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Birding |
The diversity of birdlife at and within easy reach of Shamvura is spectacular, and offers the opportunity to view many rare species as well as numerous Namibian endemics or near endemics. Boat trips can be tailored to suit the avid birder's requirements and many species are seen from the comfort of a cruising boat on the river, with an experienced guide. Shamvura is a registered ringing station with "A" permit holders on site. Bird ringing/banding entails catching a variety of birds, recording measurements, placing a numbered ring on the bird's leg and collation of the data to SAFRING at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Bird ringing/netting excursions can be arranged for resident guests. This allows the avid birder some exciting "hands-on" experience. It also often affords the visitor the opportunity to observe some smaller inconspicuous bird species often missed while hiking. Shamvura is surrounded by hundreds of hectares of uninhabited flood plains which afford some excellent hiking possibilities. There are no large game species to view, however, there are excellent birding opportunities and the chance to see smaller mammals, insects and reptiles. Being on the Angolan border, small animals, insects and reptile species unknown elsewhere in Namibia, are regularly found. You can also enjoy a guided trip in a wato (traditional dugout canoe) for a relaxing outing along the river. Or a spectacular aerial view by prearranged microlight flights A list of some 400 bird species may be ticked off at Shamvura, which includes 21 endemics or near endemics. This list is available in hardcopy at the camp, or you may download your copy from here. MSWord .doc (544kb) Acrobat .pdf (87kb) The different habitats ranging from Riverine forest, floodplains to Broadleaf Woodland and Scrubland at Shamvura offer a wide diversity of exciting specials to the avid "ticker". These species include Rufous-bellied Tit, Racket-tailed Roller, Arnots Chat, Grey-headed Parrot, African Skimmer, Rock Pratincole, White-backed Night Heron, Lesser Jacana, Slaty egret, Angolan Swallow, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Yellow Wagtail, Sharp-tailed Starling, Allens Gallenule, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Ayres Hawk Eagle, Bat Hawk and African Hobby. Some unusual vagrants seen recently include Green Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, Terek Sandpiper, River warbler, Grey Plover, Sanderling, Turnstone, Curlew and Cardinal Quelea. Some netting excursions often turn up out-of-habitat birds like Great Redd Warblers and Streaky-breasted Flufftails. |