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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. Perhaps birds of prey are somewhat overcrowded, but still well organised. Especially the newly designed plates are meticulously realistic.

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Our Favorite Bird Books (and one pair of Binoculars) of 2022

10,000 Birds

This, 2022, has been a curious year for books about birds and birding. Dragan]: Europe’s Birds: An Identification Guide , by Hume, Still, Swash, and Harrop is a photographic guide. The artwork of “Europe’s Birds” is dazzling, the text condensed and comprehensive, and the layout and design are without peer.

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Birding the Ndumo area, South Africa

10,000 Birds

Ndumo Game Reserve lies in the Easternmost part of South Africa, close to the border of Mozambique and Eswatini. It is not particularly big but has a reported 430 bird species including migrants, though during my short stay it seems I missed most of the key attractions among them. Pel’s Fishing Owl, where were you?

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Exploring the Uncharted Bird World

10,000 Birds

Birders follow different patterns of bird migration and their local activities and travel accordingly. It illustrates the bird richness per country. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands. Focus on the wider triple border area – the birding top of the world.).

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Birding Eastern Zimbabwe

10,000 Birds

But eastern Zimbabwe is an almost mythical place and a highly productive birding destination. I have had the privilege of birding Zimbabwe on a handful of occasions. The country is also famous for its regular sightings of that most wanted of birds, the African Pitta. Just be prepared for well…almost anything.

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Getting the Bill – Taste, Touch and Smell in Birds

10,000 Birds

One of the defining characteristics of birds, besides the obvious features of wings and feathers, is their bills. From toucans to curlews and from hummingbirds to flamingos, birds display an almost otherworldly diversity in these body-parts. Bills are instrumental in defining three of the senses in birds – taste, touch and smell.

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Pink in Africa

10,000 Birds

Definitely my personal favorite of Africa’s pink birds is the delicate Pink-throated Twinspot. This species is a southern African endemic, restricted to, but fortunately not uncommon, in dry woodland and sand forest habitats of northern Zululand, Swaziland, scattered pockets of north-eastern South Africa and southern Mozambique.

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