Special announcement
2010: Birdwatch magazine readers
voted Birding Africa as one of the top 5 most recommended bird tour companies in the world. Birding
Africa includes Cape Town Pelagics and Cape Birding route. (Click
here
for more survey details.)
Latest Updates
Please see the News Feed on our home page for Latest Updates, or like our facebook page here.
8 May: Callan joins Ethan for our 2nd year at The Biggest Week in American Birding in Ohio until 17 May. Please visit us for a chat about Birding Africa's tours.
18 March: Knysna Turaco, Malachite Kingfisher, Orange-breasted Sunbird and Cape Grassbird during a Garden Route day trip on 25 February. Click for the trip report and photos.
09 February: Both African Pitta and Chaplin's Barbet seen on our Zambia Pitta Tour in December 2014! Click for the trip report (PDF 1.9 MB) and photos by Tertius Gous.
03 February: 432 birds and 47 mammals recorded during the Eastern South Africa Endemics tour in January 2015.
31 January: A birding trip to Kirstenbosch and Rondevlei for Birding Africa's youngest client at 6 years old!!
6 January: Great excitment! A pod of Orca Whales on our first Cape Town Pelagics trip of 2015! Spectacled Petrel also seen. Click here for photos from 12 January.
15 December: West Coast trip report from 10 December - Black Harrier, Southern Black Korhaan, over 100 Blue Cranes seen amongst an assortment of coastal, wet and grassland species.
22 November: 96 species including Ground Woodpecker, Cape Sugarbird, Malachite Sunbird, African Penguin, Rock Kestrel and Maccoa Duck seen on the 15 November Cape Peninsula tour .
21 November: Black Harrier, Southern Black Korhaan, Rock Kestrel and Kittlitz's Plover (all with chicks) seen on our 12th November West Coast day trip from Cape Town .
19 November: Hottentot's Holland, Cape Peninsula and West Coast - 22, 23 and 24 October 2014 - 149 species.
09 September: Michael Mills reports back after our Angola tour in September 2014: 548 species were seen including all of Angola's endemics.
02 October: Cape Rockjumper, Victorin's Warbler and Spotted Eagle Owl on 25 September's Hottentot's Holland day trip.
01 October: Last minute cancellation: Discounted space available on our South Africa Ultimate Endemics starting on 8 November.
28 August: Birdfair discounts extended to 31 August 2014.
27 August: A huge thank you to everyone who came to visit us at the British Birdwatching Fair. We hope to see you in Africa soon or again at Rutland Water for our 15th birdfair next year!
15 August: Grab one of our Birdfair discounts, valid until 22 August. Applies to selected tours to Tanzania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia and Botswana
15 August: Attend Callan's lecture on birding in Tanzania during the wildebeest migration: Friday 15 August in Marquee 2 at the British Birdwatching Fair.
15 August: Visit us at the British Birdfair, Marquee 3, stands 28 and 29. Meet Callan, Marje, Jon, Ethan and Tertius.
04 July: A couple of places are now available on our Cape Birds and Flowers tour from Cape Town, 5 - 15 September. Maximum 7 people on this tour.
26 June: Dune Lark, Pel's Fishing Owl, Rockrunner, Hartlaub's Francolin seen on our April tour of Namibia & Okavango Panhandle. Click for Joe Grosel's detailed trip report.
15 June: Cape Town to Kruger Park from 18 - 31 October 2014. Join us as we target South Africa's special bird species, large African mammals and a diversity of landscapes.
11 June: Our 2015 Cape Town Pelagics Calendar is now online.
15 May: Our 2015 Birding Africa Tour Calendar is now available. Have a look at our latest tours and guaranteed departures.
12 May: Visit Birding Africa at The Biggest Week in American Birding until 15 May in Ohio. Click here.
29 March: Latest West Coast day trip with Southern Black Korhaan, Black Harrier, Blue Crane and many wetland species.Click here for the trip report from 19 March.
27 March: Hottentot's Holland trip report from 12 March. Verreaux's Eagle, Cape Rockjumper , African Penguin, Cape Siskin, Orange-breasted Sunbird, Cape Longclaw, African Rail.
25 March: New: Zambia African Pitta tour from 8-13 December. See the pittas during their breeding display, find the endemic Chaplin's Barbet and bird the Zambezi woodlands. Enquire now.
19 March: New trip report from our Cape Peninsula day trip on 5 March. 96 species seen in Kirstenbosch, Kommetjie and Strandfontein.
18 March: Close views of Cape Rockjumper and Black Harrier during our Hottentot's Holland and West Coast day trips on 25 and 27 February. Click here for the trip report.
06 March: Hottentot's Holland day trip on 20 February - Cape Rockjumper, Ground Woodpecker and Verreaux's Eagles. A total of 95 species. Click here for the trip report.
25 February: The latest trip report from West Coast & Cape Peninsula tours on 11 & 13 February - a total of 134 species seen during 2 rewarding days birding around Cape Town.
16 January: Michael Mills reports on our 2013 Madagascar Tour. Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, Helmet Vanga, Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur and more. Click for trip report & photographs.
21 December: A spectacular birding adventure - South Africa Ultimate Endemics Tour - 526 species in 23 days! Click for the trip report and photos from our recent tour.
18 December: Spotted Eagle Owls with chicks, Maccao Duck: two of the many species seen during a guided Kirstenbosch & Cape Wetlands day trip. Continue for the 8 December trip report.
13 December: A good day birding the Cape Peninsula's pristine fynbos, afromontane forests, wetlands and coastal areas. Click for our trip report from the 23 November.
12 December: Southern Black Korhaan and Black Harrier seen on a West Coast day trip from Cape Town. Click to continue to the trip report from 26 November.
