African Birdlife Magazine - May/June 2021

In this issue

Crested Honey Buzzard • Cuckoos • Fish traps • Plett birding • Striped Crake • Wahlberg’s Eagle

Sightings In The Subregion: Mid-January To Mid-March 2021

After a midsummer that was so busy with rarities, one might have thought that things would calm down somewhat, but the later part of the season continued to deliver a dazzling list of mouthwatering records. Twitchers were kept fully entertained and on their toes!

8 mins

Mixed Messages

Deciphering South Africa’s first Crested Honey Buzzard

6 mins

Jackpot Birding

Observing Striped Crakes

4 mins

It's A Calling

Warwick Tarboton is a true naturalist and respected as one of the country’s foremost natural history authors and bird photographers. There is little doubt that he has influenced many people to take their interest in birds in particular to the next level.

9 mins

Redefining Plett Rage

The call I received from my friend Alastair at 06h00 on a Friday at the start of our year-end holiday was inevitable during the advancing second wave of Covid-19 cases, but it was one I had hoped to avoid. His entire family had just tested positive for the virus and we had just given his son, Alec, a lift from Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay to join us for a few days of holiday. Alec qualified uncomfortably as a close contact, having spent eight hours in the car with us and then slept in the same dorm room as all my kids for two nights.

6 mins

Juvenile African Cuckoo Diet

Juvenile African Cuckoo Diet

2 mins

Home Invader

Diederik Cuckoo

6 mins

A Wahlberg's Summer

Wahlberg’s Eagles have always been close to my heart and when the opportunity arose to photograph a breeding pair at the nest, I grabbed it with both hands. It all started when Marius, my future son-in-law, told me early in 2019 about an eagle’s nest in a thorn tree near the Sand River on the farm where he lives in Limpopo. He sent me a photograph of the two eagles at the nest and I immediately recognised them as a pair of Wahlberg’s. To add to my excitement, one of them was a pale morph.

7 mins

The Birds And The Beast

Addo’s bird/mammal associations

6 mins

action stations

Natural fish traps in the Okavango

5 mins

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.