EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS

Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.

footloose IN FYNBOS

The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.

Living forwards

How photographing birds helps me face adversity

CAPE crusade

The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge

water & WINGS

WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.

winter wanderer

as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.

when perfect isn't enough

Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race

Southern SIGHTINGS

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.

flood impact on wetland birds

One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.

a star is born

It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.

prey for penguins

To stem the African Penguin's slide to extinction, government support for optimal no-take zones around South Africa's penguin colonies is critical.

agrochemicals and birds

By the year 2050, it is estimated that 171 million more hectares of agricultural land will be needed to feed a global population of 10 billion people.

arrivals and departures

The Mouse-Free Marion Project is committed to ensuring that breeding seabirds can return to a predator-free Marion Island.

FULL skies

High summer brings high entertainment to Botswana's Mababe Community Concession and Kazuma Pan.

specials IN THE MIST

With a distinct habitat and climate, Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands are a must-visit destination for any birder wanting to see a bevy of special birds.

MIDRAND marvel

Gauteng birders don't need to travel far to get their feathery fix. Midway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, Glen Austin Pan has become a favourite patch for this returnee expat.

IN TOO DEEP...again

The annual sardine run along South Africa's east coast is a thrill and a challenge for underwater photographers, especially if you throw birds and inclement weather into the mix.

a journey through the mysteries of moult

As a bird researcher in South Africa’s botanically diverse fynbos biome, I have come to regard bird ringing as part of my journey to understanding moult.

Southern SIGHTINGS

The midsummer period lived up to its reputation as the busiest time for rarities in southern Africa and produced a host of really good records, including several that got twitchers racing all over the subregion to try and add these mega ticks to their lists. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.

storm petrels in Kalk Bay

According to Roberts 7, both Wilson’s and European storm petrels occasionally seek the shelter of breakwaters during periods of strong onshore winds, but this is seldom observed off South Africa.

power-napping penguins

Periodic reduction in neural activity (sleep) is found in all animals with brains and seems to be essential to restore effective brain function. There is plenty of evidence of the adverse effects of not getting enough sleep, and recent research in humans has identified getting sufficient sleep as one of the four core pillars of living a long and healthy life.

REGAL the African Fish Eagle

the name's Regal... James Regal the Third, Jnr. They call me 'regal eagle' around here and my home is the Okavango Delta - God's own country, and all of it mine.

into the Wilderness

While I was a student at the 'Fitz' in Cape Town, I earned much-needed beer money by guiding birders at weekends.

here comes the SUN!

Spring is a mood booster; spirits are lifted with warmer weather, and the loud 'kruuk-kruuk' call along major southern African river systems announces the arrival of thousands of brilliantly coloured Southern Carmine Bee-eaters.

Southern SIGHTINGS MID-MAY TO MID-JULY 2023

Winter is generally a quiet time for rarities and the number of records at this time of year is invariably much reduced. This year, however, even a quiet time produced top-class birds that got twitchers' adrenalin flowing. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.

Hwange on a high!

With more than 420 bird species, Zimbabwe's celebrated park is perfect to view migrants that don't make it all the way south. It's also buzzing with raptors and regional specials.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

The Cape Bird Club is marking its 75th anniversary in 2023 and, as part of its celebration, we have collaborated with the City of Cape Town (represented by Cliff Dorse, one of the area’s most skilful birders) to run a birding challenge during the year.

DAVID MAPHISA surveys his mountain kingdom (without binoculars)

When I asked David Sishozonke Maphisa if I could write an article about him after our atlasing expedition to Lesotho he replied, ‘Only if you don’t talk about your terrible driving!’

the art of birds

it is believed that birds were first depicted in cave art more than 17 000 years ago, but it was only when the Lascaux caves were first discovered in France in 1940 that their emergence as subjects for prehistoric painters gripped the public imagination.

Common TRUTHS

Birders love to find rare birds; few things match the excitement of coming across something completely unexpected. But the obsession with rarities can result in population changes in more common birds being overlooked. Breeding bird surveys in Europe, Asia and North America show that many bird populations are in flux, but what do we know about the status of common birds in South Africa?