WALVIS BAY
NAMIBIA
LOCALE
| # Species: | 300 |
| # Excl Vagrants: | 300 |
| # Endemics: | 0 |
| # Near Endemics: | 11 |
| Habitat: Marine, arid scrub, desert | |
ABOUT THE BIRDING
Walvis Bay is a town and a bay on the west coast of Namibia. The town is in a very arid coastal desert. The bay is one of the few breaks in the coastline so it's a fantastic place for marine birds, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and cormorants. In addition to the waterfront, good birding sites include the sewage settling ponds, the saltworks and beach south of town, the Esplanade, and the park in Rooibank, a small town to the south that is excellent for the endemic Dune Lark. Other larks to be found in the desert include Gray's Lark and Stark's Lark. Also very notable is a pelagic trip, which can be arranged at the Walvis Bay Yacht Club. Numerous pelagic birds can be seen from the boat, including a number of sub-Antarctic species. The parks and gardens can also be good, with species such as Orange River White-eye often present. A night drive into the desert can be very worthwhile, as mammals are mainly out at night. Possibilities include Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, and Brown Hyena. There's a Fur Seal colony on an island near the shore, and Brown Hyenas wade out to it at night to prey on pups.
LOCATION OF SITE
Walvis Bay is a town and bay on the west coast of Namibia, just north of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The distance from Windhoek is about 390 km and takes about 4 hrs without stops.