Sep / Oct 2017"
BIRDS & BEES

Interspecific competition for cavities

Tree cavities hold a somewhat mysterious appeal, as frequently we can only guess as to what may be lurking within them. However, the use of nest boxes as surrogates for natural cavities, combined with the use of nest-box cameras, has enabled researchers to peek into this murky world.

GET TO THE POINT

Patch-watching at the corner of the continent

Mike Fraser reminisces about the time he spent doing field work at the scenically beautiful and ecologically important Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, and the rare and unusual bird species that he encountered.

IN THE FAST LANE

Taita Falcons

Rare and localised, the Taita Falcon is on most birders’ want list – some even question whether the species still occurs in the region. But it does, and Andrew Jenkins and Anthony van Zyl were privileged to spend some time with a family of these falcons.

MSIKABA MAGIC

Pondoland

Albert Froneman goes birding in the Wild Coast area and revels in the quiet beauty of Msikaba.

GIVE & TAKE

Plant pollination strategies

Hugh Chittenden examines how, in the fascinating world of plant pollination, some plant species have evolved intriguing methods to entice birds and insects to act as successful pollen carriers.

TALKING TECH

Is bigger always better? Graham Barr debates the value of compact cameras for bird photography.

Review: Leica’s new Noctivid binoculars.