Atlas bashing in the Karoo
Undertaking an atlas bash in the middle of nowhere is always going to be a challenge. As part of a multi-year project to map the birds of the Karoo, coverage of the area between Williston and Fraserburg was the target of this particular gap-filling expedition. Luckily, long-time SABAP2 contributor Renier Balt was up for the organisational challenge, finding accommodation in a virgin pentad at the newly established Binnefontein Guest Farm, creating maps, rallying participants and organising funding for the accommodation and braai. But uptake was low, possibly a consequence of the very long distances. The initial short-list of participants became all the shorter as logistics and other priorities took their toll, not helped by dire warnings that predicted exceptionally heavy rain across the Western Cape.
The few of us who made it were treated to incredible hospitality from the interested farmers in the region, a cohort of surprise birds and, best of all, that restorative feeling that comes with spending time in the vast expanse of open, empty veld. Tracking down more than 20 bird species here is hard work. Most of the birds seen are Lark-like Buntings, giving one ample time to contemplate solitude and all that is good in life. The top birds included a stray pale morph Tawny Eagle and a Black-necked Grebe, but the prize for finding the best bird went to Renier and Ian, who were the only team to track down and photograph Sclater’s Lark.
This was a special bash from another, rather poignant, perspective. The BirdLasser mobile app has been an enormous boon to the SABAP2 project, making planning, data contribution and listing very easy. The app was developed by Henk Nel, who has been a stalwart participant of many of the Karoo bashes. We were honoured to have the pleasure of his company during his last weeks in the country. Henk hosted a motivating prize-giving that included the donation of some spectacular birding books. My daughter was especially pleased with Vernon Head’s Featherings and her 10-year-old brother was very happy with his Mini Maglite. Dean and Irene went home with a copy of Birds and People for staying out the longest (helped by an unfortunate gate-locking incident). Not surprisingly, Stefan Theron and Henk got the longest bird lists.
The bash was cut short after wind had Tino Herselman using all his strength to stop his tent from flying to Williston, and ominous forecasts of torrential rain along the Garden Route frightened most of the rest of us to an early departure. As a result, there is still work to be done here.
Atlasing is birding with a purpose and offers rewards for those who enjoy finding out what lies beyond the roadside fence. The information from full-protocol lists is used extensively by scientists and conservationists. While mapping is a component of the SABAP2 atlas project, repeated lists from your favourite pentads are vital for bird monitoring. Joining a bash is a way to learn more about birds, meet like-minded people and see somewhere new in some of the most beautiful parts of South Africa.
DR ALAN LEE, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION PROGRAMME MANAGER
Welcome to new staff
BirdLife South Africa has recently expanded its staff with the inclusion of Dr Lorinda Hart, Minky Shabalala and Tarryn McKechnie. We welcome all three to the team and look forward to working with them.
Lorinda joins us as the manager of the new Birds and Agrochemicals Project. She obtained her PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on avian and bat frugivores that feed on invasive fruits commonly found in South Africa. With extensive experience in avian research, she is especially interested in ecotoxicology, ecophysiology and urban and invasive ecology, and is keen to understand how birds interact with their environment and respond to natural and human-induced changes. Lorinda will oversee pioneering research on the impact of agrochemicals on South Africa’s bird species, which will inform effective and long-term mitigation strategies. This research will benefit not only the birds, but local biodiversity, surrounding communities and consumers too.
Minky has joined the Mouse-Free Marion NPC as the Administration and Finance Officer and will work closely with BirdLife South Africa’s core team at Isdell House. With 13 years of experience in finance and accounting, she has dealt with everything from front office all the way to trial balance. She is excited about joining MFM and honoured to be part of such a crucial initiative. Minky is also looking forward to showcasing her skills and learning about conservation in the process.
Tarryn has been appointed BirdLife South Africa’s Philanthropy Officer, responsible for securing unrestricted funding to support the organisation’s core activities and interacting with donors. A social worker by profession with a Master’s degree in Management and Development, she loves the outdoors and is a passionate birder.
MPHO MAGIDI, COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
Framed!
On behalf of BirdLife South Africa, Jemimah Morgan, assistant to the CEO and CFO, has handed over picture frames and African Birdlife magazines to local bird artist Oliver Matamba. Oliver, who is based in Delta Park, Johannesburg, has a gift for capturing African stories and South African birds in his paintings and prides himself on the authenticity of his work.
