As the season draws to a close, we had one last major goal—deploying five additional satellite trackers. Five! That might not seem like much, but considering we deployed only two in March 2024, this is a huge step forward in our mission. Why does this matter? If these trackers remain active and the birds survive,…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 African Birdlife online BirdLife South Africa is delighted to bring you African Birdlife online, the brand-new digital companion to African Birdlife magazine. Whether you’re a seasoned birder, a nature enthusiast or just discovering the joy of birds, this website is your go-to source for up-to-date birding news, stunning photography daily, trip reports, reviews, interviews with…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 There’s an excellent chance that Wandering Albatrosses will grace the voyage with their presence. Credit Jody de Bruyn Participants of Flock to Marion 2022 congregated on the ship’s pool deck to show their support for the Mouse-Free Marion Project. Credit Mark D. Anderson Flock to Marion AGAIN! For those who may be new…
This season, Craig and I have one clear goal: to ring as many European Rollers as possible. Our ambitious target? Forty-three individuals. While it might not sound like a daunting number, catching European Rollers in a short timeframe is anything but easy. The conditions need to be just right—birds perched within a few meters of…
Christmas came early here at BirdLife South Africa when we opened our Argos platform to see that Hera is finally back in South Africa! After nine months and a staggering journey of over 25,000km, Hera has returned to South African soil! While she’s arrived during a sweltering heatwave, we’re excited to track her movements in…
Since departing from South Africa on March 30, 2024, Hera is finally on her return journey, currently resting again in Somalia. Her return has sparked a mix of excitement and relief within our Regional Conservation Programme. We’re thrilled by the thought of welcoming back our little hero back in just a few weeks, and relieved…
Over 10,000 kilometers in just two months. That’s the astonishing distance Hera, a European Roller tagged by BirdLife South Africa, flew to get to her breeding grounds in Uzbekistan. Beginning over the Easter weekend, Hera’s migration along the Eastern African Eurasian Flyway is not only a marvel of endurance but also a symbol of the ongoing…
It all started on 07 March 2024. The momentous day we were able to trap two European Rollers on Thornybush Nature Reserve to attach a solar-powered satellite tracker on each. Each individual was given a meaningful name: the female, a first-year bird, was lovingly named Hera, after the Goddess of the Sky, symbolizing her connection…
Why the European Roller? This captivating migratory bird, a beloved visitor and a flagship species for the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, is also a crucial indicator of ecosystem health. Sadly, individual populations have shown severe declines, with their status becoming unfavourable in many countries over several decades. Studies have found that populations have plummeted by…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 The BirdLife South Africa team at the awareness-raising event in Cape Town. Dr Alistair McInnes (bottom right) was one of the speakers. The event was well attended by journalists, influencers, researchers and others who have a stake in the future of African Penguins and marine ecosystems. Nicky Stander, of SANCCOB, spoke eloquently about…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 Two large Secretarybird nestlings on a nest platform. Credit Cassie Carstens A Secretarybird feather near a nest is a clue to whether the nest is being used. Credit Cassie Carstens Looking for Secretarybird nests? Eyes down! Spring is here and Secretarybirds are beginning to breed in earnest. But finding their nests is no…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 A chick uses its egg tooth to carefully carve its way out of its egg. Many species lay a single egg, which makes that egg a precious investment for the species’ survival. Credit Lorinda Hart Eggsamining the risk of pesticides Perfected in birds, the egg comprises a hard and protective, yet breathable shell…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 An AI-generated image illustrating the use of AI, BirdNET and remote acoustic monitoring devices for monitoring birds. AI and BirdNET insights We are excited to provide an update on the BioSoundSCapes project, a key component of the broader BioSCape initiative that aims to understand and preserve the unique ecosystems of the Cape Floristic…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 