BirdLife South Africa AGM 2022

BirdLife South Africa is pleased to invite you to its 93rd Annual General Meeting, which will take place on 28 May 2022 via Zoom. At the meeting, some of the important work undertaken by BirdLife South Africa staff in 2021 will be highlighted and the Gill Memorial Medal will be presented to a distinguished ornithologist. An announcement will also be made about the next ‘Flock at Sea’. 

To register, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YKOUs_jeRvmVHo8vRJkfGQ. To view the agenda, minutes of the 92nd AGM and proxy forms, go to https://birdlife.org.za/support-us/events/93rd-annual-general-meeting-agm/

Protecting southern Africa’s natural gems

Pristine natural areas that still exist in southern African countries are facing a number of threats. In Zimbabwe, these threats include mining and the expansion of agriculture into communal land and many wetlands. Luckily, the country has a dedicated and effective conservation NGO at its heart, ready to stand up and do all it can to protect its biodiversity. BirdLife Zimbabwe (BLZ), steered by Julia Pierini, one of the most passionate conservationists I have met, was founded in 1951 and joined the BirdLife Partnership in 2002. Like other BirdLife Partners, BLZ aims to promote the survival of birdlife within the nation’s borders, both for the intrinsic value of the birds and for the enjoyment of people. Its focus is on projects linked to species, habitats (sites), people and sustainability. 

One of the strengths of the BirdLife Partnership is the unified approach of more than a hundred organisations around the world. The Partners’ local-to-global approach ensures that we achieve long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people. Recently, the southern African regional Partners have been collaborating to plan strategically our priorities for future action in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, as well as Angola and Namibia, which do not belong to the BirdLife Partnership. Building relationships, learning from each other and increasing capacity are all key steps to achieving high-impact and long-term conservation in the region. 

Recently I joined Ian Barber, Senior Flyways Programme Manager at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) on a trip to Zimbabwe. This was the first time I had met Ian or the BLZ team, although we’d been engaging weekly for nearly two years. As well as discussing regional action plans and future opportunities to partner and support BLZ, the team was able to visit Chimanimani, one of Zimbabwe’s hidden gems and about a six-hour drive from Harare. 

Chimanimani hosts a national park that covers 171km² and is found at the southern point of the Eastern Highlands, bordering the Mozambican border. It is a haven for nature lovers, with exceptional biodiversity and high levels of endemism, particularly in plants, of which more than 75 species are endemic. The area is also of great cultural interest, having a large number of rock paintings, and is a popular hiking destination. 

One of the key projects that BLZ is involved in is the training and capacity building of eight young mountain guides in Chimanimani. These guides have recently written their guiding exams (they are patiently awaiting their results) and have been hard at work restoring the Mbira Trail, a seven-day hike from Corner Camp in Chikukwa to Tilbury. The guides put their knowledge to the test during a short 5km walk with us, showcasing the beauty of the start of the trail. By making use of this opportunity to earn a living from nature, they will invest in protecting the area and become champions of the site. Keep an eye out for the launch of this trail, as it promises not to disappoint!

During the trip to Chimanimani, the team also met with key stakeholders involved in the assessment of the area as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). Identified using a globally recognised tool, KBAs are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. Up-to-date information about KBAs, such as which endangered species are found there, enables governments, industry and other stakeholders to make informed decisions about how to manage and protect these areas and where to avoid unsustainable developments in future. BLZ has already been collaborating with local communities and organisations, as well as the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority within the Chimanimani area, on conserving biodiversity, limiting the threats to birds and biodiversity in areas bordering the Chimanimani National Park, and bolstering livelihoods.

BRONWYN MAREE, EAST ATLANTIC FLYWAY INITIATIVE PROJECT MANAGER

Computer magic and networking in KNP

In March, Linda van den Heever, BirdLife South Africa’s Vulture Project Manager, and I were lucky enough to be invited to an Animal Movement and Remote Sensing Workshop in Skukuza, Kruger National Park. The workshop was organised by colleagues from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, a research institute in Germany, and the University of Würzburg, also in Germany. The course covered highly technical approaches for the analysis of movement data and the incorporation of remote sensing data (from satellite imagery and drones).

The course work was centred on the R package ‘move’ and the Movebank platform. For the uninitiated, R is a coding language commonly used in biological research and a ‘package’ is a toolbox full of functions that allow you to work with data and run analyses in different ways. Movebank is a free, online database of animal tracking data hosted by the Max Planck Institute that helps animal tracking researchers to manage, share, protect, analyse and archive their data. Despite these descriptions, this probably still sounds like Greek to many. If that is the case, then my advice is to simply think of it as computer black magic, as I do when someone attempts to explain crypto-currency to me.