Should you be interested in Oliver’s artwork, please contact him at 078 203 0929, or pay him a visit next to the Blue Bridge in Delta Park.
MPHO MAGIDI, COMMUNICATIONS INTERN
The perfect year-end gift
The 2024 edition of BirdLife South Africa’s ever-popular annual Birds of Southern Africa calendar is a beautiful showcase of the country’s birdlife and it is now available to order online. For the first time, it includes stunning photographs that were entered into our 2023 Photography Competition. It makes the ideal gift for nature-loving friends, family, clients or staff and, by purchasing one or more, you’re starting the end-of-year gifting season knowing that you’re giving back to conservation.
The calendars are selling at R220 each and you can either collect them in person at BirdLife South Africa’s headquarters located at Isdell House, 17 Hume Road, Dunkeld West, Johannesburg, or have them delivered to your nearest PostNet location for an additional fee of R95.
Order your copy now, while stocks last, by visiting birdlife.org.za/support-us/2024-calendar. For more information, or to order from outside South Africa, please e-mail me at membership@birdlife.org.za
SHIREEN GOULD, MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMME MANAGER
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Trainee guides visit Kruger
Earlier this month, BirdLife South Africa’s bird guides in training took part in a special field trip. As they near the end of their 60 days of training, and as a final block of practical work, we organised a visit to the Kruger National Park. Based at the Skukuza Science and Leadership Initiative campus, they travelled around the south of the park visiting the different habitats and recording more than 200 bird species over five days. In addition to the birds, they saw all the Big 5.
This practical exposure will help the guides reach a new level of skill and experience, making them better service providers for the birding community. In the words of Sonwabile Daza, ‘This was a real blessing and the highlight of a lifetime.’
The guides will graduate towards the end of October in Wakkerstroom and will then engage in post-course mentorship with their trainer, Wayne Johnson of African Edu Eco, in their home areas of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and eastern and southern Drakensberg.
All our Community Bird Guides can be contacted through our GoBirding platform (gobirding.co.za). BirdLife South Africa has trained more than 250 men and women from previously disadvantaged communities to become professional bird and nature guides.
The Avitourism Project is supported by Swarovski Optik and Nick & Jane Prentice.
ANDREW DE BLOCQ, AVITOURISM PROJECT MANAGER
World Migratory Bird Day
By now, I am sure many of you have heard the iconic spring sounds of at least one migratory bird species. Just the ‘trill’ of the Woodland Kingfisher makes me long for the Lowveld. While it’s a beautiful chorus to appreciate, it’s important to remember the arduous journey these birds have made so that you can appreciate their arrival, and how our actions may impact the success of that annual journey.
To ensure their survival, birds require productive stopover sites to feed and rest, without which they will not reach their destination. And if we don’t work with transboundary partners, our attempts to conserve birds in South Africa may be in vain if those same birds, while undertaking their annual migration or even local movements, fall foul of the plethora of threats elsewhere. It is thus important that conservation measures along the entire flyway secure a network of sites necessary for the protection of these migratory birds.
The beginning of this work dates back to 1993, when International Migratory Bird Day was created in the Americas to focus public attention on the need for international cooperation to conserve birds and habitats. In 2006, World Migratory Bird Day was initiated by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), originally as a measure to counteract the negative publicity migratory birds were receiving across the world due to avian influenza. A decade later, in 2017, the two campaigns joined forces to become a global effort.
This year’s theme is water, a fundamental resource that sustains life on our planet, and it aims to highlight the impact of the growing water crisis on migratory birds. Virtually all migratory birds rely on water and its associated habitats at some point during their life cycles. Lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands and coastal waters are all vital for feeding, drinking and nesting, and as places to rest and refuel during long seasonal migrations.
Unfortunately, these aquatic ecosystems are becoming more and more threatened around the world, as are the migratory birds that depend on them. Increasing human demand for water as well as pollution and climate change are having a direct impact on the quantity and quality of water resources and on the conservation status of many migratory bird species.
Headlines around the world are sounding the alarm: 35% of the world’s wetlands, critical to migratory birds, have been lost in the past 50 years, while recent reports reveal that 48% of bird species worldwide are undergoing population declines.
In South Africa, our freshwater ecosystems are increasingly being compromised by threats varying from pollution, unsustainable resource use and unsound land management practices to climate change. Estuaries and wetlands are critical for the survival of millions of migratory and resident waders. They provide, for example, nursery areas for fish and feeding and staging areas for significant populations of migratory birds.