This photo of a Secretarybird pair on a large firethorn bush near Memel in the Free State was sent in by local farmer Danie Swanepoel. Hanlie Michau, a local birder, captured this Secretarybird flushing from a possible nest tree near Marblehall on the Springbokvlakte in Limpopo. A Secretarybird on a potential nest tree…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 Birds of the Karoo Surveying the birds of the Karoo in 2017 and 2018 was one of the more memorable chapters of my life. The surveys were conducted on a shoestring budget, camping and biking to keep costs down and maximise effort, with long stints away from family. Most took place on private…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 European Rollers – where do they go? BirdLife South Africa is protecting migratory birds one solar-powered satellite tag at a time. And its species of choice? The European Roller. This captivating migratory bird, a flagship species for the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, is also a crucial indicator of ecosystem health. Individual populations have…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 African Penguins forage most successfully in groups. Credit Alistair McInnes No break for penguins While conservation scientists have long been aware of, and worried by, the decline in the number of African Penguins, ongoing research indicates that the plight of this iconic species is worse than ever. The species has now lost a…
February Newsletter 2024 newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 An adult Secretarybird in South African grassland. Credit Cassie Carstens The last Secretarybird in Gauteng? The grasslands of Gauteng are probably one of the most threatened habitats in the entire country. The economic heart of South Africa continues to develop at breakneck speed and the last natural pieces of the…
newsletterE-Newsletter 2025 Recommended avitourism service provider Bosch Luys Kloof has joined BirdLife South Africa’s network of recommended accommodation establishments. At this private nature reserve, situated near Seweweekspoort on the cusp of the Little Karoo and Great Karoo, dramatic vistas of mountains, valleys and karooveld await you. The reserve offers guided nature drives, hiking trails, 4×4…
enewsletter_header Happy holidays! As I write this message, I am reminded of the fragility of our planet. Some parts of South Africa have experienced searing heat, and the rains have not arrived. During the past few weeks birds have died in the northern and western parts of the country, some when the temperature reached the…
Part of the BioSCape team with the NASA aircraft in Cape Town, late October 2023. Credit Otto Whitehead NASA N95 tail section. Credit Otto Whitehead Spills and thrills of BioSCape There have been several moments during the BioSCape journey when we have wondered, ‘Is this going to happen?’ In case you’ve missed it, BioSCape is…
Windmills are a quintessential part of the Karoo experience. They also provide a home for Greater Kestrels and Pied Crows. Henk Nel rewards Renier Balt for his efforts to bring the atlasing group together and make the bash happen. Karoo landscape. Credit Tino Herselman Atlas bashing in the Karoo Undertaking an atlas bash in the…
enewsletter_header Vincent Parker. Nick Prentice. Dominic Naidoo. Priscilla Beeton. (Left to right) Nina Braude, Kate Handley and Celine Oates of the Biodiversity Law Centre. Lily Bickerstaffe and Alberto Vaccari. Mark D. Anderson (CEO of BirdLife South Africa), Yvonne Pennington (Chairperson of BirdLife South Africa) and Gavin Walker. Barbara Bickel. John Clements. Mark D. Anderson, Yvonne…
enewsletter_header Colouring-in champions BirdLife South Africa is pleased to announce the winners of the ‘Win with Faansie’ colouring-in competition, which was part of the African Bird Fair last month. The winner for the 7–10 age group is Nate Eatwell (aged 9) from KwaZulu-Natal; and for the 11–13 age group is Claire Fowler (aged 11) from…
enewsletter_header John Gibbs, BirdLife South Africa’s new Birds and Renewable Energy Project leader. Wind turbines produce clean energy, but they can negatively impact biodiversity. BirdLife South Africa helps the wind energy industry minimise this risk. Credit Sam Ralston-Paton A new leader for Birds and Renewable Energy A transition to renewable energy is essential to reduce…
enewsletter_header The BioSoundSCapes team receives equipment training from Rose Snyder (right). Credit Matt Clark Matt Clark pitches the BioSoundSCapes project. Credit Alan Lee Baboons, an integral part of the local environment, showed their mischievous side to workshop delegates on a visit to the Harold Porter Botanical Garden. Credit Alan Lee BioSCapes comes to South Africa…