9 December: Last spaces on our Ethiopia Tour in April 2014. Join expert leader Michael Mills. Please email info@birdingafrica.com to book or enquire.
7 December: Ethiopia trip report and photographs are now online. Click here to continue.
30 November: Namibia Trip Report: a birding and wildlife adventure. Highlights: Rüppell's Korhaan, Rockrunner, Burchell's Courser, Damara Tern, Benguela Long-billed Lark and White-tailed Shrike. Click to continue to the trip report and photographs.
6 November: New Cameroon Trip Report by Michael Mills. Highlights include Red-headed Picathartes, Egyptian Plover, Standard-winged Nightjar and Grey-chested Babbler. Click here to see the trip report, photographs and bird list.
19 September: All spaces on the Madagascar 2014 tour departing 17 November have been booked. Bookings are open for the tour starting 8 October. There is also a Pochard extension. Click here to enquire.
31 August: New Uganda and Rwanda trip report by Michael Mills: 530 species including all the specials, plus leopard and mountain gorilla!
30 August: One last day remains to take advantage of uur Birdfair Special discounts on April Tanzania trip and our March Cameroon trip. Please enquire!
8 August: Join us at the British Birdwatching Fair, Marquee 3, stands 28 and 29. Attend Callan's lecture: Birding in Tanzania during the wildebeest migration, Saturday 17 August at 16h40 in Marquee 2. Remember to ask for our early booking discounts!
7 August: Grab an early booking discount, valid for bookings until 31 August or at the British Birdfair. See our Guaranteed Departures* listed above.
6 August: Uganda trip news: African Green Broadbill seen again! Guide Michael Mills reports from Bwindi Forest.
30 July: Early booking special: Uganda Specials Tour 2014 in search of Shoebill, Greenbreasted Pitta and African Green Broadbill. Only USD 5330 for early bookings until 31 August. Book now, contact info@birdingafrica.com.
30 July: Uganda trip news: Green-Breasted Pitta seen again! Join us in July 2014, sign up for only USD 5330 (Early Booking Special until August 31). Book now: info@birdingafrica.com.
18 July: Early booking special: Tanzania: Birding amidst the wildebeest migration. Only USD 5980 for early bookings until 31 August. Book now, contact info@birdingafrica.com.
27 June: Last spaces: Cape Birds & Flowers tour. Join us, 3 to 13 August, from Cape Town.
27 June: Last spaces: Kruger & Drakensberg tour. Join us from 30 September to 3 October with guide Alastair Kilpin.
27 June: NEW! Cameroon Southern Lowland Forest pre-trip!
23 June: Two Wandering Albatross on our Cape Town Pelagics Trip of 15 June. See the trip report with photos.
7 May: News from Tanzania: birding among the wildebeest migration has been spectacular again this week, with such highlights as Dwarf Bitterns, Karamoja Apalis, Golden-winged Sunbirds, Grey-crowned Helmet-Shrike, Beesley's Larks and Hartlaub's and Schalow's Turacos. See the photographs, and stay tuned for our second trip starting today!
8 April: Eastern South Africa Trip Report. Highlights included 5000 Amur Falcons coming into roost, Cape Parrots, Meerkats and 6 White Rhino.
1 April: Cape Rockjumper posed so obligingly on our day trip last week - have a look at Tertius' photographs here.
27 March: Book now for Uganda & Rwanda in August 2014:
Join the Uganda Specials trip for USD4540, Rwanda Nyungwe extension for USD1990 and Murchison & Budongo for USD1990. Contact info@birdingafrica.com.
15 March: Tanzania: last spaces on our birds & mammals trips during the Serengeti wildebeest migration, departing 21 April and 7 May. To enquire, please contact deirdre@birdingafrica.com
15 March: Update from Victoria Falls (Zambia) and Chobe (Botswana): Schalow's Turaco, lions and Amur Falcons.
13 March: African Finfoot, a great start to the Botswana Okavango Tour! Callan just sent us this photo taken at Livingstone, Zambia.
10 March: Track Marje's 30th Cape Argus Cycle Tour, and see how close she is to Sir Richard Branson and Helen Zille! Marje Hemp is one of only two women having doing their 30th race!
25 January: NEW! Zimbabwe and Mozabique: African Pitta Tour Join us from 28 November to 10 December in search of the elusive African Pitta!
25 January: NEW! Zimbabwe and Mozambique: African Pitta Tour Join us from 28 November to 10 December in search of the elusive African Pitta!
24 January: NEW! Okavango Delta & Victoria Falls! Join leader Callan Cohen from 12 - 25 March, by light plane and boat in search of Pel's Fishing Owl and African Wild Dog! Two spaces left.
23 January: Cameroon: two spaces left! See Red-headed Picathartes from 8 March 2013. Join or enquire: email callan@birdingafrica.com or phone +27 21 531 9148.
23 January: New Madagascar photos by Andy Sims and Clive & Janet Dickson taken last November.
23 January: Uganda: two spaces left! See Shoebill & Gorillas up close from 21 July 2013. Email callan@birdingafrica.com or phone +27 21 531 9148.
17 January: New Trip Report: Madagascar by Michael Mills! Highlights included Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity, Helmet Vanga, Red-ruffed Lemur and more. See the trip report & photographs!
14 January: Trip Reports: Cape Town Pelagics highlights from the last two months include Flesh-footed Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Spectacled Petrel, 3 Jaeger species & Blue Sharks!
1 January: Happy New Year! We wish you a great start of the new year, filled with fun birding trips! Our office reopens this week, ready to offer a series of exciting new trips and trip reports.
25 December: From the top of Table Mountain, Birding Africa wishes you a Merry Christmas and a relaxing festive season with family and friends.