Luckily, the workshop was not all complicated computer voodoo; it also included a lot of enjoyable networking with our overseas colleagues and those from local organisations, including Wildlife Act, Contemplate Wild, the Endangered Wildlife Trust and SANParks. Much of this networking was done over drinks or a delicious plate of food (the workshop was catered by Cattle Baron) or while enjoying sundowners out on a game drive. We had some very good sightings during such social events. For example, when we visited Leeupan we saw a large pack of wild dogs, some elephants and vultures and various other birds. The star guests, however, were the African Pygmy Ducks, a lifer for many of us.

Such events and the discussions that took place during them contributed to another important aim of the workshop: to find ways in which all the organisations present could collaborate to further conservation and research through the study of animal movements. The Max Planck Institute truly has an amazing philosophy and culture of open collaboration and science. On the principle of reproducibility and the urgency of conservation issues, it makes all its data and the code for their analysis freely available to the public. In addition, it endeavours to publish all its scientific articles on an open access platform. Although this is more costly, it makes the publications available to the public and much more accessible for conservation practitioners.

Once Linda and I have managed to work through all the complex coding, the approaches taught during the workshop will be very beneficial in our respective animal tracking work. Linda is currently collecting a multitude of data on White-backed Vultures, whereas my tracking work focuses on Secretarybirds. We look forward to the new insights this analysis will bring regarding the movement ecology of our respective species.

We would like to thank both the Max Planck Institute and the University of Würzburg for the wonderful opportunity to learn from them and we look forward to collaborating in the future.

DR CHRISTIAAN WILLEM BRINK, RAPTOR AND LARGE TERRESTRIAL BIRD PROJECT MANAGER

A day for penguins

World Penguin Day is celebrated every year on 25 April and aims to raise awareness about penguins and the threats facing them. In 2020, the Penguin Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) identified three penguin species, out of the 18 around the world, that are in most need of conservation. Unfortunately, our very own African Penguin was one of the three, along with the Yellow-eyed and Galápagos penguins. For World Penguin Day this year, we would like to share some more information about these penguins and what is being done to conserve them.

Galápagos Penguin

This species is the only penguin that very occasionally ventures into the northern hemisphere. It is found only on the Galápagos Islands and can survive living in the tropics because of the cold, climate-moderating Humboldt Current. It is the rarest of the penguin species; although we don’t know the exact size of the population, we do know that it is very small and fluctuates with the changing abundance of fish. These penguins breed in nests in the solidified lava of the Galápagos archipelago’s volcanic islands, which makes it difficult to count them. They are under threat from invasive alien species such as rats and cats on their breeding islands, but climate change is probably a bigger threat, as it is increasing the frequency of El Niño events. This causes the failure of breeding attempts and greater mortality in adults and juveniles due to less food being available to them. 

In a bid to conserve the Galápagos Penguin, alien species are being eradicated from the islands and artificial nests are being provided for the birds. There is also a push for improved fisheries management in the Galápagos Marine Reserve to help improve food availability, especially when stocks are low. Click here for more information.

Yellow-eyed Penguin/Hoiho
Hoiho (the Maori name for the Yellow-eyed Penguin) is one of six penguin species found in New Zealand and is often described as one of the most beautiful, with a golden yellow wash to its head and a prominent yellow stripe across its pale eye. Yellow-eyed Penguins eat mostly demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish such as blue cod, as well as crustaceans. Unlike most other penguins, pairs nest not in dense colonies but in a secluded spot out of sight of their neighbours. There are only about 1700 pairs remaining, split between South Island and two subantarctic islands managed by New Zealand. Of the three, the mainland population is decreasing most rapidly, driven by introduced predators, disease and bycatch in fisheries. 

There are several organisations and rehabilitation centres on New Zealand’s South Island that are working to conserve this species. Efforts include protecting and restoring its breeding habitat, eradicating introduced predators and caring for injured or diseased birds. There is a need to quantify penguin bycatch in fisheries and address this threat through marine spatial planning. Click here for more information.

African Penguin

The sole penguin species found in Africa, the African Penguin breeds only in South Africa and Namibia. It is one of four species in the genus Spheniscus (with the Galápagos, Magellanic and Humboldt penguins), which are known collectively as the banded penguins. The name Spheniscus, derived from Latin, means ‘wedge-shaped’ and refers to the shape of the penguins’ flippers. The African Penguin population has decreased by more than 60% over the past 30 years, mainly due to a lack of food caused by shifts in prey distribution and competition with the fishing industry. 

