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An afternoon in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa

10,000 Birds

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg.

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Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, 5th edition

10,000 Birds

For several years I lived and birded in the south of Africa , and still have my battered second edition (1997) of the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, the most trusted local field guide. Before that, while you all know what South Africa is, what exactly is Southern Africa?

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Birding the Drakensberg, South Africa

10,000 Birds

One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. Originally restricted to Africa, it is now also well-established in parts of Europe and South Africa. I was vaguely curious about the family name mousebird. On the ground?

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Bird Families of the World by Winkler, Billerman and Lovette

10,000 Birds

There is a thing parents know very well – how important it is to choose the right name for a child. Presented in numbers, Bird Families of the World has 2417 field guide style paintings, plus 797 bird photos, followed by 252 distribution maps. But why am I even interested in bird families in the first place? Families perhaps?

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Birding the Eshowe area, South Africa

10,000 Birds

These Hadada Ibis were right in the garden of the place where we stayed. At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture. I think the people running the place even fed them. It can have up to 8000 pieces and takes 3 to 6 weeks to complete” ( source ).

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“The Birder’s Guide to Africa” by Michael Mills

10,000 Birds

Starting in the mid-1990s, there was a “where to watch birds in…” series of five site guides written by Nigel Wheatley and covering South America (1994), Africa (1995), Asia (1996), Europe & Russia (2000) and Central America & the Caribbean (2001). Family accounts for all 142 bird families recorded from the region.

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The Bee-eaters of Africa

10,000 Birds

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. Carmine bee-eaters occur throughout most of Subsaharan Africa, and many populations migrate widely post breeding.

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