OUR LATEST NEWS
A quick BirdLasser guide: Prepping for Birding Big Day 2020
BirdLasser is an easy-to-use mobile application for you to log your bird sightings while in the field. It works like an electronic notebook – but it’s so much more. The app also logs the co-ordinates, time and lots of other information linked to your sighting.
Satellite tracking of Blue Cranes: What the data shows us
Satellite tracking devices fitted on Blue Cranes in the Overberg is now providing vital information on how these cranes move about, and where they’re most at risk of powerline collisions. The African Crane Conservation Programme team
The Blue Crane’s future depends on Overberg farmers
Changing landscapes in the Overberg over the past century have provided Blue Cranes with a new home – when their home habitat in the Grassland biome was transformed. But the future of Blue Cranes now rests in the hands of Overberg farmers.
Sound like a birder: Your glossary of birding terms
Experienced birders enjoy using birding lingo while they’re out birding. And birding jargon can get quite confusing at times. So here’s a short list of some of the main terms to help you not only understand a birder, but even to sound like one.
From courtship to chicks: Secretarybirds in the Overberg
If you see a pair of Secretarybirds (Sagittarius serpentarius) walking across our open grasslands and shrublands now, it’s likely their courtship is well under way. This is an important time for these majestic birds, which are listed
A conservation success: How Potberg’s Cape Vulture population dodged extinction
The only breeding population of the Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) in the Western Cape is found on Potberg Mountains (part of the De Hoop Nature Reserve). While Cape Vultures used to occur
The danger of baling twine (a story with a happy ending)
Plastic baling twine, if left in the field, can become tangled around cranes’ legs. This hampers their movements, making it harder for them to eat, walk and preen. The plastic also cuts into the legs, causing painful wounds. Often the crane will try to pull the
Lockdown: Bringing the world of birds to you instead
You may not be able to leave your home right now during lockdown in South Africa. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still experience the magical world of birds – from your couch. The Coronavirus is also playing havoc with bird lovers
Join the 2020 Overberg 150km challenge
The challenge invites birders to see how many bird species you can log in the Overberg over the course of 2020. The challenge area is a 150km circumference around the most southerly tip of Africa (the centre of the circle is at the southernmost tip).
The search for the African Grass Owl – here’s what happened…
The search for the elusive African Grass Owl in the Agulhas Plain yielded not only owl pellets that are now being further analysed – but also THESE amazing photographs. The Bionerds team are driving a project to learn more about the African Grass Owl in
4 favourite birding spots in the Overberg
4 favourite birding spots in the Overberg Where are some of the best places to go birding in the Overberg? There’s no shortage of fantastic opportunities for birders – many on land that’s open to the public. Here are 4 of our favourite birding spots.
Powerlines impact on the future of Blue Cranes
Powerline collisions could potentially tilt the population of Blue Cranes from stable, to declining. That’s according to Endangered Wildlife Trust researcher, Christie Craig, at the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative (ABI) meeting in September.