BirdLife South Africa and its partners are working on a number of fronts to address the dire situation facing the African Penguin. We are pushing for the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management by advocating for fishing closures around breeding colonies; investigating the non-breeding distribution of adults; and working to change the way fishing quotas are set to better take into account the needs of penguins and the ecosystem. In addition, we are developing a less intensive form of monitoring at colonies to reduce disturbance and provide near real-time information that can be used by managers. In a world-first project, we are also attempting to establish an African Penguin breeding colony in the De Hoop Nature Reserve. Click here for more information about our African Penguin work.

Although the situation for these three species is cause for concern, it is heartening to know that there are people and organisations around the world caring for the most vulnerable penguins! 

CHRISTINA HAGEN, PAMELA ISDELL FELLOW OF PENGUIN CONSERVATION

Teaming up with NASA

During 2021, BirdLife South Africa’s Science and Innovation Programme was part of a consortium of researchers that put in a bid to take part in the BioSCape: Biodiversity Survey of the Cape programme sponsored by the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The bid was led by Matt Clarke of Sonoma State University, together with partners from SANBI, Stellenbosch University, CapeNature, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Point Blue Conservation Science. The ambitious proposal was accepted and during 2023 the team will deploy acoustic devices and conduct point counts of birds to link to NASA’s remotely sensed imagery.

The US space administration is now preparing to conduct its first biodiversity field campaign, which will incorporate airborne imaging spectroscopy, lidar and field observations, across South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region.

The new remotely sensed data collected during the survey will be combined with existing and new observations of the spatial distribution of species and ecosystems so that the region’s biodiversity can be mapped to a very high resolution. The campaign is organised around three major themes that aim to understand: the distribution and abundance of biodiversity; the role of biodiversity in how the ecosystem functions; and the impact of changes in biodiversity on ecosystem services. 

BirdLife South Africa’s task is to coordinate the field campaign for acoustic surveys. This will involve eight teams of volunteers, whose job it will be to deploy recording devices and who will conduct point counts from August to October 2023. Although the field work is still more than a year away, if you are interested in getting involved, please get in touch with me at alan.lee@birdlife.org.za. You will need to be able to identify fynbos birds and to become familiar with the point count protocol in BirdLasser. A degree of fitness or stamina will also be required. So get practising and training, because it’s tough being an avianaut! 

To find out more, visit https://www.bioscape.io/home

DR ALAN LEE, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION PROGRAMME MANAGER

Coming soon…

In response to the popularity of its Flock to Marion-themed merchandise, BirdLife South Africa has ordered its own branded range of clothing with birders in mind and it will soon be available. So what will be on offer? Caps, hats and beanies, short- and long-sleeved shirts, classic 100% cotton golfer shirts (with short and long sleeves), fleece jackets, hoodies and crew-neck sweaters. Plus chef’s bib aprons for birders who like to cook. 

Look out for these items in our online store Shop for the Birds! at https://shop.birdlife.org.za. Please note that colours and items may differ from photos shown.

CLARE NEALL, EVENTS MANAGER

Out now 

Did you know that the Cape Gannet population has decreased by more than 50% over the past 60 years, resulting in the species being listed as Endangered? Or that these spectacular seabirds can reach speeds of up to 100km/h as they dive 30m underwater to catch their prey?

To learn more about this fascinating species, get your hard copy of the informative Cape Gannet poster in stores with the March/April issue of African Birdlife. Alternatively, download the digital version at https://www.birdlife.org.za/bird-of-the-year-2022/

The Cape Gannet is an excellent ambassador to highlight some of the most pressing conservation issues facing South Africa’s seabirds and for this reason it was selected to be BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year for 2022.

BirdLife South Africa would like to thank the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust for its continued support of the Bird of the Year initiative.

ANDY WASSUNG, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Flock to Wilderness & LAB 2023

BirdLife South Africa and the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology will host the 6th Learn About Birds (LAB) Conference during BirdLife South Africa’s Flock to Wilderness at The Wilderness Hotel, Wilderness, from Wednesday 24 to Sunday 28 May 2023. 