26 November: Tom Gullick breaks a world record: 9000 bird species seen!.
26 November: One last space remains on our birding tour to Cameroon in March 2013.
20 November: Our third Madagascar tour has started today. We’ve been having a very exciting time and here are a few photos of Fosas, Ground Rollers and lemurs so far!
28 October: Our Madagascar tour had an incredible start: on our first hour in the forest, we watched a pair of Fosa, Cryptoprocta ferox, mating above us!
10 October: Last-minute space on our Madagascar tour led by Michael Mills and departing 12 November. Please contact us and ask for the last-minute discount.
20 September: Blue Petrel!: a major highlight on the 2nd of September Cape Town Pelagics trip. See the photographs.
13 September: Our 2013 Tour Calendar has been updated. Have a look at our new tours and guaranteed departures.
4 September: We have returned in the Cape Town office after our attendance at the UK Birdfair. Thank you for visiting us there and attending Callan's lecture on birding in Madagascar.
28 August: New departure: South Africa Ultimate Endemics Tour from 8 February to 2 March 2014. Book early!
27 August: Our South Africa Ultimate Endemics Tour departing in September 2013 is now full.
20 August: New Trip Report: Uganda & Rwanda, by Michael Mills.
10 August: Visit us at UK Birdfair at the entrance to Marquee 3. Callan will be giving a lecture on Madagascar, Friday from 13h00-13h20.
9 August: Everyone had great views of African Green Broadbill. Some tracked Mountain Gorillas and we even saw Leopard! Join our next Uganda tours in January and July 2013.
3 August: Green-breasted Pitta nest building on our Uganda tour! We watched it for 30 mins - everyone ecstatic! Plus great views of Shoebill! Leader Michael Mills reports from Uganda.
25 July: Michael Mills will lead our next Ethiopia
tour from 3 to 16 February 2013. To book, please email info@birdingafrica.com.
15 June: The Angola
tour dates have been amended. Join tour-leader Michael
Mills on our Angola expedition from 19 August until 6 September 2012!
4 June: Photos and highlights from our Tanzania
migration tour have just been posted fresh from the press! See
here.
20 May: Callan and Deirdre are back from
the wildbeest migration in Northern
Tanzania! Photos and more details from this 'Birds & Big
Cats' trip will be posted this week.
5 May: Our Gabon, São
Tomé and Príncipe tour dates and prices have been
updated to match the local flight schedules. Bookings are open!
To join, please email callan@birdingafrica.com or phone +27 21 531
9148.
5 May: Callan has returned from a very successful Ethiopia
trip with 505 species
in just 13 days! Photos and more details will be posted as soon
as he's back from leading a Tanzania trip!
23 April: Cape Town Pelagics has two
last spaces on this weekend's trip, 28/29 April. To join, please
contact info@capetownpelagics.com or phone 021 531 9148.
17 April: New Cape Trip
Report: Hottentots Holland & Overberg in April with Cape
Rock-jumper, Cape Siskin, Southern Tchagra, Algulhas Long-billed
Lark and more. Read on here.
3 April: New Cape Town Pelagics trip reports: read about watching 17
pelagic species, Spectacled Petrels, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sperm
Whale and more. Read on here.
28 March: Leader Callan Cohen reports about
secretive raptors in Ghana: Long-tailed
Hawk, African
Cuckoo Hawk, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk and Red-chested
Goshawk. See the photographs.
28 March: Guide Callan Cohen is back from
one month tour leading in Ethiopia and Ghana. News from the field
will be posted here soon.
28 March:
New Cape Town Pelagics trip reports: read about watching 17
pelagic species, Spectacled Petrels, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Sperm
Whale and more. Read on here.
28 March: Leader Callan Cohen reports about
secretive raptors in Ghana: Long-tailed
Hawk, African
Cuckoo Hawk, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk and Red-chested
Goshawk. See the photographs.
28 March: Guide Callan Cohen is back from
one month tour leading in Ethiopia and Ghana. News from the field
will be posted here soon.
6 March:
See guide Tertius
Gous' trip
highlights. Find out why a Cape Town day trip is always exciting!
5 March: Cape
Rock-jumper eating a Dwarf Chameleon, Klipspringer, Cape Grassbird
and all Cormorant species in one day - see Tertius Gous's photographs
and trip
report from the 28 February day trip from Cape Town.
1 March: Congo
Serpent Eagle kick-starts the Ghana
tour, reports Callan Cohen today. Read his report
from the field and see some photographs of Congo Serpent Eagle,
Black
Bee-eater and Blue-bellied
Roller.
29 February: New Trip
Report: Cape Town to West Coast National Park by Dalton Gibbs
in February: 109
species!
26 February: Ethiopia
- report from the field: leader Callan Cohen sent in a brief report
and some photographs of Stresemann's
Bushcrow, Ethiopian
Wolf, Gelada
Baboon, Spot-breasted
Lapwing and other highlights. See our blog.
24 February: Namibia:
trip feedback and highlights from Ken and Lys Hall's
self-drive tour in January. Highlights included Damara Tern with
chicks, Dune Lark and Burchell's Courser.
23 February: Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports: Wandering
Albatross, Pomarine Jaeger, Red Phalarope, Sabine's Gull, Flesh-footed
Shearwater and more. Read
on and join us.
17 February: Book early to secure your spot
on our new tour: South
African Ultimate Endemics Tour from 19 October to 10 November
2013. Contact us for more
info.
14 February: Visit São
Tomé and Príncipe in October for 9 days. Join
Michael Mills, 'Probably the best guide in Africa' (U.
Toresson, 2011) to see unusual endemics such as Giant
Sunbird, Dohrn's
Thrush Babbler, Sao
Tome Speirops and Sao
Tome Short-tail. This follows our 14-day trip to Gabon.
