dig their way out – these tiny creatures fight for their survival from the word go.
June 1, 2024

A Photo Essay of Etosha From East to West

It’s difficult to describe Etosha National Park to someone who has never been there before. Of course, you can tell them what types of animals they might see, the kind of vegetation, or even try to explain the sheer vastness of the pan. Yet, it is impossible to convey the feeling you get when you are here — the excitement of watching a large male lion cross the road in the first rays of the morning sun, the sense of sheer desolation while observing a lone gemsbok walk across the dusty pan, or the peacefulness of watching giraffes in a field of purple-flowered wild sesame, pulling the plants, roots and all, from the ground and devouring them mid-air.
June 4, 2024

Exploring Animal Movements: Unravelling the Rhythms of the Wild

Can a landscape exhale and inhale with the ebb and flow of life? Do animals adjust their movement patterns in response to shifts in resource availability? These fundamental questions regarding the characteristics of wilderness also extend to fenced areas and national parks. The evidence unequivocally confirms that animals pay little heed to man- made borders, whether they be physical fences or legally designated boundaries.