At just 18, Zoë Lunau-Johns is a rising star in South African birding. A dedicated citizen scientist and mentor, she has inspired a new generation of young birders. From leading Cape Bird Club outings to contributing vital data to the Southern African Bird Atlas Project, her passion goes beyond sightings—it’s about conservation and community. In this interview, Zoë shares her journey, insights, and hopes for the future of birding.
What is your idea of perfect happiness in the natural world?
As a passionate young birder, I find peace and joy in the moments spent observing birds in their environment. That way I see the world interconnected, and the natural world feels like a space where everything has a purpose.
Which bird do you most identify with, and why?
I’ve become quite attached to Ant-eating Chats after a few visits to the Great Karoo. They are quite charismatic, and some traits I might associate myself with would be: curious, observant and energetic.
What has been your greatest moment of awe while birding?
I recall watching a pair of Blue-mantled Crested Flycatchers, building a nest near Greyton. I must have watched them for almost an hour, seeing how they carefully pick their material, using long thin wood chips and spiderweb to build the base of the nest. The male and female were both jumping around us, communicating with each other as they took turns to contribute to the nest.
If you could have a conversation with any ornithologist, past or present, who would it be and what would you ask?
Gosh there are too many people to name! I am overwhelmed and grateful to all the birders (And forever in debt to most!) who have assisted me with my journey ever since I joined the Cape Bird Club back in 2017.
About four or five years ago, I met Simon Fogarty. We mostly connected on CBC outings at first, where he kindly assisted me with lifts to and from these outings. Not long after, I joined my first Strandfontein Sewage Works Quarterly Count, and around then he was one of the first to introduce the world of atlassing to me.
2023 eventually rolled around with the CBC/City of Cape Town Big Birding Year. Within the first two months of this challenge, Simon and I got to know each other better, and spent more time atlassing some of the local pentads every few months. We were both fully committed to the challenge, dashing across the city if a key bird popped up. I had him on speed dial-in the event of rarity pitching up, or to do a casual day outing.
Simon has shared invaluble atlassing knowlegde, and hearing about historical sightings, or how he noticed species that had become scarce in some areas, and others that have become more prevalent, has increased my understanding of the local birds.
With this new layer of birding,I’ve started noticing how habitats shift over time and how birdlife responds with the seasons. It really is also about reading the story of a place.
What is your most treasured birding memory?
I could talk forever about some of the my treasured and most exciting birding moments. One of the more recent ones was really special, particularly given the timing. It was the second last day of the Birding Big Year, and I decided to join a few friends for a casual outing for the morning. In the end, it turned into a full day, with great weather, and some chaos that was to follow…
After a visit up at Sir Lowry’s Pass enjoying the fynbos specials, on the way back home we stopped at Macassar Sewage Works. We scored a Tibetan Sand Plover there, and as we were enjoying our find, we were interupted by an alert of a Sooty Tern at Strandfontein Sewage Works. This was the second record for the Western Cape, and we were fortunate to connect with it for a while before it flew off over the dunes. Birders had also reported that Wilson’s and European Storm Petrels were flying close around the Kalk Bay pier, so we had to include a visit to that side as well!
Despite dark clouds rolling in, these storm petrels didn’t disappoint. They provided us some fantastic photographic opportunities and views of the birds, which are normally only seen on pelagic trips offshore.
After four lifers, and four birds added to my tally, we concluded one of the most exciting days of the year at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
If you could travel anywhere in the world to see one bird, where would you go and which bird would you seek?
That’s a tough one to answer. Some birds that came to mind at first were Dotterals, Treeswifts and Emu-wrens. But one bird that has always stood out for me is the Harlequin Duck, found between the coasts of Northern America and east Asia. There are many other habitats in the world that I’d love to bird in one day, but I’d be very happy to settle on a Harlequin Duck any day!
What is the most valuable lesson birding has taught you about life?
Birding has taught me both patience and adaptability. It’s a practice that often requires careful observing, and understanding that things won’t always go to plan. But it’s also shown me how to possibly adapt, whether it’s responding to changing weather adjusting to a bird’s behaviour. One just has to embrace the unpredictability of nature, and I find that to be a part of the adventure.
To start thinking like a certain bird has helped significantly – especially when figuring out a particular species’ preferences: habitats they might be in, plants they would feed on, weather conditions they would be seen in, and so on.
If you had to describe your passion for birding in one word, what would it be?
I think I would say endless, as birding has made me more alive and present in the moment. There’s almost always something new to observe when I go out, including interesting bird behaviour, and it’s a constant reminder to that there will always be more to learn and appreciate about birds every day.
How do you hope your birding legacy will inspire others in the years to come?
I’ve never really thought of birding in terms of leaving a legacy, but I hope what I’ve done so far inspires others, for example, to create an atlas card for the next time they go birding, or to contribute to other citizen science platforms such as ebird. If my journey shows someone that there’s always more to learn and appreciate in birding and the natural world, then that’s something I’ll be proud of.
