African Birdlife Magazine - May - June 2017

In this issue

CAMAROPTERA NESTS • CAMEROON • EGYPTIAN GEESE • NEST PREDATION

Woodland Woes - Decline in South Africa's Forest Birds

Forest-dwelling bird species are disappearing from some of South Africa’s indigenous forests, with forest birds in the Eastern Cape being the most affected.

3 mins

Dying for a Drink

Dehydration risk for desert birds.

2 mins

Tough Love

Adult African Penguins may have most of their breeding strategy reasonably sorted, but when it comes to chick rearing, they can be pretty brutal at the close. New research has revealed that where this species’ parenting behaviour coincides with climate change, associated oceanographic changes and altered prey fish distribution patterns, the result can be a devastating decline in adolescent penguin survival rates in affected areas. 

2 mins

Keeper of Ugandan Time - Woodland Kingfisher

If you’re looking for kingfisher stories in Africa, you will encounter people as well as birds. When I began my search, Derek Pomeroy, emeritus professor at Makerere University in Kampala and also an expert ornithologist, advised me, ‘As written sources are few or non-existent, you have to make do with conversations with hunters, farmers and fishermen.’ Often it’s not the birders who can tell you the story behind a bird, but the people who work in the field or know the local culture. Sometimes different stories about the same bird are told in different African cultures. So in the world of bird myths and folklore, both the bird and the storyteller are important. There is no story that stands alone.

4 mins

Rare Pale Form of Juvenile - Lesser Spotted Eagle

Pale juvenile forms of the Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina are rarely documented and to date nowhere mentioned in southern African literature. On a visit to the Kruger National Park in February 2017 we spent a couple of days in an area east of Satara photographing as many different colour forms of this species as possible. Good summer rains resulted in vast breeding flocks of Red-billed Queleas and these migrant raptors were gorging themselves on both nestlings and fledglings.

1 min

No Place to Hide

In November we set offon a great ad-venture to Liuwa in remote western Zambia, just as the first summer rains were due. Liuwa is sandwiched between the Zambezi and Luanginga rivers in Barotseland. The soil is sandy and inundated with floodwaters and, if you time it right, it’s a birding paradise with seasonal pools of water and soil bursting with pink lilies. Collared Pratincoles flock in their thousands, while Wattled and Grey Crowned cranes decorate the grasslands. We knew we’d see some of the 45 000 wildebeest for which Liuwa is renowned, we expected to run into the packs of daytime-hunting hyaenas and we hoped to at least glimpse the last of Liuwa’s lions, Lady Liuwa.

1 min

Shining Light - Samson Mulaudzi

Born and raised in Venda, one of the premier birding destinations in South Africa, it might seem a no-brainer that Samson Mulaudzi would make an aspect of birding his career. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing and it is only through his passion and dedication and his very likeable character that he has become one of the shining lights of birding in the region.

2 mins

Poison - The Persistent Problem

More than 20 years ago, at the start of the dry season in the parched rangelands of northern Namibia, a local farmer implicated Lappet-faced Vultures in the killing of his new-born dorper lambs.

3 mins

Land of the little Brown Jobs

When one thinks of the Karoo landscape one imagines the dry, dusty interior of South Africa, supposedly devoid of life when compared to other parts of our beautiful country. This could not be further from the truth, as this incredible place is home to not one, but two global biodiversity hotspots, recognised for having remarkably high levels of plant diversity and endemism. The Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo are these hotspots, which we proudly list as part of South Africa’s natural heritage. But it’s not only the plants that warrant attention in this landscape, as the region also hosts many threatened and endemic bird species, as well as a plethora of ‘little brown jobs’ waiting to give even the most experienced birders a run for their money! 

2 mins

Toyota Driving Bird Conservation

BirdLife South Africa is extremely pleased to have recently received fantastic support from Toyota International and Toyota South Africa in the form of a donation of two brand-new vehicles. In 2016 BirdLife International notified us that we had been selected as one of six BirdLife Partners worldwide to receive a vehicle from Toyota International. A Toyota Hilux bakkie was subsequently delivered to the Western Cape Regional Conservation Programme, which freed up another vehicle in this programme, and the organisation at large, and thus ensured maximum gain from the donation. 

1 min

Read all stories from African Birdlife

African Birdlife Magazine Description:

African Birdlife is a world-class bi-monthly magazine about birds and birdwatching in Africa. It includes informative articles and stunning photographs of Africa's birds. Features include: The latest news on bird conservation and behaviour; equipment reviews; photographic tips; competitions to win great prizes. It serves as an important mouthpiece for BirdLife South Africa to create awareness about bird research and conservation.