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June 13, 2025
In mid-December last year, an unexpected question from my sister led me to embark on an extraordinary journey, one that blended the thrill of exploration with a vital cause. I have always considered myself a landlubber, happiest wandering in bushveld, savannah and fynbos. Yet on 25 January this year, I boarded the cruise ship MSC Musica in Durban, South Africa with my sister and her husband, along with almost 2000 birders, conservationists and photographers. Together, we sailed towards an extraordinary destination, captured in two enigmatic words: Marion Island, a place that caught my imagination forty years ago.
June 11, 2025
Different people, such as birders, have different ideas about their favourite birding spot. Etosha is no different. Some prefer Namutoni and the surrounding areas, especially Fischer’s Pan where thousands of water birds congregate to enjoy the food the pan produces once it fills up during the rainy season. My favourite camp by far is Halali, probably because I prefer a place where there are lots of different birds in the camp and at the surrounding waterholes.
June 11, 2025
Etosha National Park, renowned for its stark beauty and vast white salt pan, is also home to one of Africa’s most extraordinary and seldom-seen wildlife spectacles: the mass breeding of flamingos. In this shimmering and seemingly inhospitable expanse, both Lesser and Greater Flamingos have adapted to thrive, bringing colour, sound and movement to the landscape when seasonal rains transform the pan into a shallow lagoon.
March 26, 2025
As I drove down the coast, I stumbled upon a spectacle that felt like nature’s own aerial ballet. A huge group of terns, consisting mostly of Common Terns, their sharp black caps contrasting against the clear blue sky, flitted and dived in synchrony over the sand and surf. With their slender bodies, long, angular wings and graceful flight patterns, watching them was an absolute display of harmony.
March 25, 2025
One of the most common questions visitors to Namibia ask is: Where should they go for birding? As one of the most knowledgeable birders in Namibia and Southern Africa (self-proclaimed), I can confidently provide expert advice on where, when, and why to go birding in this incredible region.
March 25, 2025
Located just 22 kilometres northwest of Mariental, Hardap Dam, which is fed by the Fish River, covers a sprawling 25 square kilometres. While it serves as a vital source of electricity and water for the region, it is also a sanctuary for certain wildlife species, drawing many nature enthusiasts to make a stop here while in the south of Namibia.
March 10, 2025
This is Namibia’s Zambezi Region, formerly known as the Caprivi Strip – a verdant paradise tucked into the northeastern corner of the country. Unlike the arid deserts and rugged landscapes of Namibia’s south and west, the Zambezi Region is alive with rivers, wetlands and forests. It is a haven for wildlife and a crossroads of culture, where Namibia meets Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
December 20, 2024
In the wake of the recent Olympics in Paris, it’s time to reflect on our Namibian athletes’ performances and plan for the next event in LA. The Namibian Birding Association is hosting a November workshop to dissect our journey, pinpoint our missteps, and strategise improvements.
June 11, 2024
Follow the remarkable journey of a Common Tern from the salt flats of Swakopmund, Namibia, to the coasts of Amsterdam, Netherlands. This in-depth exploration details the impressive 8,429-km migration and the terns’ annual 20,000-km flights between hemispheres. Through field notes and rare sightings, learn about the challenges, habitats, and conservation needs of these migratory seabirds. Discover the efforts of dedicated bird ringers and the global network tracking the lives of these avian travelers.
March 21, 2024
When I visited Mahango Game Park in January this year, I witnessed this intriguing courtship feeding process. Apart from the fact that feeding chicks is not part of the cuckoo family’s habits, I was amazed by the sheer efficacy and speed at which the courtship feeding took place. My initial thought was that the male was actually taking over the function of raising their young, but then I realised that the “chick” was an adult female Diederik Cuckoo.
March 21, 2024
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.
January 21, 2024
One of the Marabou Storks’ exceptionally sophisticated habits is to defecate on their legs, giving them a white appearance. Apparently the reason is to cool down by urohidrosis, since they do not spend that much time near water. The other two stork species that share this habit are the Openbill and White Storks.
January 17, 2024
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.
September 28, 2023
Join Pompie Burger and Travel News Namibia for an expedition beyond the ‘birding’ horizon at Kubu and Kwena in the Zambezi
September 27, 2023
My infamous career as a bird watcher started when I was 24 years old. A very dear and kind friend invited me to go with him and his wife to Ndumo Game Reserve in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. If they told me beforehand that this will end up in a birding trip, I would have refused point blank.