Constitutional Court ruling ends a decade-long battle over controversial oil and gas exploration rights off South Africa’s Wild Coast. Anton Crone – Tue 18 August, 2026. South Africa’s Constitutional Court has brought an end to a decade-long legal battle over Shell’s plans to explore for oil and gas off the Wild Coast, in a landmark...
A ringed royal albatross photographed off Cape Point on 3 August 2026 raises questions about how to identify young birds of the two royal albatross species. Peter Ryan. In the good old days, there were Wandering and Royal Albatrosses. Then life got complicated. Now we recognise four or five species in the wandering albatross complex,...
A beautifully illustrated new children’s book is hoping to inspire a lifelong love of nature by telling the story of one of South Africa’s rarest birds, the Black Harrier, BirdLife South Africa’s Bird of the Year for 2026. Published by Jacana Media’s Staging Post, For We Are Few combines science, storytelling and art to introduce children and...
24 July 2026 – Three community-led initiatives from Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have been shortlisted for the 2026 Wilderness Impact Challenge, a competition that rewards innovative solutions that strengthen Africa’s conservation economy while improving livelihoods. The finalists were selected from more than 80 entries submitted from around the world, with this year’s Challenge focusing on...
Finding presence, healing, and community in the skies above the Garden Route By Stephan van Wyk As birders, we are intimately familiar with the thrill of the chase. We willingly drag ourselves out of bed at ungodly hours, pack our optics, and take on challenging terrain just to catch a fleeting glimpse of a localised...
One of South Africa’s premier vulture-viewing destinations will welcome visitors again from 1 August 2026, when the Mzimkulu Vulture Hide near Underberg reopens after a temporary closure linked to regional Foot-and-Mouth Disease concerns. Although vultures are not affected by the disease, access to the hide was suspended because it is situated on a working livestock...
How a quest for one bird can open up entire worlds. Text Anton Crone Our goal was the Rosy-throated Longclaw, a species found nowhere else in South Africa save for the north-eastern corner of KwaZulu-Natal. It’s an ‘uncommon resident in moist grassland surrounding open areas of fresh water’, according to Sasol eBirds, so our Thonga...
BirdLife South Africa’s annual raffle is back—and this year, you could win the birding adventure of a lifetime: an 8-day journey for two to the Philippines’ Visayan Islands, worth R150,000! Explore Cebu, Bohol, and Negros, each home to bird species found nowhere else, with Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures from 3–10 April 2027. The prize includes...
Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger – Sarah Barratt of Thornybush Game Lodge has been crowned Safari Guide of the Year (SGOTY) 2026 after five days of competition in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. Otto Scribante of Singita was named runner-up. The competition, hosted at Klaserie Drift Amani, marked the 15th anniversary of SGOTY, which...
