Being an ornithologist literally in the middle of the country, with a museum at his disposal, he is very well connected to all the other established ornithologists in South Africa, and his field of influence extends overseas too. A crown for Dawie’s nearly 35 years at the National Museum in Bloemfontein is that he will write the Gurney’s Sugarbird and African Rock Pipit texts for the new, online edition of Roberts 8 that will be uploaded to the Birds of the World platform.
This also isn’t the first time Dawie has featured in a media article. One of the first things he showed me at his home were features about him in Huisgenoot magazine and Die Volksblad newspaper. These articles showcase his ringing and public engagement, and he is certainly well known in the Afrikaans community.
I had the privilege of spending a day with Dawie, who kindly hosted me at his home in Bloemfontein. Our ‘day’ consisted of atlasing and counting birds on his favourite route, between Jagersfontein and Tierpoort Dam, as well as a tour of the National Museum.
Bu hikaye African Birdlife dergisinin July/August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye African Birdlife dergisinin July/August 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