The LAB Conference was originally established to provide a platform for laymen and scientists to present their research, share their knowledge and network with ornithologists and birding enthusiasts from across South Africa and around the world. It comprises two segments, each directed at a slightly different audience. The Science LAB is run as a typical scientific conference with 20-minute slots for scientific presentations as well as the additional posters and/or speed talk sessions. In parallel to the Science LAB is the Layman’s LAB, which hosts talks of approximately 45 minutes that are pitched at a non-scientifically inclined audience in a format similar to that of the current Conservation Conversations webinars.

The LAB Conference is typically joined to a BirdLife South Africa Flock AGM event and assists with bringing delegates to a venue and offering them interesting talks, birding excursions and entertainment, with the aim of securing the needed quorum for the AGM meeting. It is also a crucial fundraiser for the Landscape Conservation Programme and helps to generate much-needed unencumbered funding.

Watch this space for exciting updates about the event and the excursions that will be on offer! 

CLARE NEALL, EVENTS MANAGER, AND DR MELISSA WHITECROSS, LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION PROGRAMME MANAGER

BirdLife South Africa’s wish list

With Covid-19 lockdowns now a thing of the past, the BirdLife South Africa events team is raring to go and looking forward to once again hosting small events at the organisation’s Isdell House head office, utilising its beautiful indigenous garden. We already have two dates in the diary: The African Bird Fair, a hybrid event in tandem with the virtual programme on Saturday, 23 July 2022; and an Open Day on Saturday, 29 October 2022.

For such events, we are in need of some new items and would be most grateful for either a donation or the items themselves:

• 8 trestle tables
• 30 stackable outdoor chairs
• 5 branded gazebos and/or large garden umbrellas

Acquiring these items would truly raise the bar, helping us to create a new cohesive look and feel for this year’s and future BirdLife South Africa events. Thank you!

CLARE NEALL, EVENTS MANAGER

Expand your birding knowledge

The Makuleke Concession, in the Kruger National Park’s peaceful northernmost section, is a prime area for birding and BirdLife South Africa and EcoTraining are proud to afford you an opportunity to get to know it – and its birds – over a long weekend. As a bonus, you can do so in the knowledge that a portion of the proceeds will contribute to BirdLife South Africa’s critical conservation work.

Book your spot for either 14–17 July or 27–30 August 2022 by e-mailing Wesley Abrams at projects@ecotraining.co.za or calling 060 587 0705.

ANDY WASSUNG, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Checklist of Birds going strong

We at the BirdLife South Africa Bird List Committee recently published the 2022 edition of the official bird list for South Africa. This is the 12th revision since the original 2010 bird list. With generous sponsorship provided by ZEISS originally and, most recently, by Duram Smart Paint, we have been able to generate printed versions of the checklist along with online PDF and Excel versions.

Thanks to Ernst Retief, it is now also possible to download another version of the bird list that is compatible with statistical software packages such as R and GIS (e.g. ArcPro). All these lists are available free of charge, including the printed version if you subscribe to African Birdlife magazine or receive this great magazine as part of your BirdLife South Africa membership. Alternatively, you can buy the printed version of the checklist from the Shop for the Birds! online store. You can also download an Afrikaans version of the South African list compiled by the Afrikaans Voëlnaam Groep led by Dr Morné de la Rey. 

Recently, and very excitingly, we started Indigenous Names for South African Birds (INSAB), a new and ambitious working group to produce lists of bird names in traditional South African languages. This will help a broader sector of South Africans appreciate and conserve our birds and their habitats. Please see here for full details. 

Our annual checklist covers strictly South Africa, not southern Africa, but Trevor Hardaker, one of our committee members, does publish a southern African checklist as well. The checklist for South African birds contains every species that has ever been recorded in this country, as long as the species has been officially accepted by the BirdLife South Africa Rarities Committee. If you find a bird in South Africa that is not yet on our list, please complete a Rarities Form (available at the above link) and if the Rarities Committee accepts your record, then ‘your’ species will be added to the official South African bird list! Laughing Gull is the next species we expect to add, as soon as the recent record has been adjudicated by the Rarities Committee.

The Checklist of Birds in South Africa also includes the subantarctic Prince Edward Islands, comprising Marion Island and Prince Edward Island. While not geographically contiguous with the rest of South Africa, these islands are politically South African territory and thus add a few extra species to our official bird list. These species can be included in your total submitted to the exciting South Africa Listers’ Club. If you’re not yet a member of this club, I recommend that you join it!