enewsletter_header May 2023 Newsletter Flock to the Wilderness is here! Bird lovers of all persuasions will descend on Wilderness in the Western Cape this May to celebrate South Africa’s rich birdlife. The occasion will see the return of BirdLife South Africa’s Learn About Birds conference, the first in-person version of the event since 2018. As…
enewsletter_header Sponsorship for three LAB attendees This year’s Learn About Birds (LAB) conference, which forms part of Flock to Wilderness from 24 to 28 May, will see three emerging researchers give presentations, their attendance generously sponsored by Dunefields Private Nature Reserve. Dunefields nestles in a mosaic of fynbos and dune thicket vegetation on the Garden…
enewsletter_header Discovering a precious treasure While doing research on the beautiful and charismatic Cape Parrot, I frequently came across the description of it as a ‘jewel of the forest’. As an artist with a particular love of rich colour, I was excited to explore a palette of iridescent bright and deep bottle-greens, golden yellows and…
enewsletter_header Steven shows learners and teachers how a wetland functions. Credit Sipho Shabalala Bonginkosi demonstrates MiniSASS, a smaller version of the South African Scoring System for wetland and river health. Credit Steven Segang Explaining the wetland food web. Credit Bonginkosi Ndaba Where better to learn about how a wetland works? Credit Bonginkosi Ndaba World Wetlands…
enewsletter_header The Cape Parrot is the Bird of the Year for 2023. Credit Chris Brooke Conservation Conversations are back Our Conservation Conversations webinars will be back on your screens from 24 January 2023 at 19h00 (SAST). The format will be slightly different this year: webinars will take place every two weeks, on the first and…
National Wetlands Indaba at Ingula The National Wetlands Indaba is an opportunity for a wide range of people involved in the conservation and sustainable use of South Africa’s wetlands to meet and exchange ideas. From 24 to 27 October, scientists, decision-makers, researchers, conservationists and educators gathered at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park for the…
enewsletter_header Mel Tripp (left) and Stefan Theron with the battle maps. There was no excuse for getting lost on this atlas bash, thanks to the detailed maps for the entire survey domain supplied by Stefan. For beautiful views, just climb a Karoo koppie! A few moments previously, a Cinnamon-breasted Warbler was enjoying this view before…
enewsletter_header Shop for the Birds! As the year-end holiday approaches, BirdLife South Africa is inviting to readers to visit Shop for the Birds! at its headquarters (Isdell House, 17 Hume Road, Dunkeld West) in Gauteng, where they will find a wide range of birding-related items that make perfect gifts for the holiday season. From field…
enewsletter_header Cape Gannet in Ostrich BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year for 2022 is the Cape Gannet. In a fortuitous turn of events, the most recent issue of Ostrich features three articles on this species, as well as a perspective commenting on its precarious conservation status. We are grateful to the publishers NISC and…
Participants in the Kruger Birding & Wildlife Challenge are advised to check any African buffalo they see for an attendant Red-billed Oxpecker. Credit Chris van Rooyen Kruger Challenge 2023 From 12 to 19 February 2023 the Kruger Birding & Wildlife Challenge is on: see how many bird and other wildlife species you and your team…
enewsletter_header July 2022 Newsletter Ostrich on a roll BirdLife South Africa’s scientific journal Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology has attained the highest-ever CiteScore (2.3) and the second-highest impact factor score (1.09) in its 90-year history. And crucially, the impact factor remains above the critical psychological barrier of 1. According to the Academic Accelerator website, Ostrich…
June 2022 Newsletter Harrier expert Dr Rob Simmons releases a tagged Black Harrier. An example of tracking data acquired from a free-flying Black Harrier. Fundraising for Black Harriers Black Harriers are in deep trouble. Fewer than 1300 mature individuals now remain, making the species one of southern Africa’s most endangered raptors. Its population is estimated…
enewsletter_header May 2022 Newsletter The African Bird Fair is back! Join BirdLife South Africa in The African Bird Fair 2022, which will be held on 22 and 23 July. This year we’re hosting a hybrid event: the entire programme will be available virtually, but you’re also welcome to join us in person at Isdell House…
enewsletter_header April 2022 Newsletter 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…
