African Birdlife - March/April 2022

In this issue

Eyes • Harriers • Ndumo • Osprey migration • Peregrine Falcon • Spectacled Petrel

On track

The Bar-tailed Godwit is re-nowned for having one of the most extreme migrations, flying non-stop from Alaska to winter in New Zealand.

2 mins

Sightings in the Subregion

Mid-November 2021 to mid-January 2022 -Summer delivered some top-shelf birds and fortunately a number of the best ones stayed sufficiently long to be twitchable for many birders throughout the region.

5 mins

The Eyes Have It

Iris coloration in birds (particularly passerines) is a topic that has intrigued me ever since I started observing the behaviour of different starling species.

7 mins

Spectacular!

The recovery of the Spectacled Petrel population

7 mins

With This Ring... The Birding Ties That Bind

Most tales that involve a convoluted plot with unlikely twists and turns and a contrived ending are usually found in a Jane Harper novel or an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but this one is real and involves two Russian Western Ospreys.

6 mins

Field of Dreams

Harriers quartering the Devon grasslands

9 mins

The Young & the Restless Peregrine Falcons

It is 04h30 and I am woken from fitful sleep by a clamour of screeching, seemingly right next to my head. It takes a second for me to orientate myself and process what is happening. I am sleeping on a lumpy fold-out chair on the fifth floor of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Rondebosch, Cape Town, and I realise that about a metre above my head is one of the breeding boxes for the hospital’s well known Peregrine Falcons. The juveniles are up early and in a demanding mood.

5 mins

Spread-eagled

Brown Snake Eagle’s epic tussle

4 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.