Compiling the first list in 2010 took a huge amount of work and I am very thankful to the original committee members, including the late Phil Hockey. Each annual revision also takes a surprisingly large number of hours of combined work by all the great Bird List Committee members I work with. The BirdLife South Africa List Committee for 2022 consists of David Allan, Rauri Bowie, Hugh Chittenden, Callan Cohen, Andrew de Blocq, Bob Dowsett, Guy Gibbon, Trevor Hardaker, David Maphisa, Etienne Marais, Michael Mills, Faansie Peacock, Ernst Retief, Peter Ryan, Hanneline Smit-Robinson and Melissa Whitecross, as well as myself, the chairperson.

This is by no means just a simple list of each species that occurs in South Africa. It also shows which species are endemic to this country, which are near-endemic (70% or more of the bird’s range or population must be in South Africa), which are endemic to eSwatini, Lesotho and South Africa, and which are breeding endemics. In addition, we show the global and local Red Data statuses of each species, which have to be carefully updated each year. There is also a lot of other information in the list, such as whether the species is a vagrant or introduced.

We decided to create two sub-lists: one of the bird species that are endemic or near-endemic to South Africa, and the other of the threatened, or Red List, species in the country. These can be downloaded for free here.

Changes to the common names of South African bird species have been contentious and unpopular, but the good news is that since we started the Checklist of Birds in South Africa in 2010, name changes have become rare because of the way the committee works. Although we follow the IOC world bird list (https://www.worldbirdnames.org/) in terms of scientific names and taxonomy (splits and lumps), we do not necessarily accept their proposals for changes to the common names of South African birds. Instead, if the IOC proposes a name change, we try to publicise it widely in South African birding circles to get as much input and as many comments as we can. Then our committee votes on whether to retain our existing name or to change our name to be consistent with the IOC world list. We almost invariably vote to retain our existing name, which is why we haven’t lost great names such as ‘korhaan’ for the small bustards and ‘tit-babblers’ for these interesting warblers. We do, however, sometimes pioneer name changes that are in fact essential (in our view), such as Hottentot Teal and Hottentot Buttonquail to Blue-billed Teal and Fynbos Buttonquail respectively. Sometimes, though, we are forced to follow IOC name changes, particularly if they reflect a split. For example, we had to change Whimbrel to Eurasian Whimbrel when the species was split into this and Hudsonian Whimbrel (only the former occurs in South Africa). 

Please do feel free to contact me (chris@birdingecotours.com) if you have any comments, helpful feedback or questions. It will be great to hear from you! 

CHRIS LOTZ, CHAIRPERSON OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN BIRD LIST COMMITTEE

BBD 2022 – save the date!

Whether you’re a Birding Big Day (BBD) regular or you want to try out this exciting challenge for the first time, you’ll need to diarise Saturday, 3 December now. To find out more about BBD – which category to enter and how to participate, how to register and how to use BirdLasser to log your sightings – go to https://www.birdlife.org.za/support-us/events/birding-big-day-2022/

Ford Wildlife Foundation helps protect habitat

The recent declaration of the Upper Wilge Protected Environment in the eastern Free State came as the culmination of a great deal of hard work. This new protected area of 24 078ha makes a valuable contribution to the conservation of high-altitude grassland and wetland habitats that are essential for species such as the Yellow-breasted Pipit, an endemic grassland specialist. It also provides extensive corridors for species requiring large areas of suitable foraging habitat, including cranes, Secretarybird, Southern Bald Ibis, Denham’s Bustard and White-bellied Korhaan. 

Declaring such a protected area is a long process, taking several years. It starts with meeting landowners and evaluating their properties to determine whether they can be included in a protected area. Many of these farms are hidden in faraway corners of the eastern Free State and can often only be reached by travelling long distances on gravel roads. In many instances, the roads on the farms require a 4×4 vehicle, especially in wet conditions.

The Ford Wildlife Foundation provided me with a Ford Ranger to assist with this work. Without this vehicle it simply would not have been possible to reach many landowners, or the journey would have taken much longer. BirdLife South Africa would like to thank the Ford Wildlife Foundation for its valuable contribution to the declaration of the Upper Wilge Protected Environment. The foundation’s continued support makes a real difference and helps BirdLife South Africa staff to conserve birds, their habitats and other biodiversity. 

ERNST RETIEF, SPATIAL PLANNING AND DATA PROJECT MANAGER

The African Bird Fair 2022

Join BirdLife South Africa for the biggest event in African birding this year: The African Bird Fair 2022. Be sure to diarise 22 and 23 July 2022 to enjoy an epic line-up of speakers and exhibitors, not to mention the opportunity to connect with other avid birders across the continent and around the world.

