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 usual, the conference will cater not only for hardcore ornithologists and conservationists, but also for enthusiastic weekend birders who would just like to learn more about birds. Participants will also experience epic birding excursions in some of the most beautiful coastal habitat South Africa has to offer, all while knowing that they are making a valuable contribution to BirdLife South Africa’s important conservation work. We look forward to seeing you there! LINDA VAN DEN HEEVER, SPECIES CONSERVATION MANAGER

Cape Parrot, a mist-belt forest ambassador The Cape Parrot’s Afrotemperate forest home is rich and diverse. While researching the species’ habitat, I came to realise just how fragile this forest is and learnt about the many threats to the survival of this specialised environment, with its towering canopies of ancient trees and the many plants and animals living within it. To depict the Cape Parrot in its natural habitat, I focused on yellowwoods, their preferred trees for nesting, foraging and socialising. The second Cape Parrot infographic poster is about the Afrotemperate forest in which these fascinating birds are found and the threats to this vulnerable mist-belt habitat. A fact sheet accompanying this poster can be downloaded and used alongside upcoming lesson plans, which will be published during the year. An illustrated poster of a Cape Parrot pair at a nest site in their habitat can also be downloaded at birdlife.org.za/bird-of-the-year-2023/ LEIGH WOLFAARDT, ARTIST AND RESEARCHER OF BIRD OF THE YEAR 2023

Roberts revolutionised Knowledge of southern Africa’s birdlife has grown exponentially since the landmark seventh edition of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa (Roberts 7) was published in 2005. Take the Short-clawed Lark, for instance. In 1985, ornithologist Gordon Lindsay Maclean wrote that the Short-clawed Lark is ‘probably the most poorly known [lark] species in southern Africa’. Within three decades, however, this enigmatic species has gone from virtual anonymity to being one of the best-known larks in Africa. The entire life history of the Short-clawed Lark has recently been captured in a scholarly species profile on Birds of the World, a premier ornithology reference featuring comprehensive life histories of every bird in the world. Birds of the World is hosted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and features the work of a global collective of ornithologists who aim to make it a single source for the collective biology of all the birds in the world. You can view southern Africa’s species accounts – plus accounts for every other bird in the world – at no cost, thanks to a new partnership between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, publishers of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. Work is under way on the ‘Roberts 8’ project, which will be published directly to Birds of the World. Three South African bird experts – Peter Ryan, David Allan and Derek Engelbrecht – are managing the project and welcome other ornithologists to share their expertise. Other recently updated life history accounts include South African Shelduck, Scaly Weaver and Olive-headed Weaver. Many more are in the works. A major benefit of this collaboration is that registered users residing in southern Africa now have free access to Birds of the World species accounts – 10 906 species in all! This free, unlimited access is extended to anyone signing in from Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe. Birds of the World is the only comprehensive reference providing authoritative details, from the simple to the obscure, about any species. Species accounts are highly curated and fully referenced, and they feature details of all aspects of a bird’s life history, including updated range maps and representative photos, videos and sound recordings from its full life cycle. Each species’ taxonomic history is explained, featuring details and images of both subspecies and hybrids, as well as James A. Jobling’s Key to Scientific Names. In Preferences there is the option for common names to be displayed in different languages, such as German, English (IOC names) or Afrikaans. Birds of the World also features detailed overviews of all 249 bird families, such as the Platysteiridae (Wattle-eyes and Batises). To access Birds of the World, make a free online account. Simply go to https://birdsoftheworld.org and click Sign in. You’ll be asked to create a Cornell Lab/eBird account (or to use your existing account). Sign in with this Cornell Lab/eBird credentials on future visits. From weavers to pipits, coursers to sugarbirds, finfoots and more, southern Africa has an incredible and diverse birdlife. Keep watching Birds of the World for updates and new southern African species accounts.

Wanted: a Birds and Agrochemicals Project Manager BirdLife South Africa would like to employ a Birds and Agrochemicals Project Manager who will be involved in long-term research to understand the impact of pesticides on birds in South Africa’s agricultural landscapes and in attempts to mitigate this impact. The successful candidate will spearhead a strategic review of the literature and policies linked to the governance and usage of agrochemicals in the South African food production industry. He or she will also establish and carry out field-based research with support from a Master’s student (whom they will co-supervise) to further investigate which bird species are utilising the various agricultural landscapes and quantify this usage in relation to risk of exposure to agrochemicals. The project manager will be expected to build relevant relationships within the agricultural, governmental and conservation sectors to increase awareness about the threats and opportunities facing birds in agricultural landscapes and develop an implementation strategy to mitigate the risk of agrochemical exposure on birds in South Africa.

