Pick up the May/June edition of African Birdlife magazine—available on shelves over the coming days—and explore a powerful season of change, exceptional photography, and bird conservation success stories. It’s a turning point for African Penguins. BirdLife South Africa has secured the protection of critical feeding grounds for six major penguin colonies—a significant conservation win. This milestone doesn’t...
How “Digital Trophies” Are Aiding Bird Conservation In the heart of the Eastern Mediterranean flyway, Lebanon should be a sanctuary for millions of migratory birds traveling between Europe and Africa. Instead, a sobering study reveals that this small nation has become a deadly trap—where social media has turned into a dark window into widespread illegal...
After completing one of the world’s toughest mountain bike races, Chanan Weiss sought recovery in one of Earth’s richest wetland ecosystems—the Okavango Delta, where two bird species became the stars of the show. I’d just completed the Absa Cape Epic – an 8-day, over-600 km mountain bike race in conditions that varied from mid-40 degrees Celsius temperatures...
Created by Alberto Vaccari and Lily Bickerstaffe, Birdle is a fun, educational game designed to spark curiosity about birds and conservation. It has taken off in the birding community, often cited as the first thing people do in the morning! Inspired by the viral success of Wordle, Birdle challenges players to identify a new bird...
11 April 2025 – South Africa’s critically endangered vultures are under severe threat from expanding energy infrastructure, with collisions and electrocutions from powerlines and wind turbines driving sharp population declines. Vulpro, the country’s leading vulture conservation organisation, has recorded 191 vulture deaths or injuries between 2020 and 2025 due to powerline-related incidents. “In the past month alone,...
Court orders Sol Plaatje Municipality to fix sewerage crisis Kimberley, 11 April 2025 — A High Court ruling has offered long-overdue hope for the waterbirds of Kamfers Dam, once home to South Africa’s only breeding colony of Lesser Flamingos. Judge Stanton, delivering judgment in the Northern Cape Division of the High Court, ordered Sol Plaatje Municipality...
A small group ventured beyond the Limpopo into Mozambique’s wilder Pafuri region. Drawn by the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl, they discover an untouched landscape teeming with birdlife, and moments that offered a deeper connection to the wild. By Marc Freeman The sun beat down as we crossed the border, leaving behind the renowned Kruger National...
BirdLife South Africa has sounded the alarm over the growing threat wind energy infrastructure poses to birdlife, calling for urgent measures to reduce the impact on vulnerable species. A new report, based on bird monitoring at 33 wind farms across three provinces from 2015 to 2024, reveals that 202 bird species have been recorded as...
Update 6 April 2025 • Bird #26 has reached Dar es Salaam, having flown over 3,200 km in just six days—a remarkable feat.• Bird #24 has arrived in the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania after travelling 2,500 km in six days.• Bird #23 remains just south of the Mozambique–Tanzania border, seemingly enjoying a well-deserved pause...