Cycle in the Bush at Selati

According to Escape Cycle Tours, the recipe for an extraordinary Cycle in the Bush experience is simple. You just need a bicycle, plenty of birds, the African bush and a greater conservation purpose (https://www.facebook.com/cyclesafaris/).

An annual Cycle in the Bush was conceptualised years ago by the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) Programme and it proved to be a popular staple of the BirdLife South Africa calendar. The most recent event was a four-day, three-night trip held in the Selati Game Reserve in Limpopo, with the aim of raising funds for the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative (EAFI) project within BirdLife South Africa’s Regional Conservation Programme.

The EAFI aims to create a network of stepping-stone sites for migrating birds by identifying conservation priorities and increasing capacity for conservation along the flyway’s route. The project is partnering with and assisting countries (specifically Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe) to understand and report their biodiversity. Through training and capacity building, countries will increase their knowledge about the key threats migratory birds face along the flyway; improve the conservation – and ultimately the management – of important sites; expand the network of areas that are protected and conserved; and influence policies to ensure better protection of migratory species, nationally, regionally and internationally. BirdLife South Africa’s EAFI project manager, Bronwyn Maree, is supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and it was fortunate that Ian Barber, Senior Flyway Programme Officer at the RSPB, could join the BirdLife South Africa team of representatives for Cycle in the Bush.

This fun-filled long weekend had various activities for guests, from leisurely morning bike rides led by expert guide David Havemann from EcoTraining, who shared his extensive knowledge about the African bush, to afternoon game drives with sundowners. Birding, stargazing and learning about signs of the bush were also part of the mix. And participants were informed about the important work done by the BirdLife South Africa conservation team when BirdLife South Africa’s Head of Conservation, Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson, gave a presentation on the subject. Another presentation, given by Lance Robinson, a BirdLife South Africa-recommended course provider, enlightened the guests about bird migration. The theme of migration was expanded in Ian Barber’s presentation about the RSPB’s interest and involvement in the conservation of birds along the East Atlantic Flyway. 

The main attraction for the weekend, some might say, is cycling through the bush in Big 5 country. Selati Game Reserve, located in Limpopo, is also scenic and its habitats vary from undulating hills and sweeping grasslands to horizons accentuated by grand granite outcrops and bordered by the Drakensberg escarpment. This diversity of habitats supports more than 280 bird species.

The next Cycle in the Bush event will take place from Thursday, 26 to Sunday, 29 May 2022. This all-inclusive weekend costs R13 500 per person sharing and R14 500 for a single room. If you are a cyclist, a keen birder and looking for an opportunity to learn more about the African bush in the company of like-minded people, this is an event not to miss. Feel free to bring your spouse, partner, friend or family member with you, as non-cyclists will have an array of fun activities to take part in. 

For bookings and enquiries, please e-mail Natasha Shilubane at natasha.shilubane@birdlife.org.za. We look forward to spending a long weekend in the African bush with you!

DR HANNELINE SMIT-ROBINSON, HEAD OF CONSERVATION, AND NATASHA SHILUBANE, REGIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMME AND AVITOURISM INTERN

Help Middelpunt become a reserve

The White-winged Flufftail, a Critically Endangered species, has an estimated global population of fewer than 250 mature individuals. It is considered to be the rarest and most threatened rallid species in Africa, and Ethiopia and South Africa are the only two countries where it is known to breed. Only one breeding site has been confirmed in South Africa: Middelpunt Wetland.

The species was first seen at Middelpunt Wetland in 1992 after many years with no record of its presence in the country. Those who saw the bird were concerned about the condition of the wetland and engaged with the owner to rehabilitate and conserve it. A lease was eventually signed in 1994 and Middelpunt Wetland Trust was formed as the vehicle through which to operate. The following year, the trust succeeded in having 5km of artificial drainage channels filled in, immediately improving the condition of the wetland. In 2002, Dullstroom Trout Farm purchased the farm portion that contains most of Middelpunt Wetland to protect the main catchment area for its trout dams directly downstream of the wetland, as well as to safeguard the White-winged Flufftail and its habitat. BirdLife South Africa was invited to administer Middelpunt Wetland Trust in 2011 and since then has led national efforts to conserve this highly threatened species. 

Dullstroom Trout Farm has supported BirdLife South Africa’s research objectives by allowing studies to take place at Middelpunt Wetland and it was these studies that led to the first breeding record of the White-winged Flufftail in South Africa. In 2017 the trout farm joined the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment, which limits activities that could threaten biodiversity but does not prevent them entirely. As Middelpunt Wetland is the only confirmed breeding site of the White-winged Flufftail in the southern hemisphere, appropriate legislation is required to safeguard this irreplaceable habitat for many years to come. It provides not only a haven for White-winged Flufftails, but also numerous ecosystem services to downstream users through water resource management and to the global community through carbon sequestration in its peat layers. 

