old baldy

Mite infestation in birds

Sightings In The Subregion- Mid -July To Mid September 2020

Mid -July to mid-September 2020 . Midwinter to early spring was uncharacteristically quiet in terms of rarities being reported. This was probably more a reflection of the lack of birder coverage as a result of the various lockdown measures for the Covid-19 pandemic than that there weren’t any good birds around to be found.

Look Beyond

The power of photography

Better & Better

Zeiss SF 10x32 binoculars

A Black & White Answer

Bird fatalities at wind farms

The Battle For Survival

Numbers of the Southern Ground-Hornbill have de-creased throughout its range.

Water WINGS

Gauteng-based Karen Seidel began photography as a hobby some 10 years ago and soon realised that her passion lay in capturing images of wildlife and nature.

Littorally Speaking

The Shorebirds Of Hermanus

Master Blaster

48 hours in the Vumba

A World Leader In Key Biodiversity Areas

South Africa’s large number of sites qualifying as global Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) highlights the country’s incredible biodiversity wealth. BirdLife South Africa, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the WWF Nedbank Green Trust have partnered in the KBA process.

Sightings In The Subregion

In general, late autumn to midwinter is one of the quieter times for rarities and this year it was exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdown. Fortunately, later in the review period some of the restrictions were relaxed slightly and people could move a bit further afield and also more often, giving the opportunity for a few good birds to be found and reported.

Vultures & The Economics Of Disease

Humans, livestock and wildlife have co-existed for thousands of years, but exponential human population growth, a surge in international travel, increased human encroachment into wildlife habitat and an escalation of organic waste provide the ideal circumstances for the emergence and adaptations of a variety of infectious diseases.

Best Of Birding In Ethiopia

Ethiopia ranks among the most ecologically diverse countries in Africa.

Discover Birding

So you want to be a birder?

no entry

Southern Ground-Hornbills thwarted by a terrapin shell

all good things...

The Peninsula’s Peregrines

Chilling In The Desert?

Pygmy Falcons Polihierax semi-torquatus are among the world’s smallest raptors.

Shrinking Returns

Long-term changes in Northern Cape coastal birds

sightings IN THE SUBREGION

Mid-January to mid-March 2020

pot luck

A lid filled with water provided an ideal bath for a hot African Pygmy Kingfisher in Liuwa Plains National Park.

Double Take

Double-banded Coursers

Elevating Gamebirds

New francolin and spurfowl taxonomy

Cliff Hangers

Birds of the Augrabies Gorge

Dying For A Drink?

Kgalagadi battlefields

Under Cover

First Ayres’s Hawk Eagle breeding record for South Africa

Life Cycles

Verreaux’s Eagles at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden

Benguela Blues

Why are southern Africa’s iconic coastal birds facing extinction?

Focus Close To Home

We’ve all been there. You check your social media accounts and scroll through the birdwatching groups, see remarkable photographs of birds and wonder if you could ever take something similar; you review your recent images from the local nature reserve and ponder how other photographers manage to get the birds to sit still and pose like supermodels; you admire the lighting showing the bird’s colors to best advantage.

A Place To Feel The Clouds

Expedition to Mahimborondro.

Aloes In The Eastern Cape

A dry-season bonanza for nectar-feeding birds