Birding Events

For more than 20 years the West Rand Region of the SANParks Honorary Rangers held these very
popular birding weekends at various camps throughout the Park. Birders have an ideal opportunity
to see some of the most sought-after birds in South Africa while mingling with like-minded fellow
birders.
The camps are hosted by SANParks Honorary Rangers and helpers, while knowledgeable birding
experts and guides entertain guests on their morning and evening drives. It is a wonderful
opportunity for people to boost their birding skills, but at the same time assist with vital conservation
work.
It isn’t all about bird spotting, however. In addition to the accompanied birding drives to some of the
remote parts of the park, guests may be entertained in other activities including expert-guided walks
around the camps, visits to historic community sites within the KNP, and talks on various interesting
wildlife topics. The days are usually concluded with sundowners in the bush, followed by a catered
dinner where guests could relax and share experiences of the day.
There is space available at the following camps and dates:
23.01.20 – 26.02.20 – Talamati;
24.01.20 – 26.01.20 – Croc Bridge, Letaba;
31.01.20 – 02.02.20 – Mopani, Olifants;
06.02.20 – 09.02.20 – Sirheni;
14.02.20 – 16.02.20 – Satara; and
21.02.20 – 23.02.20 – Shingwedzi

Price: Prices range from R 3 600 to R 4 600 per person sharing.
Contact:  Norma 011 476 3057 westrandbirders@gmail.com (for bookings and information)

The Johannesburg Region of the SANParks Honorary Rangers and BirdLife SA invite you to join us for a four night birding weekend at one of South Africa’s premier birding locations – the legendary Ndumo Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The reserve boasts no less than 490 species, including Neergard’s Sunbird, Rudd’s Apalis, Eastern Nicator, Pink-throated Twinspot, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Narina Trogon, Sooty Falcon and Pel’s Fishing-Owl to name a few.

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. Activities for the weekend include morning and afternoon bird- and game-spotting drives on open game viewing vehicles. The course will be hosted in the Letaba Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park which offers some of the best raptor viewing on the continent.

Date: 27th February – 1st March

Contact Charles: charlois1044@gmail.com

Join the SANParks Honorary Rangers, Johannesburg Region, together with leading birding experts from the newly declared Ingula Nature Reserve, in search of South Africa’s grassland endemics and specials. The newly declared nature reserve is home to over 340 different bird species and covers both the highlands, slopes and lowlands of the eastern escarpment between Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. This overlooked birding paradise is brimming with biodiversity including Yellow-breasted Pipit, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Grey-crowned Crane, Southern bald Ibis, Secretarybirds and White-bellied Korhaan. Birders will have access to a range of habitats including high altitude grasslands and wetlands, scarp forest and lowland savanna. Don’s miss out on this golden opportunity.

BirdLife South Africa is a proud member of the Ingula Partnership in collaboration with Eskom and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust.

Dates: 28 & 29 February 2020

Contact: Stuart JHB.Birding@honoraryrangers.org

The Pan African Ornithological Congress will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 16 – 20 November 2020. We look forward to hosting you.

South Luangwa’s green season is a magical time and place for birders and wildlife photographers alike. This is not common knowledge and is still considered a secret. The colourful vegetation, animal action and interaction of the breeding season, amazing cloud formations and few tourists in the Park makes this an ideal time to add something spectacularly different to your photo portfolio.

Date: 09 – 15 December 2020
Tour: BirdLife South Africa Photo Safari to South Luangwa
Sharing cost p/p: USD $ 3 500
Single cost p/p: USD $ 4 200

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.