7 February: Uganda
photographs from the January trip: see a juvenile
Shoebill, Cassin's
Hawk-Eagle, Bar-tailed
Trogon, African
Finfoot and more. Or have a look at Roger next to the famous
Mweya elephant!
6 February: Last minute
discount: Namibia & Okavango with Callan Cohen for only
GBP2917 from Windhoek 15-30 April 2012. Visit wildlife-rich areas
of Ethosha National Park and the Okavango Panhandle and see Pel's
Fishing Owl. Please contact us.
6 February: Madagascar
trip report by Michael Mills. For our other trips of 2011, we've
posted these photographs
and top
sightings as voted by participants. Click here.
31 January: Our Birding
Africa and Cape Town Pelagics Newsletter is back on! See the
January 2012 issue of The Black Harrier here,
or contact us info@birdingafrica.com to receive upcoming issues
in your inbox.
27 January: Madagascar: Helmet
Vanga and
Bernier's Vanga showed on both of the Birding Africa Masoala
extension trips last November. See the photographs
here.
26 January: John Malloy shares some photographs he took on two Birding
Africa Cape Town day trips that yielded 161 species! See the photographs
or read Alastair's trip
report.
30 December: Last-minute
availability: Uganda Birds & Gorillas tour from 10 to 21
January 2012. Contact tour leaders Callan Cohen and Deirdre Vrancken:
info@birdingafrica.com or call +27 21 531 9148.
29 December: Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports have been posted. Read about sightings
from our 6 most recent trips: Kerguelen
Petrel, Southern Royal Albatross, Southern Right Whale and Manx
Shearwater, Great-winged Petrel, Parasitic and Pomarine Jaeger,
Black-bellied Storm Petrel and Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross,
Spectacled Petrel and Wandering
Albatross.
28 December: Our recent Kruger-Drakensberg
tour started with much excitement: the endemic Southern
Bald Ibis, Lanner Falcon and Bearded
Vulture. See the photographs.
14 December: Callan
and Deirdre are back from two months tour-leading in Madagascar!
Here are the highlights
from our second tour (1-16 november 2011), as voted by particpants.
Top bird: Madagascar
Flufftail!
21 November: Our
Madagascar tour from
19 November to 10 December 2012 is now fully booked. We have 4 more
tours available; please see our tour
calendar.
1 November: Madagascar:
Callan and Deirdre have just completed the first of six group tours
this season. Here are some photographs
of a pair of Short-legged Ground Roller, Banded Kestrel with
prey, the world's largest chameleon, the world's largest lemur,
Indri, Common Sunbird-Asity and more.
12 October: New trip report:
Rwanda African Bird Club Conservation Tour, July 2011.
12 October: New trip
report: Uganda Specials Tour, July 2011.
12 October: Angola Endemics
Expedition: Trip Report! Everyone had outstanding views of every
single Angolan endemic bird. Have a look at the report's
annotated species list of 535 species, plus some pictures
of some sought-after endemics.
10 October: Uganda:
only 3 places left on our Shoebill & Gorillas from 10 to 21
January. For more info,
please contact us.
7 October: Prince
Ruspoli's Turaco! Abyssinian
Catbird, Stresemann's
Bush Crow, Gelada
Baboon and Ethiopian
Wolf can all be seen on our April Ethiopia
Tour. See the details
and join us to the Roof of Africa, one of Africa's top birding spots!
6 October: New Trip Reports
from our day trips from Cape Town to the West Coast and Hottentots
Hollands. Read through some of the sightings such as Cape
Rockjumper, elephant
shrew, Southern
Right Whales and Black
Harrier, or see the pictures.
5 October: For new
Cape Town Pelagics trip reports, please see the website: www.capetownpelagics.com
2 October: Our next
Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe tour will
start on 15 September. Find more details and prices here.
29 September: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Southern Royal Albatross
and hundreds of Common Dolphins on 17 September with Cape Town Pelagics
guide Dalton Gibbs. Read the full report and see some pictures here.
19 September: Last
chance to book: 24 September pelagic with Cape Town Pelagics.
Ask for our last minute discount. Click here
to book.
12 September: Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports: Wandering
Albatross, Southern Royal Albatross and Northern Royal Albatross,
led by Cape Town Pelagics guides Dalton Gibbs and Cliff Dorse on
4 September. See the full reports here.
23 August: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: thousands of birds, including European
Storm-Petrel, led by Cape Town Pelagics guide Dalton Gibbs on 20
August. See the full report here.
23 August: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Indian and Atlantic Yellow-nosed
Albatross and Bryde's Whale with Cape Town Pelagics guide Dalton
Gibbs on 7 August. See the full report here.
23 August: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Southern Right Whales and Humpbacked
Whales with Cape Town Pelagics guide Barie Rose on 2 August. See
the full report here.
12 August: Cape
Town Pelagics - 7 Albatross species in a day! Wandering Albatross,
Southern Royal Albatross, Southern Fulmar and a white morf Southern
Giant Petrel, seen on the 7th of August trip with Cape Town Pelagics
guide Barrie Rose. See some photographs and read the full report
here.
10 August: Red-collared
Babbler and Red-faced
Barbet among other specials and Albertine Rift Endemics on our
Rwanda tour last July. See the photographs
and read about the trip
highlights!
5 August: Green-breasted
Pitta jump display
on our Uganda tour. See the photographs of a Green-breasted
Pitta, African
Green Broadbill, Shoebill
and read about the trip highlights!
3 August: Madagascar
- last two places: Our tour from 19 to 30 October has only 2
places left. For more info,
please contact us.
2 August: Cape
Town Pelagics - 6 Albatross species in a day!: Wandering Albatross,
Northern Royal Albatross and 4 other Albatross species, seen on
the 30 July trip with Cape Town Pelagics and guide by Barrie Rose.
