Birding Events

Alfie Curling has been a birding specialist and wildlife guide for over 15 years. He has had a lifelong passion for birds, learning bird names from when he could talk. His passion for birds has taken him all over the country. He is the founder of the weekly South African Bird ID E-mail group that helps improve birders’ bird knowledge and ID skills.

Identifying the Brown Eagles and other confusing raptors.

The objective of the course is to learn the important identification features of the Brown Eagles and other confusing raptors that will teach you to easily tell them apart. We will be comparing similar species and pointing out the key identification factors.

Date: 06 March 2021

Time: 13h45 for 14h00

Cost: Members R150, Non-Members R195

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88982007407?pwd=K0lhRjMrUkY2VmRsVnIwN2gxYXdvZz09

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The club is based in Port Elizabeth with a membership spread throughout the province. The Program of events will start on Saturday 16^th until Saturday 23rd May 2020. The club’s committee is busy arranging a program of activities in celebration of our anniversary. As part of this celebration, we will be holding a Photographic Competition with the theme “Birds of the Eastern Cape”.

From humble beginnings, Kruger National Park Birding Weekends have grown to become a much-anticipated highlight on the calendar and one of South Africa’s largest birding events. Join us as we enjoy the plethora of raptors, migrants, waders and other birds in the Kruger National Park. It’s a wonderful opportunity to boost your birding skills and assist with vital conservation work. Come and enjoy dawn and evening drives, guided by experienced birding experts.

The SANParks Honorary Rangers, Johannesburg Region and BirdLife South Africa take pleasure in inviting you to visit the Ingula Nature Reserve. Located on the escarpment near Van Reenen, KwaZulu-Natal, Ingula obtained Nature Reserve status because the site protects a high number of highly threatened species, including White-winged Flufftail, Wattled Crane, Cape Vulture and Bearded Vulture. Home to more than 340 species including Grey Crowned Crane, Southern Bald Ibis, Yellow-breasted Pipit and White-bellied Korhaan, this undiscovered birders’ paradise is definitely one to add to the list.

For more information, please contact Stuart Galloway at JHB.Birding@honoraryrangers.org

In 2021, BirdLife South Africa is hosting two 5-night safaris at Zimanga Private Game Reserve, Mkuze, in KwaZulu-Natal. Mark D. Anderson, CEO of BirdLife South Africa, will accompany both of the groups. The groups will enjoy exclusive use of the entire reserve and its state-of-the-art hides.

Not only does this offer come at a highly discounted rate, but a portion of the booking fee will be donated to BirdLife South Africa for its important work on bird conservation.

SPECIAL OFFER:
Trip 1: 28 Jan–2 Feb 2021 (5 nights): R19 750 pp
Trip 2: 2–7 Feb 2021 (5 nights): R19 750 pp

This offer includes accommodation, all meals and two activities (one hide session and one game drive) each day. It excludes transfers, alcoholic drinks and additional canned and bottled beverages. This offer is available to a maximum of 14 guests. Limited single rooms can be booked at no extra cost.

Enquiries and reservations can be e-mailed to: reservations@zimanga.com

Join the SANParks Honorary Rangers, Limpopo Region, together with leading birding expert and ecologist, Joe Grosel, in honing your raptor identification skills. Joe’s legendary knowledge and practical approach will help you ID raptors of all shapes, sizes and colours in no time, while his personal anecdotes and birding knowledge will keep you entertained and informed.

The course will be hosted by the SANParks Honorary Rangers in the Letaba Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park ,which offers some of the best raptor viewing on the continent. Proceeds will go towards conservation projects in our national parks.

The International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU), which has convened the world’s largest summit on avian biology since its first congress in 1884, will partner with the University of KwaZulu-Natal to organize the 28th IOCongress^® in Durban, South Africa, 14–20 Aug. 2022.

Every four years, the IOCongress brings together the world’s foremost ornithologists and others whose work advances avian biology at every level. More than 1,600 scientists and other professionals came together for the 2018 IOCongress in Vancouver, British Columbia. Durban hosted the event the one time it was convened in Africa in 1998.

Updated

What a crazy year it’s been! Had things been normal, we would all be imminently due to head to Victoria Falls for the Fifteenth Pan-African Ornithological Congress (PAOC15). As things stand, we’ll need to wait another year before doing that.

Whilst the Corona Virus appears to be under control in Zimbabwe with things returning to normal, we know that the situation is much worse in many other countries and remains a major challenge across the globe. In Zimbabwe, our major airports are open again to travellers and people who test negative are not required to quarantine. Our land borders are scheduled to open in December 2020.

As far as the PAOC15 goes, we still expect to put on a full physical congress next year, and information on the PAOC15 website (www.paoc15.org) is current and up to date. At present we do expect all symposia and the original programme to go ahead as planned. However, we will update you whenever we learn of any changes. In particular please take note of the 2021 registration and other dates. (NB: we will be looking at extending the deadline for the Early Bird rate and will notify you of this in due course.)

We thank everyone who is still planning to come to PAOC15 (save the dates: 15 – 19 November 2021), and do please encourage colleagues to participate. We’re looking forward to hosting you all in November 2021 in Victoria Falls.