March 2022 Newsletter Happy OVAPD members, including the head of the centre, Deborah Gonsalves, with Andrea Angel of the Albatross Task Force on the left. Credit Reason Nyengera A flow chart showing the project’s activities. Credit Reason Nyengera A bird-scaring line preventing birds from colliding with the fishing gear. Credit ATF South Africa Making bird-scaring…
Flock to Marion guests bid Cape Town farewell. Credit Andy Wassung Peter Harrison MBE, as inspiring a guide on deck as he is a storyteller on stage. Credit Andy Wassung Fellow ‘Flockers’ scan the wake for petrels, prions and penguins. Credit Andy Wassung Community bird guide David Letsoalo and Peter Harrison MBE brave the cold…
Conserving South Africa’s birds in 2022 BirdLife South Africa’s work is immensely important and, to a large extent, our country’s birds are in our hands. And you can help! If you love birds and would like to leave a positive legacy to future generations of South Africans so that they too can enjoy the beauty…
The main focus of the weekend was of course frogs, but as we are wildlife enthusiasts and there were so many participants just as passionate about all things wild and wonderful, the Frogging Experience turned out to be an enormous bio-bash. We managed to see, photograph and document far more than we could have had…
Sustainability may start at home, but many environmental challenges require the cooperation of multiple countries – and international agreements help to create a framework for such collaboration. For example, diverse nations, sometimes at opposite ends of the globe, share a responsibility to care for and protect migratory species and their habitats. The Convention on the…
Flock At Sea Again! in April 2017 will have some special guests. The team from the Ocean View Association for People with Disabilities (OVAPD) centre that makes our bird-scaring lines will be joining us on board, thanks to holding albithe generous sponsorship of Rand Merchant Bank. The OVAPD centre runs the Tori Line project as…
Through a series of workshops, the Common Oceans Tuna Project aims to reduce the impacts of pelagic (tuna) longline fisheries on albatross and petrel populations and ensure that the implementation of best-practice seabird by-catch measures is accelerated. Read about the latest National Awareness Workshop in October, which was aimed at government officials, fishing industry representatives…
The Seychelles is a tropical island paradise with a swathe of endemic species and stunning landscapes. Ross Wanless reports on his tuna commission meeting and finding endemic frogs, visiting a seabird island and seeing most of those endemic birds… Although I have visited the Seychelles several times while at BirdLife South Africa, always as part…
The Wilge River runs through the grasslands of the beautiful eastern Free State, an area that contains many threatened bird species and is an important water catchment. Its formal protection is a matter of urgency, which is why BirdLife South Africa and partners are undertaking the Wilge Stewardship Project. Grasslands are not universally appreciated, especially…
The Kruger Bird & Wildlife ChallengeIn support of the White-winged Flufftail 6th to 15th February 2019 (10 days) We are thrilled to launch an epic birding and wildlife event that promises to provide: first class birding in one of the world’s great untouched wildernesses; South Africa’s jewel, the Kruger National Park, which we will explore…
It took two and a half weeks to crank through the staggering number of things to be done on my trip to the UK in July. The first stop was Cambridge for a series of meetings and events about the plans to eradicate mice from Gough and Marion islands. That process continued later in the…
I’d been to Cape Verde before but never to do field work, so when another trip was cancelled and there was an opening for me to go to this amazing archipelago, I greeted it with much anticipation. I was going there to assist the dynamic and pretty amazing NGO Biosfera with its efforts to conserve…
When the members of the Ocean View Association for Persons with Disabilities (OVAPD) boarded the MSC Sinfonia, the joy and excitement on their faces was heart-warming. Until now the closest they had got to an albatross was the stuffed Wandering Albatross that the Albatross Task Force keeps for educational purposes. Not only was this the…
It seems so long ago that it all began. In November 2016, 12 lucky learners from the Ekurhuleni municipality were selected to attend a BirdLife South Africa guide training course – a dream come true. Some had a little experience of being involved with eco-based concerns within their communities while others just had an interest…