See some photographs and read the full report here.
8 July: Our 2012 Birding Africa tour schedule is set. Click here
to see our 2012
tour destinations and dates.
7 July: The 2012 Cameroon tour is set! It will be led by Michael
Mills from 9 - 30 March 2012. We offer 2010 rates for bookings received
before 31 August: 4982€, single room supp 440€. Contact
us at callan@birdingafrica.com
for more details.
6 July: The latest Birding Africa Cameroon
Tour Report is now online. Top birds were: Red-headed Picathartes,
Mount Kupe Bushshrike, Golden Nightjar,
Quail-Plover, Fraser's Eagle-Owl, Egyptian
Plover, Standard-winged Nightjar,
Bannerman’s Turaco, White-spotted
Flufftail and Shelley’s Oliveback.
2 July: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Southern Fulmar, Antarctic Prion,
and Bryde's Whale in July with Dalton Gibbs. Read the full report
here.
16 june: Please visit us at the UK
Birdfair, 19 to 21 August at stands 28/29 in Marquee 3. Or attend
Callan Cohen's lecture about Birding in Ethiopia
on Friday 14:30-14:50 in the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre.
15 june: The South
Africa: Cape Birds & Flowers Tour from 6 to 16 August 2011 has
a few more spaces left. If you are interested, please have a look
at last
year's tour and contact us for details.
9 june: Our Madagascar
group tours in 2011 are fully booked. Bookings for our 2012
tours are now open. Please enquire.
9 june: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Wandering Albatross on and Dusky
Dolphins in May with Cliff Dorse. Read here.
8 june: Cape
Town Pelagics trip report: Sub-Antarctic Skua, Wilson’s
Storm-petrel and Cory’s Shearwater in April with Dalton Gibbs.
Read the full report here.
11 April: Our Madagascar
tour from 14 to 29 November has just two places left. Our other
'Endemic Birds & Lemurs' group tours are now full. Please contact
us if you are interested in joining.
5 April: Cape
Town Pelagics Trip Report: five Albatross species, Wilson's
Storm Petrel, Blue Shark and Common Dolphin on the Cape Town Pelagics
trip of 26 March, led by Cliff Dorse. See the full report here.
2 April: New
Trip Report: a West Coast day trip from Cape Town led by Otto
Schmidt resulted in rewarding photographs and views of specials
such as Southern Black Korhaan, Cape Penduline Tit and Black Harrier.
1 April: Congratulations to Patrick Rollinson, who wins the 10th
African
Bird Club ID Challenge. Test your African birding skills...
and win a Southern African
Birdfinder or a 50% discount on a Cape
Town Pelagics trip!
30 March: New
Trip Report: we saw Pectoral Sandpiper - a rare vagrant for
southern Africa, Caracal and African Wild Cat on a West Coast day
trip from Cape Town.
22 March: New
Trip Report: a Cape day trip with Barrie Rose in search of Cape
Rock-jumper and Victorin's Warbler.
22 March: Cape
Town Pelagics Trip Report: Coryís Shearwaters, Grey (Red) Phalarope,
Oceanic Blue Shark & Skipjack Tuna on with Barrie Rose on 12
March.
19 March:
Cape
Town Pelagics Trip Report: Flesh-footed Shearwater, European
Storm-Petrel and Humpbacked Whale on with Cliff Dorse on 5 March.
16 March: Pelagics
evaluation: Simon & Jane joined a Cape Town Pelagics trip
in February and share their feedback.
11 March: Rwanda's Nuyngwe and Akagera offer 25 Albertine Rift endemics,
Shoebill, tarmac roads and comfortable lodges.
Read our Rwanda
birding article published in ABC Bulletin 17(2) and join
an 8-day tour that supports bird conservation.
8 March: Last place: Cape Town
Pelagics trip on Friday 11 March. Join leader Barrrie Rose in
support of Birdlife International's Save the Albatross Fund. Exceptional
last minute discount. Contact
us.
1 March:
Cape Town Pelagics Trip Report: Long-tailed Skua, Pomarine Skua,
Oceanic Sunfish and more on February 6th.
25 February:
Cape Town Pelagics Trip Report: Manx Shearwater, Parasitic Jager,
Wilson's Storm-Petrel and more on February 6th.
24 February:
Cape Town Pelagics Trip Report: 4 species of Albatross, 3 species
of Shearwater, 2 species of Storm-Petrel and more on January 8th.
17 February: Ethiopia
- hot from the field: 14 endemics in one day, cliff-hanging Gelada
baboons, a scarce Spot-breasted Lapwing, a vagrant Egyptian Plover
and a highly desired White-cheeked Turaco! See the pictures
and read Callan's report.
4 February: Updated Cape
Town Pelagic Trip Reports and sightings of 2010: 4
Albatross species on April 24, Wilson's
Storm-Petrel on May 29,
Pintado Petrel on August 15 and Great
Shearwater & 13 Southern Right Whales on September 5, Red
Phalarope, Sabine's
Gull and Humpbacked
Whale on October 17, Red
Phalarope, Wandering
Albatross and 4
whale species on November 6.
2 February: Madagascar
& Masoala
in November: last chance to book. Click here for the details
or email
us.
25 January: Ghana Trip
Report. Michael Mills reports back about watching Yellow-headed
Picathartes, African Piculet and more!
13 January: Shoebill
display observed in Uganda. Read Callan & Deirdre's report
and see the photographs of a Shoebill pair and one in flight!
8 January 2011: Trip Report,
Malawi with Michael Mills. Read about Lesser Seedcracker, Black-lored
Cisticola & other top
10 birds!
28 December: Cameroon
2011: only 2 places left! Book
now.
