Guide: René Rossouw Sept 2026
The guests were collected from their hotel at 7:00 am for a day of birding around Windhoek. The morning took us to Avis Dam before continuing to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, just outside the city. From shortly after 7:00 am until 2:00 pm, a total of 65 bird species were recorded, making for a rewarding day of birding in and around Namibia’s capital. Avis Dam Nature Reserve offers a variety of habitats for birding, from the dam, shoreline, and marshy areas to thornveld, sweet thorn savannah and open grassveld. The rocky terrain north of the flood plain adds further habitat diversity to the reserve.
As we turned onto the gravel entrance road to the reserve, the call of an Orange River Francolin caught my attention. We stopped to investigate and managed to locate three birds on a rocky ridge some distance from the road. On reaching the parking area, a bright red Crimson-breasted Shrike immediately stood out. Walking towards the edge of the dam, we added Reed Cormorant, Maccoa Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, Blacksmith Lapwing, Grey Heron, and Egyptian Goose to the list. A flock of Wattled Starlings also flew overhead as we continued our birding. Two of the smaller species showed particularly well, with Blue Waxbill and Black-throated Canary providing good views. We continued along the dam wall, where Red-billed Teal, White-faced Whistling Duck and Little Grebe were recorded, while Bradfield’s Swifts passed overhead in flight. As we continued walking, we heard several more Orange River Francolins calling, with some seemingly quite close by. With a little luck, one bird briefly appeared between the rocks, giving us a fleeting view.
The calls of a small flock of Rosy-faced Lovebirds gave away their presence before we watched them fly past. Continuing along the trail towards the rocky ridge beside the dam, we recorded Laughing Dove, Southern Red-billed Hornbill and White-rumped Swift. A very confiding Chestnut-vented Warbler briefly perched in the open, while our first Rockrunners appeared, with several further sightings to follow. Further along the path, we added Mountain Wheatear, Rattling Cisticola, and a Rock Kestrel in flight. Along the water, we spotted White-breasted Cormorant, Little Egret, South African Shelduck and African Spoonbill. Two more hornbill species also made an appearance: African Grey Hornbill and Monteiro’s Hornbill. As we reached the more open area, the list grew with Kalahari Scrub Robin, Black-chested Prinia, African Pipit, Three-banded Plover, Cape Wagtail and Grey Go-away-bird.
Male and female Mountain Wheatear
Large Rock Martin, Little Swift and Greater Striped Swallow were seen flying overhead. A small flock of Black-faced Waxbills was feeding in the grass, while a single Swallow-tailed Bee-eater was spotted hawking insects in flight. We continued adding to the list with Cape Penduline Tit, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Grey-backed Camaroptera and African Red-eyed Bulbul. Southern Masked Weavers were busy gathering nesting material, while an African Sacred Ibis flew past. We also added Acacia Pied Barbet and White-backed Mousebird to the list before concluding our birding at Avis Dam.
We then made our way to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, set among the rugged hills of the Khomas Hochland, where the habitat consists of highland shrubland and thorn scrub. By now, the temperature was rising and the birding became quieter. We followed the short hiking trail from reception, adding Marico Flycatcher, Marico Sunbird, Ashy Tit, Green-winged Pytilia, Ring-necked Dove and Familiar Chat to the list. After hearing a Brubru calling, we located it high in a tree some distance away.
Walking along the dry riverbed, we had good views of Fork-tailed Drongo, Great Sparrow, Cape Bunting, and Cape Starling, as well as another sighting of Rockrunner. As we made our way out of the reserve, Red-billed Spurfowl and Common Scimitarbill were the final two species of the day. By 2:00 pm, our birding day around Windhoek had come to an end, with a varied and interesting number of species recorded between Avis Dam and Daan Viljoen Game Reserve. It was a rewarding day spent exploring the varied habitats around the city, with a broad selection of Namibia’s birds seen along the way.
