Our outing on Saturday, 12th May, was to Iron Crown, the highest mountain in Limpopo Province (which is where I live, in South Africa, in case you don't know). The peak reaches a height of 2120 m above sea level and is situated near the village of Haenertsburg, about 60 km east of Polokwane. This mountain, though high, is not at all steep: the slopes are gentle and rounded, and there are only a few low rock outcrops near the peak, rather than ... [read more]

On a crisp winter's morning ten en-thusiastic birders met on the Mockford Farm Road, anticipating a great day ahead! Flocks of African Sacred Ibis flew over in their V-formation, a pair of Black-headed Herons took flight while the resident Long-crested Eagle surveyed the land from its treetop. As the orange, rising sun began to bask the bush in light, we slowly made our way to the vulture ... [read more]

Many of us will know Abigail from the bird outings and meetings she attended the last year or two. Abigail graduated with a BSc (Honours) degree in Zoology from the University of Limpopo on 17 April 2018. As part of her degree, Abigail investigated possible mechanisms responsible for substrate colour-matching in larks. Not only did she pass her research project with a distinction, she also received distinctions for two of the four theory modules! ... [read more]

One of my favourite garden birds is the local Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus. It has made a habit of visiting our garden to see what the bird feeder (from the Little Sparrowhawks perspective) has to offer. Elusive as it may be, it is always a great bird to see. Whilst putting birdseed out at my birdfeeder one morning, I noticed a small raptor feeding on something in the tree above. I made a quick dash into the house to grab the camera ... [read more]