28 December: Cameroon:
tour participant Barry Wright sent us some photographs including
Egyptian Plover and the incredible Standard-winged
Nightjar.
23 December: The results are out! Top
birds and experiences as voted by the Madagascar tour participants:
click here.
22 December: Madagascar:
Helmet and Bernier's Vangas seen on our Masoala extension. Click
here for some photographs.
21 December: Madagascar:
122 endemic species in 16 days. Plus 26 lemur species. Click
here for some photographs.
27 October: Last
two places: 30 October Cape Town Pelagics. Join our seabirding
trip from Simonstown while you support seabird conservation. Click
here to book or phone
Amanda Kropman 083 270 7452.
27 October:
New Cape Town Pelagics trip report: Southern
Royal Albatross,Wandering Albatross, Sabine's Gull and Pomarine
Jaeger among 31 species on this Cape Town Pelagics trip of 23
October, led by Cliff Dorse. Read more.
25 October:
New
Trip report, Western Cape: Guide Dalton Gibbs reports back from
the Tanqua Karoo where specials included Protea
Seed-eater, Ludwig's Bustard and Layard's Titbabbler. Read the
report, click here.
25 October:
New
trip report from the Cape Town Pelagics trip of 11 September,
led by Bruce Dyer. Read about the sightings of Humpback
Whale and more: click here.
18 October: Marie and Marcia praise their West Coast daytrip with
highlights such as Black Harrier and Blue Crane. Click here for
their trip
feedback and the trip
report.
18 October: Namibia
tour report and photographs.
Sightings include 71 endemic and near-endemic birds plus the rarely
seen Aardvark and Aardwolf!
17 October: Cameroon
tour photographs
by participant Andy Deighton. These include Jos
Plateau Indigobird, a new record for Cameroon!
17 October: Namibia
tour photographs
by tour-leader Callan Cohen include top birds such as Hartlaub’s
Francolin and Rosy-faced Lovebird.
17 October: Art
helps save the Albatross. Albatross
Task Force member, and regular Cape
Town Pelagics guide, Meidad Goren describes his experiences
with artist Bruce
Pearson. Read more
here.
15 October:
New Cape Town Pelagics trip report from 19 September by Dalton
Gibbs. Read about the sightings of Bryde's
Whale and more: click here.
15 October: New
Cape Town Pelagics trip report from 18 September by Patrick
Cardwell. Read about the sightings of Pomerine
Jaeger and Sabineís
Gull, and more: click here.
13 October: Patrice Christy recently guided a private Birding Africa
tour to Gabon and AP Leventis kindly sent us the photos
- see them here.
13 October: Cape
Rock-jumpers and spectacular Black Eagles on a very windy day
trip led by Otto Schmidt - read Enrico's comments here.
13 October: Climate change scientist Hector Galbraith comments on
the best birds of his Madagascar trip: Scaly-Ground-Roller
and Nuthatch Vanga... read more here.
24 August: The UK
Birdfair auction raised funds to save some of Ethiopia's rarest
endemic birds, such as Liben Lark. Dr.
Claire Spottiswoode signed copies of "Where
to Watch Birds in Ethiopia" and Birding Africa and Cape
Town Pelagics donated guided day trips and a signed copy of the
"Southern
African Birdfinder".
23 August: A new species for Sao
Tome, Grey-rumped Swallow, has been recorded on one of the Birding
Africa tours in August.
12 August: Last chance to join the
Cape
Spring Flowers Tour tour. For a sneak preview of what we saw
last year, click here.
Contact us info@birdingafrica.com
to book and witness one of the most spectacular flower displays
on earth!
11 August: Our Cape
Birds & Flowers tour headed on to Kirstenbosch and the West
Coast National Park yesterday. Callan reports of amazing views of
Black Harrier. Read on here.
10 August: Our Cape
Birds & Flowers tour made a head start with highlights such
as Cape Rock-jumper, Southern Right Whale and Goliath Heron. Read
on here.
26 July:
New trip report and photographs from the 15
May Cape
Town Pelagics trip led by Barrie Rose. See photographs of specials
seen such as Black-bellied
Storm Petrel: click here.
22/6/10: Last
two places: Cape Birds & Flowers tour in August. Join Callan
Cohen and see birds, spring flowers and mammals. Have a sneak preview
- click here
for the slideshow.
22/6/10: Cuckoo
Finch research: Birding Africa co-founder Dr Claire Spottiswoode
and Dr Martin Stevens discover how hosts can tell their own eggs
from those of brood parasites! Read on here.
22/6/10: Archer's
Lark's only site is invaded by Parthenium weed, finds the Somaliland
Birding Africa expedition team survey.
4/6/10: Pelagics
Trip Report from the Cape Town Pelagics on 29 May 2010 led by
guide Dalton Gibbs.
4/6/2010: Trip
report, Cape Town: Guide Otto Schmidt went out to see 100 species
on 21 April. 'Top drawer' service, wrote Jay. 'Efficient service
and excellent guide' said Nigel & Chris.
4/6/2010: Somaliland
birding photographs: Callan sent us his second batch straight from
the field!
3/6/2010: Birders spotted another
rare Cape
leopard! For the second time in May, now thanks to watching
Verreaux's
Eagles!
1/6/2010: Trip
Report, Western Cape: Cape Eagle Owl, Protea Seedeater and more.
Dalton, Michael and Otto report about 197 lifers - click here.
27/5/10: A new bird
hide opened at Rooisand Nature Reserve - Marje Hemp attended
the inauguration and reports about alien timber, Osprey and the
Biodiversity Festival: click here.
25/5/10: Cape
leopard, mobbed by Pied Crows, seen with Birding Africa! Our
guide and the Cape Leopard Trust report back: click here.
