Try GOLD - Free
Southern SIGHTINGS
African Birdlife
|May/June 2024
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
MID-JANUARY to MID-MARCH 2024
HEADLINE NEWS
The best record for the review period was only the second confirmed Band-rumped Storm Petrel for southern Africa. Unfortunately it was totally untwitchable for birders, as it was seen about 197 nautical miles west of Cape Town by observers returning from Tristan da Cunha. The only previous confirmed record was a single bird photographed on Halifax Island just offshore of Luderitz in October 2009.
This story is from the May/June 2024 edition of African Birdlife.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM African Birdlife
African Birdlife
stories begin at EYE LEVEL
ALTHOUGH I HAVE been taking photographs since 1998, it wasn't until 2019 that my hobby evolved into a serious pursuit. That's when I began to see photography not just as a means of capturing a moment, but as a form of art - something that can stir emotion, spark wonder and tell a deeper story.
1 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
ALBERT the Wandering Albatross
Ahoy, shipmates, grab a pew and let me spin my yarn.
3 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
I'll be back...
Southern African populations of oxpeckers were hit by triple hammer blows during the late 19th century and much of the 20th.
2 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
BINDO and SABAP2
A match made in data science
2 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
PREDATORS of the pan
As regular visitors to Mabuasehube in the Botswanan sector of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, we have often seen vulture feathers lying in the area of the waterhole at Mpayathutlwa Pan and have frequently observed a pair of black-backed jackals in the vicinity.
1 min
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
Jacana & the egg thief
While on a photo expedition in the Richtersveld National Park with my brother Peter, we were watching one particular African Jacana on the Gariep River.
2 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
A STRIPE FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE?
Uncovering the adaptive complexities of falcons' malar stripes
2 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
grassland GLADIATORS
The Secretarybird is a highly soughtafter species for most birders on their first visit to Africa. It looks so strange, like a cross between a stork and an eagle. Even though it is widespread, occurring in almost any suitable habitat (grassland, open savanna and Karoo shrubland), it's generally uncommon.
1 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
SECRETS SKY
Jessica Wilmot is the driving force behind BirdLife South Africa's Flyway and Migrants Project, working across borders to safeguard some of the planet's most threatened species and habitats. Supporting BirdLife International's East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, Jessica is at the heart of efforts to keep our skies alive with birds, particularly the enigmatic European Roller, which is her current focus and passion.
6 mins
July/August 2025
African Birdlife
Southern SIGHTINGS
Autumn is generally known to be quieter in terms of rarities across southern Africa, but the review period still had a few surprises for us, including a new species for the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
3 mins
July/August 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size