Africa’s Natural Heritage should be protected African World Heritage Day falls on 5 May, a day that has been celebrated annually since 2015 to increase global awareness of Africa’s unique and irreplaceable cultural and natural heritage. Adopted half a century ago, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention provides for the identification and protection of cultural and natural heritage sites around the world, whose outstanding universal value means that they are important for the entire global community. Parties to the World Heritage Convention commit to protect and conserve cultural and natural heritage, and to present and transmit such heritage to future generations. Natural World Heritage Sites, such as the Okavango Delta and Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls, contribute significantly to sustainable socio-economic development, such as ecotourism. They also provide critical ecosystem services that support the well-being of many local communities and are a source of livelihood to their members. However, World Heritage Sites around the globe are under increasing pressure from a variety of human activities, such as large infrastructural developments and oil and gas exploration. Unfortunately, there is a mounting number of examples from Africa in which such activities have been planned or approved with seemingly little regard to impacts on World Heritage Sites. There are also worrying examples of sites being mismanaged and neglected, resulting in the gradual erosion of the values for which they were established. Indeed, of the 16 natural World Heritage Sites that currently appear on the World Heritage Convention’s List of World Heritage in Danger, 11 are situated in Africa. An example is Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania. This site faces multiple threats, the most significant being the Tanzanian government’s decision to permit and proceed with the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project. African BirdLife Partners have repeatedly urged governments across the continent to secure World Heritage Sites from damaging development and mismanagement. Last year, for instance, all members of the BirdLife International Africa Partnership (which comprises civil society organisations from 26 African countries) signed a joint statement on this topic, which was sent to the World Heritage Centre and members of the World Heritage Committee on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the World Heritage Convention (see https://www.birdlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BirdLife-International-Statement-World-Heritage-Convention.pdf). More recently, on the eve of African World Heritage Day, the BirdLife International Africa Secretariat published an article spotlighting concerns about the implications of oil exploration for the Okavango Delta and calling for this activity to halt (see https://www.birdlife.org/news/2023/05/04/an-uncertain-future-for-the-okavango-2/). It is deeply concerning that, shortly thereafter, the Partnership learned of a new oil and gas exploration application bordering yet another African World Heritage Site: Mana Pools in Zimbabwe. BirdLife Zimbabwe and BirdWatch Zambia have submitted an objection to this application, with input from BirdLife South Africa. The position of African BirdLife Partners is clear: we are collectively opposed to the approval of development applications that do not incorporate robust environmental impact assessments and to decision-making that fails to ensure the preservation of the outstanding universal value of World Heritage Sites. This is a message that we will continue to advocate both domestically and internationally in our endeavour to conserve and raise awareness regarding Africa’s irreplaceable natural heritage. DR MELISSA LEWIS, POLICY AND ADVOCACY PROGRAMME MANAGER Photo credits Anton Crone

Blue Crane #Conservation Karoo winter special For just R3000 per person total, you can stay for two nights in the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy and add to your image portfolio by making the most of excellent opportunities to photograph Blue Cranes. Your accommodation will be a comfortable self-catering log cabin with a fully equipped kitchen, although you are also welcome to book meals at our lodge restaurant. We offer additional activities, such as Shy 5 night drives and walks to see Khoisan etchings. We plant winter oats pasture for our twin ewes to support them during the cold months. Between May and August, any number between 50 and 350 Blue Cranes flock to these pastures to eat this important winter grazing. We have built two hides out of lucerne bales in these fields and will give you exclusive use of these hides in the two-night package. Large numbers of cranes roost around our farm dam and offer excellent photographic opportunities as they fly in at sunset. Before sunrise they return to the pasture and we recommend you enter the hide an hour before the sun is up. By supporting us, your contribution will be the equivalent of buying one ton of lucerne, which will justify the cranes having a good time on our pasture. The log cabin accommodates up to four people in two en-suite rooms, one with two single beds and the other with a double bed. To book, send us your dates for a two-night stay between May and August at stay@khoisankaroo.co.za, using #BlueCraneConservation special in your subject line.

Photography competition is about to close… BirdLife South Africa, in partnership with Canon, is offering you a chance to win great prizes in the 2023 photography competition. Entries have been coming in steadily and we are seeing some amazing images in various categories. There is still time to sort through your favourite bird photographs, as long as you submit them before 31 May 2023. The categories that will be awarded are: Grand Prize (overall winner); Action; Portrait; Birds in the Environment; Garden; with sub-categories for Endemic Species; Threatened Species; Youth; People’s Choice and a Voting Prize, for someone who votes for their favourite image in the People’s Choice category (after submissions close and shortlisted candidates are made public). There are some incredible prizes on offer, including an all-inclusive, three-night stay for two people at Tswalu Private Wildlife Reserve to the value of R237 960, plus the use of Canon’s latest top-of-the-range equipment, valued at more than R1.5-million, for the duration of the Tswalu stay. You can read more about the various prizes on offer here. Entries cost R300 for up to four images (if you’re not a member of BirdLife South Africa) or R100 for up to four images (for paid-up BirdLife South Africa members), and you can enter as many times as you like. To familiarise yourself with the rules, prizes, categories and how to enter, please visit the photography competition web page at birdlife.org.za/photography-competition-2023/ We would like to give special thanks to Canon, Tswalu, the Royal Portfolio, Struik Nature, Gardena, Tintswalo at Boulders, The Oyster Box, Elaine’s Birding and Wildlife Products, Return Africa, Birding Africa and Cape Town Pelagics for their wonderful sponsorships and prizes. Enter today and stand a chance to have your photographs feature in African Birdlife. This is an opportunity you would not want to miss. ANDY WASSUNG, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER