Birding Namibia and northern Botswana in July 2019 with guide Josh Engel of Red Hill Birding turned out to be the “trip of a lifetime” for Diane and Warren Marton. Set amidst spectacular scenery—the world’s oldest desert and highest sand dunes, a long coastline and a lush riverine forest—is world class birding. Think numerous hornbill and bustard species, Ruppell’s Parrot, Rockrunner, Hartlaub’s Francolins, and the iconic bird of the Okavango, Pel’s Fishing Owl. Add in the palette in pink created by thousands of flamingoes and waterbirds at Walvis Bay. The uncommon Herero Chat, found only in the Namibia Escarpment and never easy to find, popped up in a shrub two feet away from road. Namibia’s only endemic bird, the Dune Lark, skittered around inches from Diane’s feet as she stood motionless in red sand dunes. What could be better? But of course there is the African game, the highlight of the trip actually being one of the smaller inhabitants, an African Wild Cat, unsuccessfully hunting doves at a waterhole in Etosha National Park.

 Diane is a retired children’s librarian with Arlington County, VA. She is a longtime member of the Northern Virginia Bird Club. Rather than participating in local bird walks of late, she has been systematically removing English ivy and other invasives from her yard and replanting with native species. Warren is a retired project manager from the U.S. Dept of Energy, where he focused on fusion energy.

We also have election of chapter officers tonight!

This will be a Zoom presentation. If you wish to participate, please contact Dawn Snyder at dsnyder@Woodburyparks.org