After the great success that was Flock at Sea AGAIN! 2017, the BirdLife South Africa staff have returned to shore and planning is well under way for next year’s Flock on the West Coast. Featuring the bi-annual Learn About Birds (LAB) symposium, the event will take place from 7 to 11 March 2018 and will…
The BirdLife South Africa staff meeting, held from 23 to 25 May 2017, had a change of venue this year and took place at the picturesque Sea Villa Glen Craig Conference Venue in Pringle Bay, Western Cape. This annual meeting gives the 38 BirdLife South Africa staff and interns a chance to discuss the progress…
In early April my colleague Bronwyn Maree and I headed to Hoi An in Vietnam to run the second regional workshop on seabird bycatch. We’re trying to build consensus among the key nations that catch lots of seabirds in tuna longline operations that a global review should be undertaken. And then we need to figure…
Steve’s poem: Out on the limitless ocean Nothing to see but the waves: Ever changing, peaking, subsiding, All the same but each detail different. Cairns upon hills upon mountains, Rolling, swirling, constantly in motion. Now smooth, now rough, Now blue, now white, Wind whipping the spray along. Then, from far off comes serenity, A Wandering…
Tuesday, 25 April 2017 was a day that few people on Flock at Sea AGAIN! will ever forget. By now it is probably also etched in many bird books, notebooks, spreadsheets and apps as the day a lucky few (hundred) got to tick off lifer after lifer after lifer. ‘GREY PETREL! SHY ALBATROSS! WHITE-HEADED PETREL!…
The workshop was part of our Common Oceans project, and the main element that Bronwyn Maree is running (as well as overseeing the delivery of the whole shebang). We were gathered to discuss the way forward for conducting the first ever evaluation of total seabird bycatch from tuna longliners in the Southern Ocean. Several experts…
The ambitious plan to establish new African Penguin colonies requires a lot of planning to ensure that we have the best chance of success. One component of the planning is monitoring the chosen site to see what predators are found there that might prey on the penguins. This will enable us to tailor the predator…
2016 was a very busy year for the Avitourism & Special Projects Programme, which has been involved in the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, partner development work in southern Africa and the State of South Africa’s Birds Report and regional Red List publications, as well as the revived BirdLife South Africa Bird Guide Training Project. We…
For the Seabird Conservation Programme, 2016 has been a year of steady progress on existing work and expansion into new areas. Our staff also grew to 11 in Cape Town, with two others in West Africa – a great boost to productivity. At the Seabird Conservation Programme we were fortunate to have our major donors…
The Events Programme over the past 12 months was as versatile as ever and new twists to familiar themes proved to be very popular. On behalf of everyone at BirdLife South Africa, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported our Events Programme for making this year a great one. With…
Media representatives and project funders (WWF Nedbank Green Trust) visited the Verlorenvlei Protected Areas Project in the Western Cape to see progress and speak to landowners. Credit BirdLife South Africa The IBA Programme contributed to the declaration of 17 000 hectares of priority grassland and wetland protected in the Grasslands IBA. We have another 120…
It’s been a year of change and progress at the Wakkerstroom Tourism and Education Centre, a year in which we’ve all grown a little more and learnt new things along the way. Albert Einstein said, ‘Life is like a bicycle: to keep your balance, you must keep moving.’ So why don’t you move towards Wakkerstroom…
2016 seems to have been an eventful year for everyone with whom I have chatted and it’s been no different for the Policy and Advocacy Programme. We provided extensive support to our partners through the IUCN, worked with BirdLife International and the World Parrot Trust to advocate for the uplisting of African Grey Parrots at…
2016 was a very busy year for the Avitourism & Special Projects Programme, which has been involved in the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative, partner development work in southern Africa and the State of South Africa’s Birds Report and regional Red List publications, as well as the revived BirdLife South Africa Bird Guide Training Project. We…
It’s time to go to Senegal again? This month’s travel insert sees Ross Wanless heading off to Dakar, where a cancelled meeting gave him a one-day window for some birding… It was my second trip to Dakar this year, and in fact I’ll be back there in three weeks’ time for another meeting. The October…
