Birding

The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme is one of BirdLife South Africa’s most important conservation programmes. It speaks to all four focal areas of BirdLife South Africa – species, sites, habitats and people.

After a rebirth at the end of 2009, the IBA Programme has grown from strength to strength. In 2012 the programme will grow to eight staff members, including a national coordinator, four regional conservation managers, an IBA data manager, and three education and community development staff. The IBA Steering Committee continues to offer valuable guidance and decision-making support to Daniel Marnewick, the national coordinator, and the rest of the team.

We are confident that soon the IBA Programme will once again be at the forefront of conservation in South Africa, becoming the guardian of our birds’ most important habitats.

Recently, wildlife and conservation photographer Peter Chadwick had the privilege to spend 10 days in the northern reaches of KwaZulu Natal covering sections of the Zululand Birding Route and meeting up with some of its community guides. Peters route covered the forest patches of Dlinza and Ongoye as well as the mangroves of Umlalzi Nature Reserve. Further north, rare sand forest at Bonamanzi, False Bay and the Sand Forest Lodge were explored, while the bushveld areas of the Zululand Rhino Reserve, Pongola, False Bay, uMkhuzi and Hluhluwe-IMfolozi were also covered.  

On the last leg of his Kenyan journey, wildlife and conservation photographer Peter Chadwick left the rugged landscape of Tsavo West, which must be one of Africa’s true wilderness areas, to travel the road to Mombassa which was rather uninteresting apart from taxi’s keen to overtake on blind rises, while trucks hurtled towards them from the opposite direction. 

The coastal drive from Mombassa produced Sooty Falcon and Grasshopper Buzzard sitting on the telegraph lines and small flocks of Fischer’s Lovebirds flew amongst the Baobab trees. House Crows were everywhere and constantly chased away any of the indigenous birds. Stopping in at Mida Creek, which is well known as a water bird and wader destination, we were greeted by the sight of an Osprey swooping down and catching a fish. 

On the second leg of his journey across Kenya, wildlife & conservation photographer Peter Chadwick, journeys across the Nyeri Desert to the famous Tsavo National Park. This incredible reserve hosted an amazing array of birdlife and unusal game species.

Leaving Amboseli, the dryness of the Nyeri Desert soon heralded the rather strange looking Gerenuk, stately Grants Gazelle and Beisa Oryx. Eastern Chanting Goshawks sat on top of the stunted vegetation and Rosy-Patched Bush-Shrike flew with labored flights between cover. 

Flocks of Fischer’s Sparrow-Lark’s were seen alongside an occasional Swahili Sparrow trying to feed amongst the scant grasses. Surprisingly a Cheetah showed itself on the edge of a small village where it was trying to drink from a dam, together with a lone Secretary Bird. A family of five Ground Hornbills walked totally unfazed amongst the scattered huts and people moving around in one of the many small villages near Oloitokitok.

If the Great White Pelican feeding frenzy at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya was not enough for me to witness the pelicans performed yet again! This time I was blown away by thousands of these large birds flying in every morning and evening to bathe.

Having 5000 Great White Pelicans, fly en-masse just over your head and land in the water a few meters away to begin a feeding frenzy is indeed a humbling and awe inspiring moment.

The noise that is created from all the wing flapping is deafening and sounds a jet flying low over your head, whilst the visual cues send your senses into explosive overload.

The Cape Gannet Morus capensis is a conspicuous resident of the southern African coast, and it is hard to believe that it is regarded as a ‘Vulnerable’ species. They often gather to feed around trawlers, and follow the annual sardine run up the east coast to KwaZulu- Natal in winter. At such times large numbers of birds can be observed flying beyond the breakers, plunging into the sea with closed wings and leaving a plume of spray as they disappear beneath the surface. The total population is estimated at 20 000 pairs that breed in dense colonies at six islands off the cape and Namibian coasts. In winter some birds migrate up the west coast to the gulf of Guinea

In the dim pre-dawn light the dull white shadows taking off from the island in the middle of the vlei were barely discernible. It was the sound of the squawking and whooshing of heavy wing beats that had first drawn my attention to the spectacle unfolding before my eyes.

The 27 600 hectare West Coast National Park is one of South Africa’s Important Bird Areas and the Langebaan Lagoon, which forms the centre of this ecologically diverse area, proudly and rightfully holds Ramsar status, which is only allocated to sites of international importance. The park is a hotspot for endemism and is probably best known for its vast fields of spring flowers and for the huge numbers of Palearctic waders that it attracts during the northern hemispheres winter.

Birding is one of the fastest growing sectors of the international tourism market and here in South Africa we are particularly well blessed with both a diversity of special places and a variety of bird species, many of which are endemic.

As the first faint rays of light, over a distant horizon heralded the dawn of a new day, the rush hour began with a cacophony of sound and frenetic activity. The night shift of  penetrating calls of Fierynecked Nightjars and their “Good Lord Deliver us” praises and the screeches of the resident Barn Owls gave way to Bokmakerrie and Cape Robin-Chat as they heralded their territories from the tops of bushes and trees.