African Birdlife - July - August 2020

In this issue

Covid-19 lockdown • Peregrine Falcons • Photographing in KNP • Southern Ground-Hornbills

Rate Of Return

Fynbos is a fire climax community, which means that it requires fire to persist. The dominance of fynbos in the south-western tip of Africa is intimately linked to the occurrence of fires.

4 mins

Lessons In Lockdown Covid-19 – A Boon For Birds?

As Covid-19 lockdowns swept the world, there were numerous reports of how wildlife adapted to the new normal. Some of the more outrageous stories turned out to be as fake as a Trump White House briefing, but it was clear that with far fewer people and cars out and about, normally shy wildlife was quick to take advantage of the situation. Peter Ryan canvassed birders to try to piece together how birds responded to the unprecedented reduction in human activity.

8 mins

all good things...

The Peninsula’s Peregrines

9 mins

Space Invaders

Accipiter tussle on the Cape Peninsula

3 mins

cavity combat

For four months we closely monitored the nest site of a pair of Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills near Brits in the North West Province.

1 min

HOT flushes

How Southern Ground-Hornbills keep their cool

4 mins

no entry

Southern Ground-Hornbills thwarted by a terrapin shell

3 mins

Wild Ride: Atlasing in the Mara region

It’s 05h30 and my heart is racing, my ears alert. I’ve just tried to escape a charging elephant bull on foot. While I hunker down in the bushes, listening for cracking branches or a low rumble emanating from the dense shrubs around me, I hear a Rufous-naped Lark, Tropical Boubou and a distant Schalow’s Turaco. A cacophony of 60 low-flying Grey Crowned Cranes distracts me momentarily from my potentially precarious situation. If it’s the last photograph I take, it might be worth it. When the cranes have passed I hear the roar of lions, but they are a way off. The stomach rumbling of the elephant sounds a safe distance away, so I return through the undergrowth to my companions, who are hidden at a water- hole observation point. Having witnessed the chase, it won’t be Green Sandpiper and the domestic squabbles of Egyptian Geese that they remember from this day.

5 mins

Discover Birding

So you want to be a birder?

7 mins

Taking The Long View

Long focal lengths when photographing birds

5 mins

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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.