The Ocean View Association for People with Disabilities (OVAPD) centre has been given a boost in the form of a much-needed desktop computer. The centre runs the Tori Line project, which produces the bird-scaring lines used on fishing vessels to prevent seabirds from being killed. After years of working on an old computer that was…
African Penguin conservation and management can be a controversial issue, especially when it comes to interactions with people. Over the last few months, there has been significant interest regarding the fence at the Stony Point African Penguin colony at Betty’s Bay often representing an unscientific, anthropomorphic and simplified perspective of the larger and deeply complex…
Over the past month, 10 students from KZN have been studying really hard on a bird specialist course. The course is endorsed by FGASA and skill, dedication and hard work are needed to get the desired results. Congratulations to Lethukuthula Nxele, Bongiwe Nxumalo and Simphiwe Gumede, who have made the grade. Although further assessments are…
BirdLife South Africa hosted the annual Owl Awards on 6 October at Beechwood Gardens, Johannesburg. We would like to congratulate the award recipients, who were all very deserving of an award for their outstanding contributions to the conservation of our country’s birds and their habitats. Front row, from left to right: James Wade Lee (Owlet),…
BirdLife South Africa was privileged to spend some time at Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants in the Northern Cape recently. These futuristic looking facilities are the face of modern, clean energy; they can store power and release it into the grid when we need it the most (which is often when the sun is not…
Not a replacement, but merely a bigger brother Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are set to become the new global currency for site based conservation. Sites that are significantly important for conserving threatened species, fauna and flora, will now be known as KBAs. At the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature…
To provide much needed support to our National Parks, the SANParks Honorary Rangers of the West Rand Region have initiated various birding events in Kruger National Park. They have supported BirdLife South Africa through fundraisers linked to their popular annual summer birding weekends, which take place each year during the months of January and February.…
Most birders and nature enthusiasts may already be familiar with South Africa’s wonderful birdlife, consisting of over 800 different birds! What they might not be familiar with are our countries 112 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas or IBAs. These are sites such as Nature Reserves, National Parks or larger conservation areas that have been identified…
In early August 2015, BirdLife South Africa’s staff moved into Isdell House, our new head office in Dunkeld West, Johannesburg. For some time it had been our intention to move into more suitable headquarters. The previous office, Lewis House, in Randburg, no longer suited the organisation’s needs, mainly because of office space and parking constraints.…
BirdLife South Africa, Rand Water (Water Wise) and Eskom hosted the annual Flufftail Festival at Cresta Shopping Centre from 2-8 February 2016. The Flufftail Festival is linked to World Wetlands Day, a global event celebrating wetlands worldwide on 2 February. The aim of the Flufftail Festival was to raise awareness about a critical resource (water), threatened habitat (wetlands) and endangered birds (especially the White-winged Flufftail). With the drought gripping our country in 2016, there was no better time to be raising awareness about water.
The biennial LAB, co-hosted by BirdLife South Africa and the Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology, held at Skukuza, Kruger National Park (9 – 11 March 2016), offered a full programme. Presentations covered a variety of scientific and conservation-related topics, including summaries of research and report-backs on ongoing studies. Two workshops began proceedings on the…
The Sani2c is one of South Africa’s premier mountain biking races. But did you know that the race route passes through three Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) as well as a number of habitats and threatened ecosystems? IBAs are globally recognised due to their conservation value for birds, and birds are good indicators ofother forms of biodiversity, so it is no wonder that these areas are home to endangered orchids, frogs and mammals. This year’s Sani2c race takes place from 10-14 May, so in preparation, here is a bird’s-eye view of the race.