BirdLife South Africa proposed the declaration of a private nature reserve for Dullstroom Trout Farm and a neighbouring property belonging to Eland’s Valley Guest Farm, which supplies Middelpunt Wetland with lateral inputs (seeps). With assistance from the provincial conservation governing body, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, the intent to declare the reserve has since been signed by the Mpumalanga MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs (Provincial Gazette No. 3361). The public participation process takes place from 29 March to 30 May 2022.

Please consider helping us to get Middelpunt declared a reserve by adding your name to our support letter. The link to the online submission form can be found on the Landscape Conservation Programme’s web page at https://www.birdlife.org.za/what-we-do/landscape-conservation/middelpunt-letter-of-support/

DR KYLE LLOYD, ROCKJUMPER FELLOW OF WHITE-WINGED FLUFFTAIL CONSERVATION

The Kruger Challenge is back!

The second Kruger Birding & Wildlife Challenge, hosted jointly by BirdLife South Africa and Rockjumper Birding Tours, is back by popular demand. The challenge will take place from 12 to 19 February 2023 in the Kruger National Park, starting in Skukuza and ending in Mopani. You can look forward to:

• Unrivalled wildlife experiences, including sightings of the Big 5;
• First-class birding in the Kruger National Park, one of the world’s greatest untouched wildernesses;
• Excellent safari drives in open vehicles, guided by an expert birder as well as a professional Kruger driver-guide;
• A fun challenge to find and identify as many bird and mammal species as you can. Each species will be awarded points based on its rarity;
• Meeting and spending time with many other like-minded birders and conservationists.

Group discount! If someone books a group of nine guests, the organiser of that group booking will receive 50% discount on their individual booking. For more information and to register your booking, please e-mail Sarah Dell at sarah@rockjumper.com

Help conserve the White-winged Flufftail by joining this adventure of a lifetime.

DR HANNELINE SMIT-ROBINSON, HEAD OF CONSERVATION, AND ABIGAIL RAMUDZULI, CONSERVATION INTERN

Exploring a new funding path for conserving biodiversity

Nearly all conservation organisations around the world constantly need to come up with new and innovative fundraising ideas in order to support their staff and projects. However, this funding challenge is slowly being remedied as more and more people are recognising that the biodiversity crisis does exist and that it is very likely to have a ripple effect on livelihoods and economic development. Yet it is not very often that donors approach conservation organisations and want to assist in supporting biodiversity conservation without such an organisation first making a formal approach to the donor.

It is against this backdrop that BirdLife South Africa is partnering with Univet Nature Foundation and Biogroup France to explore the possibilities of acquiring land in South Africa solely for conservation purposes and to support innovative and cutting-edge projects that work towards biodiversity conservation. Three prominent conservationists from France – Alain Moussu, Benjamin Kabouche and Laurent Couzi – visited South Africa from 23 March to 1 April 2022 and were welcomed at BirdLife South Africa’s head office, Isdell House, in Johannesburg. An introductory workshop the following day was attended by conservation stakeholders such as BirdLife South Africa, SANParks and WWF to discuss the mission and various options available for land acquisition in South Africa. 

A team consisting of the French delegation, respected bird guide Lance Robinson and myself subsequently set off on a road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town, passing through many prime biodiversity areas such as Kamfers Dam and Mokala, Karoo, Garden Route and Table Mountain national parks, with the primary aim of meeting key conservation practitioners on the ground, understanding the conservation work implemented at each site and the challenges faced, and exploring options to better achieve their conservation goals. In addition, it was an excellent opportunity for the French delegation to discover the amazing birds and other wildlife in South Africa.

After exploring South Africa’s rich biodiversity and meeting with key conservation players, the French delegation – with the help of local partners such as BirdLife South Africa – are left with the arduous task of choosing the best sites in South Africa to achieve impactful biodiversity conservation, engage landowners to sell, and identify the best management options for species and habitat conservation.

BirdLife South Africa will be working with the French delegation and important conservation stakeholders in South Africa to coordinate formal engagements with landowners in order to ensure a smooth and fair process of acquiring land in this country for species and habitat conservation. Moreover, it is hoped that with sustained engagements between BirdLife South Africa and our French collaborators, more funding will be negotiated to support conservation projects in South Africa in order to deliver the much-needed ecosystem goods and services that biodiversity provides for humankind.

