The Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory is located 90 km west of Keetmanshoop in southern Namibia along the B4 main road between Keetmanshoop and Aus, which continues west to Lüderitz. The coordinates are 26°49’S 17°21’E. The surrounding Sandverhaar Farm has an area of 22,000 ha. A report on birds ringed here during 2023 is available here.
The bird observatory is based at the Alte Kalköfen Lodge. The lodge is worth visiting in its own right. It offers an array of accommodation options: luxurious chalet, self-catering cottage and camping. The restaurant has panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Namibia’s largest collection of lithops (“flowering stones”) is housed in the “Cole Lithoparium”. The surrounding countryside is spectacular ruggedness, with the Fish River Canyon the jewel in the crown.
Most bird observatories are in the northern hemisphere and conduct long-term monitoring of bird populations, with a primary focus on regular annual migration. Because the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory is in semi-desert, most of the bird species that occur here are nomadic. Almost all these bird species are poorly researched. The specific objective of the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory is to study the nomadic behaviour of a variety of species; these are priorities for research.
This is done mainly through bird ringing at this unique location. We aim to gain an understanding of the biology and ecology of the birds as part of maintaining and developing biodiverse natural habitats for all animals in the district.
The information collected while ringing birds produces data for guiding conservation and management processes for the birds, other animals and the habitat is a whole. Since this information is to make decisions about the management of the habitat, improving the conservation status of birds and other animals in the environment.
There is a report on ringing during the 2023 ringing season, from
Habitats and their birds around the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory
The Sandverhaar farm in southern Namibia is mostly semi-desert, but with a wide variety of habitats: sand dunes, sandy grass veld, karoo scrub and dry thorn veld, and with camel thorn thickets along the mostly dry river courses. Apart from the maintenance of several water points, the farm needs minimal management to function as a successful game farm. Even this limited availability of surface water in an otherwise arid environment results in many nomadic bird species occurring on passage at Sandverhaar. So the bird observatory is located at a ‘magnet’ in the landscape, and attracts many birds. The number of species recorded by the end of 2023 was more than 100, and this count is growing steadily. There is a paper in Biodiversity Observations that lists five unexpected species recorded at the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory; the paper is called Bird species outside of their known distribution ranges in southern Namibia and is available here.
Besides nomadic bird species, both long distance migratory birds to Eurasia and intra-African migrants are also regular at Sandverhaar. This is probably because the farm is located centrally in southern Namibia, and lies along a corridor between the Namib Desert in the west and the arid savanna of the Kalahari to the east. It seems that this corridor is a route taken by migrants because they are regularly observed on passage through the area at specific times of the year. A handful of birds of migratory species spend the southern summer on the farm.
Because of the unique location of the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory at Sandverhaar, it is an ideal location for the long-term study of bird populations and movement of the birds in this unique habitat.
We do year-round bird ringing around the Alte Kalköfen Lodge complex itself and at various other locations on the farm, such as at waterholes. Nearby, there are groves of date palms and pomegranates. When the fruit ripens, the birds congregate at these groves, and we do bird ringing here during these periods.
Practicalities
It is possible to visit the bird Oobservatory as a day visitor to the Alte Kalköfen Lodge to do birding and to observe the bird ringing if it is being done close to the complex. However, because the early mornings and the late afternoons are the best times for birding, especially during the hot summer months, it is a good plan to stay over at the lodge for at least one night, and preferably two nights.
There is accommodation available in chalets at the Alte Kalköfen Lodge, and it is also feasible to camp.
Atlasers are encouraged to make checklists for the Namibian Bird Atlas using the standard SABAP2 protocol.
Ringers are welcome to bring their own bird ringing gear if they would like to. All bird ringing data will be submitted to SAFRING, the Southern African Bird Ringing Unit at the University of Cape Town. Therefore, only rings from SAFRING can be used. Bird ringing will be done with Namibian bird ringing permits and ringers will need SAFRING authority cards.
The Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory encourages both professionals ornithologists and citizen scientists to consider the bird observatory as a research site for scientific studies of birds (and other animals) and their environment.
The Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory is affiliated to the Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI). The BDI will include ringing events at the bird observatory in its programme. This is available on the BDI website in the list of upcoming BDI events. In addition to this, there are on-going activities at the bird observatory and you can also email to find out what is feasible: birdobservatory@altekalkofenlodge.com.
Opening on 8 February 2025!
Although Roy Earlé has been ringing here since 2022, the formal opening event for the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory will be on 8 February 2025. The logistics for this event, in terms of making bookings, are being handled by the BDI. To find more details, email ring@thebdi.org.