24/5/10: Grey-headed Albatross
and Black-bellied Storm
Petrel, unusual sightings on 15 May with Cape
Town Pelagics.
20/5/2010: Callan Cohen is exploring Somaliland
with Michael Mills and others. They report back and share some pictures.
22/4/2010: New Tour: Malawi
Birding Tour, 13 days in November 2010 with tour leader Michael
Mills.
28/3/2010: New Tour: Ghana:
Yellow-headed Picathartes and forest birding in December 2010.
27/3/2010: Madagascar:
Good news for birding and lemur-watching; Rosewood logging and export
is now prohibited.
17/3/2010: Golden
Nightjar found and photographed on a Birding Africa trip to
Cameroon.
5/3/2010: Trip
report: summer birding in February: the Cape Peninsula and Hottentot's
Holland with guide Otto Schmidt.
4/3/2010: African Openbills
on our Cape Town birding trips. 2010 brought the first ever record
of these storks in Cape Town!
25/2/2010: Madagascar: top
birds and experiences from our latest tours, as voted by tour
participants.
22/2/2010: New Namibia-Okavango
photographs by Utz Klingenböck on a Birding Africa tour
in October 2009.
19/2/2010: Birdfair 2009
raised £263,000 for BirdLife International’s project
‘Preventing Extinctions: Saving the World’s Critically
Endangered Birds’. Birdfair 2010 will raise funds for ‘Saving
southern Ethiopia’s endemic birds’. Join our tour to
Ethiopia and Somaliland in June 2010.
17/2/10: Read Peter Ryan's and Callan Cohen's article about Rwanda
Birding and get ready for our African
Bird Club Conservation Fund Tour to Rwanda.
15/2/10: Booted Eagle, Sooty
Blue butterfly and Marbled
Leaf-Toed Gecko seen at the Birding Africa office garden today.
11/2/10: Madagascar's
Ebony and endangered lemurs are being poached at an alarming
rate. Read Wikipedia about the illegal logging and see how the internet
and tourism
can help.
3/2/10: Our first
2010 trip report! Eastern South Africa Endemics, led by Michael
Mills.
22/12/09: See Picathartes
on video, filmed by Martin Kennewell on the Birding Africa tour
to Cameroon.
2/2/10: Grey-backed
Storm Petrel, the 2nd record for southern Africa! See the pictures
taken on our 27 December Cape Town Pelagic trip.
2/2/10: Uganda
Birds & Primates: Callan and Deirdre have just returned
from leading three tours - here are some photographs.
2/2/10: >Soccer & Birding: combine the
FIFA World Cup with Cape endemics and Karoo specials. Please e-mail
info@birdingafrica.com
or phone +27 21 531 9148
2/2/10: Check out our updated 2010 and 2011 tour calendar.
22/12/09: Help
find Frodo, Cape Town's juvenile Black Eagle. He left
Noordhoek Peak and carries yellow wingtags "Y006". Please
contact Lucia Rodrigues.
29/11/09: Callan and Deirdre have just returned from their Madagascar
tour - here are some birds
they photographed.
28/10/09:
>
Click
here
to see the image galleries!
On 24 October 2009, South African birders and photographers photographed
South Africa's amazing bird diversity to raise awareness about climate
change! Oganised
by: Birding
Africa, PlusPlusMinus,
Birdlife South Africa and
350.org.
Click here to see the list of 365 submitted
species.
Click here to meet the team.
24/10/09: Would you like to positively contribute to the environment
while birding?
Have a look at these greening
projects that can help you offset your carbon footprint.
21/10/09: New Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports from 17 October 2009. Highlights:
Flesh-footed
Shearwater and 6 Indian 6 Yellow-nosed Albatross.
19/10/09: New Trip
Report from the Diversitas
conference day trip to Rooiels, Stoney Point and Harold Porter
Botanical Gardens on 17 October.
14/10/09: New Trip
Report from the Hottentot's
Holland Day Trip on 13 October 2009.
Highlights: Cape Rock-jumper, Cape Siskin and Ground Woodpecker.
14/10/09: New Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports from August, Septemer and October
2009.
Highlights: Antarctic Fulmar, Little Shearwater,
Southern and Northern Royal Albatross

Get out with your cameras on 24 October, show
South Africa's amazing bird diversity and raise awareness about
climate change! Submit your pictures and help create an amazing
mosaic of 350 bird species in South Africa through the
350-24-24 Bird Photo Challenge!
Join us, Birding
Africa, PlusPlusMinus,
Birdlife South Africa and
350.org
on 24 October. Register on http://350.birdingafrica.com!
27/09/09: Dalton
Gibbs reports back from Gough Island!
26/09/09: New Cape
Town Pelagics trip report from trips of 12 and 19 September
2009.
30/08/09: British
Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water proved very successful, with
sunny weather and over 20,000 visitors. Callan's "Birding Namibia
and the Okavango" was the most highly-attended lecture on the
Saturday, with over 240 people. Congratulations
to the winners of the Birding Africa competition and the African
Bird Club raffle (which we sponsored)!
25/08/09: New Cape
Town Pelagics trip report from trip of August 15 2009.
19/08/09:
Rwanda: African Bird Club Conservation Tour
in 2010 or 2011!
12/08/09: New Cape
Town Pelagics trip reports from August and July 2009. Highlights:
Little
Shearwater and more!
07/08/09: Birding Africa: find out why we are a Birder
Friendly Tour Operator registered with Birdlife Travel!
07/08/09: The
sub-adult Black Sarrowhawk visits our garden again! Read on
about Raptor Research in the Western Cape.
27/07/09: Cape Town's
Verreauxs' Eagle Chick has grown! And its sibling never had
a chance to hatch. See the pictures of the chick, its nest and the
breeding pair. Find out more about the Western Cape Raptor Research
Programme.