But while estuaries are valuable, they are also vulnerable. Long-term monitoring studies have shown a rapid decline in the abundance of several summer migrant wader species. This is why the work we do as part of the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative is so important. Restoring and protecting wetlands and estuaries in South Africa is vital to ensure that both resident and migratory bird species survive in the long term.
Join us in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day by taking part in the BirdLasser Challenge that is geared specifically for it. The challenge kicks off on 14 October and runs until the end of the year, with prizes to be won for the most birds logged. ‘Birding with a purpose’ is vital to help us understand population trends for migratory species, so please join our mission in conserving both them and the sites they depend on. Stay up to date with all the work we do at the East Atlantic Flyway by going to birdlife.org.za/eafi
JESSICA WILMOT, FLYWAY AND MIGRANTS PROJECT MANAGER
Birding Big Day 2023
BirdLife South Africa’s 39th Birding Big Day (BBD) will take place on Saturday, 2 December 2023 and you’re invited to take part. You can spend the whole day birding or just a few hours in your garden or local park.
All you need to do is create a team of at least four birders, choose an area to bird and then register. You can log your sightings on the BirdLasser mobile app or simply jot the species down on a piece of paper.
Birders can register for one of two categories: 50km or 6km radius. For the first, you choose a central point and record as many species as you can within a 50km radius of that point. The second category is designed for birders who prefer to atlas a pentad, enjoy birding while walking or cycling or can only do so for a limited time. Even in this category, you can upload your sightings using the BirdLasser app, and a dedicated online map will be provided.
South Africa’s tally of 880 birds (recorded in BirdLife South Africa’s Checklist of Birds in South Africa) accounts for almost 9% of the total global species. On BBD, the collective effort usually results in about 650 of these species being recorded in just one day – a remarkable feat!
For many avid birders, BBD is not only an exciting competition, but also an opportunity to spend quality time with friends and family outdoors, revelling in the diversity of birds. In the past two BBD events, we were thrilled that more than 400 teams, comprising over 1000 birders, participated.
This year we invite you to join us and contribute to making 2023’s BBD the biggest ever! All you need to do is assemble your team, plan your route and register for the event.
For more information, go to birdlife.org.za/support-us/events/birding-big-day-2023/ or e-mail me at ernst.retief@birdlife.org.za. Please register at birdlife.org.za/birding-big-day-2023-entry-form/
Don’t miss out on a day of fun! Let’s make this year’s BBD an unforgettable experience.
ERNST RETIEF, BIRDING BIG DAY ORGANISER
The seabirds are returning … and the mice are waiting
Summer in the southern hemisphere is fast approaching and with it comes the return of many seabirds to Marion Island. Because it is one of the few landmasses in the vast Southern Ocean, seabirds rely on the island as a breeding ground. But now the safety of these breeding birds is in question.
House mice, accidentally introduced by humans, are preying on Marion Island’s globally important seabirds and invertebrates, adversely impacting the vegetation and undermining the integrity of the island’s entire ecosystem. With each passing moment, this dangerous intruder poses an ever-growing threat to the remarkable biodiversity of Marion Island. We need to respond urgently to protect this important site and its cherished seabirds. Without our intervention, 19 of the 28 seabird species breeding on Marion face local extinction. The Mouse-Free Marion Project is planning to restore the island’s ecosystem for its seabirds and other wildlife.
Marion Island comprises 30 000 hectares of what should be unspoilt wilderness. Sponsor a hectare or more of the island and you can help us realise the restoration of its ecosystem. With your support, we can safeguard the future of Marion Island and its globally important seabirds.
So that we can celebrate the return of seabirds to Marion Island, we are aiming to increase the number of hectares of Marion Island sponsored.
Please donate now to give seabirds a safe future: mousefreemarion.org/sponsor-now/
ROBYN ADAMS, MOUSE-FREE MARION COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER AND PROJECT ASSISTANT
Celebrate 40 years with BirdLife Wesvaal
BirdLife Wesvaal Bird Club, in partnership with Elgro River Lodge, extends a warm invitation for you to join in celebrating its 40th anniversary from 21 to 24 March 2024 at Elgro River Lodge, conveniently located near Potchefstroom.
The club has put together an exciting programme that includes speakers, game drives, and guided birding excursions along the Vaal River and in the Vredefort Dome.