SIMEON BEZENG, REGIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMME MANAGER

Birding at Ingula

The varied ecosystems of South Africa are influenced by unique climatic conditions that support a diversity of birds and habitats. With most migrants present and some wet conditions from the rains we had this year, the summer provided a good opportunity for both local and international birders to visit well-known birding areas as well as lesser-known and hidden treasures.

February started off as a busy birding month for us at Ingula, as we welcomed not only local visitors but also a guest from Ohio, USA: David McConnell. Part of David’s visit was to conduct interviews with local community guides and find out their views on their work and how it influences the public. We were honoured by his visit to Ingula and believe it will help take our client base of international tourists to greater heights.

We also received visits from BirdLife Free State and the Wits Bird Club and, more recently, SANPARKS Honorary Rangers. They all made their way here to experience the high-altitude grassland and escarpment forest birds, with specials that include Yellow-breasted Pipit, Ground Woodpecker, three crane species, Secretarybird, Cape Vulture, Denham’s Bustard and White-bellied Korhaan, to mention only a few.

The three groups were exposed to all Ingula’s hotspot areas guided by me and Bonginkosi Ndaba, who assists with guiding at Ingula and in the Van Reenen area. Our work as community guides is not only to translate bird names, but also to make sure that we learn as much as possible from guiding the different groups so that we can improve our work dynamics, as each group is different and we have to be able to adapt to unfavourable weather conditions. Our guests also add more value to our survey data, with records collected using BirdLasser. All the groups had only good things to say about their experience at Ingula and also said that, in view of the short time they spent here, it will be worth visiting again, with friends and family, in the near future.

STEVEN SEGANG, INGULA PROJECT ASSISTANT AND COMMUNITY BIRD GUIDE

A strategic, seaside staff meeting

When BirdLife South Africa’s dedicated staff make the journey from their workplaces in different parts of the country to get together, especially after two years of virtual meetings and e-mail introductions, it’s a time for strategising and team-building. It’s also a time for celebration – and enjoying the birds of De Hoop Nature Reserve, of course.

ANDY WASSUNG, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

In March the BirdLife South Africa team was fortunate to spend a few days together at our annual staff meeting, held this year in the beautiful – and bird-rich – De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Overberg region of the southern Cape.

We were extremely fortunate to host inspiring guest speakers, including ornithologist Kevin Shaw, formerly of CapeNature (second from left); and Dr Odette Curtis-Scott and Grant Forbes of the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust, seen here with BirdLife South Africa’s CEO, Mark D. Anderson. Thank you for your dedication to South African conservation and for inspiring the BirdLife South Africa team.

After two years of a global pandemic, working remotely and relying on Zoom calls, it was wonderful to get together again in person as a team and reaffirm our mutual passion and commitment to conserving South Africa’s birds.

Secretarybird rescue

In the high-altitude grasslands of the Eastern Free State, the Upper Wilge Protected Environment has been declared to safeguard the habitats and threatened species that occur in it. On Good Friday, the owners of Oaklands Farm Stay, a property located within the protected environment, told me about two Secretarybirds that seemed to be injured or unwell. I immediately passed the information on to FreeMe KZN and went out to look for the birds. Unfortunately only one individual was found alive and it was taken to a safe and warm place until FreeMe rehabilitators arrived to stabilise and collect it. The sub-adult bird was found to be extremely weak due to starvation, a situation approximately 70% of young Secretarybirds face when starting to disperse into new territories. It was given liquids to hydrate it and build up its strength and then transported to the rehabilitation centre in Howick. The young Secretarybird is now much better and although still very weak, it has shown definite improvement over the weekend, thanks to the exceptional efforts of its caregivers.

BirdLife South Africa would like to thank the owners of Oaklands Farm Stay for caring about the wildlife on their farm, which prompted their response. We are also very grateful for the fantastic work done by the caregivers at FreeMe KZN to treat and look after our threatened species.

CARINA PIENAAR, INGULA AND GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION PROJECT MANAGER

Seabirds galore!

In the latest issue of African Birdlife, the seafarers among us who ventured to Marion Island can relive those fabulous sightings, while the landlubbers can admire stunning seabird photos and then head up the Swartberg Pass, to Angola (in the Eastern Cape) and to Mozambique’s Maputo National Park. There’s a cautionary tale about photographing waterbirds from a hide and an account of observing Bat Hawks too, as well as a new back-page read and a chance for you to showcase your best bird photographs.