27/07/09: To follow modern nomenclature and systematics,
we've adopted the IOC World Bird List, Version
2.1.
13/07/09: The 8th
African Bird ID Challenge has launched! Win a 50% discount on
a Cape Town Pelagics trip,
a copy of Southern African
Birdfinder, or African
Bird Club membership for 1 year.
06/07/09: Cape
White-eye research in our garden.
02/07/09: Cape Town's
Verreauxs' Eagle Chick has hatched! See the pictures of the
chick, its nest and the breeding pair and find out more about the
Western Cape Raptor Research Programme.
02/07/09: Campbell
Fleming, a Cape Town scholar, avid birder and photographer,
joined Birding Africa last month as an intern. Click here,
to see what he got up to.
02/07/09: New pelagic
trip reports from the Cape Town Pelagics trips in June 2009.
Highlights: Slenderbilled
Prion and Leach's Storm Petrel
30/06/09: Our latest Cape Fynbos and Karoo trip
reports feature Hottentot
Buttonquail, Cinnamon-breasted
Warbler and other fynbos and Karoo endemics...
26/06/09: Tungsten mining threatens
RAMSAR site, South Africa's Verlorenvlei. Read the Media Release.
22/06/09: Claire Spottiswoode, one
of Birding Africa's founders, was part of the exploratory team at
Mount Mabu. The mountain is part of the newly discovered largest
rainforest in Southern Africa.
11/06/09: A colour-ringed Black
Sparrowhawk visits the Birding Africa office garden. Read why
it's a 10 months old male!
31/05/09: Michel Watelet wins the African
Bird Club ID Challenge 7. Test
your African birding skills... and WIN a Birding Africa Cape
Town day trip or a
copy of the Birdfinder!
30/05/09: A tragedy unfolded at Kommetjie south of Cape Town as
44 beached and exhausted False
Killer Whales were shot during an attempt by hundreds of volunteers
to coax further members of the group out to sea. Click here for
pictures and more details.
21 May 09: 129 oiled penguins
from Namibia were transported 3000 km to Cape Town and rehabilitated
by our guide Tertius Gous and SANCCOB.
After several weeks of constant and professional care by Tertius
and volunteers, over 80 penguins have rehabilitated were released
near Cape Town today! All are tagged and some have radio-transmittors.
We hope they will make it back to Namibia!
3 May 09: The latest Cameroon
Birding Tour Report is now online. Top birds were: Red-headed
Picathartes, Brown-chested Lapwing, Quail Plover, Crossley’s
Ground-Thrush, Grey-headed Broadbill, Green-breasted Bush-Shrike,
White-crested Turaco, Swallow-tailed Kite, Ursula’s Sunbird,
Little Oliveback and Arabian Bustard.
30 April 09: The British Foreign Commonwealth Office
has relaxed its warning against travel to
Madagascar. Tourist visas are now free for stays up to 1 month
in 2009. We plan to go ahead with our
tours, with the 31 October to 15 November tour being our flagship
tour.
30 April 09: Have a look at
Wim de Groot's Namibia pictures, taken on a Birding Africa Namibia
& Okavango trip.
19 April 09: Extinction
warning for the Sidamo Lark was issued this week after surveys
by Claire Spottiswoode and colleagues, which Birding Africa helped
sponsor. Read more on BBC
News and The
New Scientist websites.
14 April 09: Destination
map
14 April 09: Tour pages: Ethiopia, Mali, Malawi, Rwanda,
Uganda and São Tomé and Príncipe.
7 April 09: Tour pages: Gabon, Cameroon, Tanzania,
Botswana and Namibia.
7 April 09: Trip
Reports: Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, Eastern and Western South
Africa.
5 April 09: follow Kersten
and Callan on Kersten's Namibia
tour blog until April 17!
17 March 09: We
are deeply saddened by the passing, after a short illness, of Dr.
Steven Piper, one of our favourite guides. We'ld like to extend
our deepest condolensces to Steven's family. Steven was a larger
than life character with a passion for birding. He had so much energy
and devoted a great deal of his time to ringing and teaching, and
leading expeditions up to Lesotho. We wish his family comfort and
strength.
17 March 09: We are
very concerned with the illegal change of government in Madagascar.
On the advice of our friends and associates in Madagascar, we're
placing our trips
on standby and will almost certainly postpone them until next year's
wildlife season. Please contact us to express interest in these
trips, but note that they are most likely to run between October
and December 2010. We continue to monitor the situation to be able
to make a decision as best as possible on whether the trips will
run.
11 March 09:
Raptor Watch with The Friends at Newlands Forest on 14 March 2009,
Cape Town!
8 March 09: Trip
Reports: Madagascar 18 day and 21 day bird & lemur tours.
7 March 09: Wildlife
at the Birding Africa office: pictures and species lists!
7 March 09: Contact
us: new contact details!
3 March 09: Angola
tour page: pictures, prices, tour details and trip reports.
3 March 09: Madagascar
tour page: pictures, prices, tour details and trip reports.
1 March 09: 2009
and 2010 Tour Calendar
1 April 08: Subscribe
to our newsletter.
1 Oct 08: Come
and visit us at the British Birdwatching
Fair from 21 to 23 August 2009. We hope to once again
meet you at the British Birdwatching Fair in 2009. It'll be another
bustling event, so don't hesitate to set-up an appointment so we're
sure to not miss you for once that we come to the UK! Please email
Callan on callan@birdingafrica.com. Our stand has traditionally
been in Marquee 3, stand 28/29. See www.birdfair.org.uk
for more details.
We have also visited the Dutch Birding Fair in
Lelystad. See www.vogelfestivaal.nl
for more details.
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