Subscription to BirdLife South Africa does not give automatic affiliation to a bird club.
There are many benefits to be gained from joining a bird club and BirdLife South Africa encourages you to join a bird club in your area and take part in local outings and projects.
Successful Club Outings : Guidelines for Clubs and Leaders
- Bird clubs fall under the BirdLife South Africa umbrella and thus enjoy the benefits of being able to get involved with Citizen Science projects like CWAC, CAR and SABAP2.
- All clubs are run according to well established principles with a democratically-elected chairperson and committee.
- Beginners are able to learn from expert birders (club members and people invited to guide outings) during day, weekend and longer outings to local birding sites, more distant sites, and sometimes to bird-watching localities which are not accessible to the general public.
- Some clubs provide mid-week outings for senior citizens.
- Clubs have a social aspect, e.g. year-end braai, spring day, tree planting ceremonies, etc.
- Clubs provide various birding courses for beginners all the way through to advanced bird-watchers, including identification of LBJs and photography courses.
- The bigger clubs have at least one evening meeting a month with a guest speaker.
- Clubs keep you up-to-date with the latest bird sightings and rarities in your area.
- Some clubs have adopted sensitive areas to look after and maintain e.g. Wits Bird Club at Delta Park and President Ridge Bird Sanctuary.
- Many clubs have their own magazine/newsletter keeping the members up-to-date with local news and details of forthcoming events.
- Some birders are members of more than one club to get maximum benefit from the different clubs’ activities.
- There is also interaction between clubs, e.g. birding trips, weekend trips, evening meetings and training courses, and while on holiday, you can participate in the activities of clubs in that area.
For more information about a bird club in your area, click on the links on the right side of this page or please contact Shireen Gould, BirdLife South Africa’s Membership Manager on 011 789 1122 or membership@birdlife.org.za