Elgro River Lodge will serve as the weekend’s hub, hosting all the activities. It is offering weekend packages and day packages that provide a range of luxurious accommodation and delectable meals.
Situated alongside the Vaal River, a mere 25km from Potchefstroom and a convenient 173km from OR Tambo International Airport, this festival presents an excellent opportunity for bird club members and other enthusiasts to observe some of the 253 bird species recorded in the area, according to SABAP2.
Highlight 21 to 24 March in your 2024 calendar and join BirdLife Wesvaal for an unforgettable experience. Browse the image on the left to view the various packages and accommodation options, and for details on how to book.
PIETER LABUSCHAGNE, CHAIR, BIRDLIFE WESVAAL
You can contribute to important research
The School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University wants to know your opinions and perceptions of birds in your environment, such as the African Fish Eagle, Grey Go-away-bird, Hadeda Ibis and Crowned Eagle, to name just a few. Introducing the Avian Cultural Ecosystem Services (ACES) project!
I am an MSc student in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at Wits University, whom you may remember from last year’s African Bird Fair. I’m conducting a study, the ACES project, to evaluate and quantify the perceptions and values of South African residents for their urban bird communities and am inviting you to be a part of this process by taking a few minutes to complete a survey and provide your personal perception, opinion and rating of different birds in your environment.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete, depending on how detailed your answers are.
For this study, the team is focusing on four major cities in South Africa – Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein – so four different surveys have been produced to better match birds rated to these locations. Links are provided below to each of the surveys and you are asked to answer the survey relating to the city you live in, or the city with which you are most familiar.
LINKS TO SURVEYS:
JOHANNESBURG
CAPE TOWN
DURBAN
BLOEMFONTEIN
Please take a moment to contribute to this important research, knowing that you are helping to advance the study and enjoyment of birds.
For any questions regarding the ACES Project, please e-mail avian.ces.project@gmail.com
SAGE KEENAN NAIDOO, MSC STUDENT, SCHOOL OF ANIMAL, PLANT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, WITS UNIVERSITY
Birding with a purpose in Kruger
Kruger National Park Summer Birding Weekends have become a much-anticipated highlight on the calendars of South African birders and nature-lovers. Join SANParks Honorary Rangers in enjoying the birds of the Kruger National Park over several weekends between January and March 2024. Enjoy dawn and evening drives from camps throughout the park, guided by expert birders as you boost your skills and knowing that all proceeds from these weekends go towards preserving the park for generations of birders to come.
Benefits
Kruger offers first-class birding, with the bonus of migrants in summer.
Learn from fellow birders and experienced guides while enjoying the friendly banter and camaraderie.
Guides will be on hand to share their knowledge about bird behaviour, calls and identification.
There’s always the added excitement of spotting the Big 5 and other wildlife.
Enjoy guided birding on open game-viewing vehicles in the mornings and evenings.
You will be helping us to raise funds for conservation in our national parks.
Our camps span the Kruger National Park, enabling you to choose where you’d like to stay.
An affordable and relaxed birding weekend for a very good cause.
Dates
Between 25 January and 12 March 2024.
Venue
Choose from a range of bushveld camps and rest camps throughout the park.
Accommodation
From R4000 per person (depending on accommodation type), which includes two or three nights’ shared accommodation, two dinners and 8–12 hours of bird-viewing and game drives.
Contact
For bookings, contact Norma on 011 476 3057 or e-mail westrandbirders@gmail.com. Be sure to book now to avoid disappointment.
TRACY YATES, SANPARKS HONORARY RANGERS, WEST RAND REGION
Book now for the Great Ave Weekend
From 3 to 5 November 2023 the Great Ave Weekend will be taking place and you’re invited to join fellow birders and nature lovers at Nylsvley Nature Reserve. And while you’re enjoying Nylsvley’s birds, you’ll be contributing to birding and educational outreach in the surrounding communities.
It’s not too late to get a group of birding friends or your local bird club together and take advantage of the current discounted booking rate, which is valid until 27 October.
The Nylsvley Floodplain and surrounds are home to almost 400 bird species (102 of which are waterbirds). As well as birding, other activities will include an ‘Introduction to Birding’ talk, stargazing and socialising with like-minded individuals.
See the flyer for more details, or feel free to contact me at mojikitsi@rocketmail.com or by calling 073 408 3209 or 067 977 0518.
MOJI KITSI, ORGANISER, THE GREAT AVE WEEKEND
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