Three very enthusiastic budding photographers set off on Friday, 21 August, excited at the prospect of spending the whole day in the countryside, learning photography techniques, watching birds, studying canola fields and enjoying the company of like-minded nature lovers.
Thirteen birders left Eastcliff for the beautiful Platbos Forest Reserve. A quick stop at the bird hide in Stanford allowed for some special sightings.
This is the season of canola in the Overberg; brilliant yellow fields stretching to the horizon framed by deep emerald-green pastures as far as the eye can see. Photos cannot do justice to this window of spectacular colour – around every bend is another breathtaking vista, each more stunning than the last. And woven into this tapestry is an abundance of birds.
The twelve birders left the Onrus OK parking area at 07:30 for what promised to be a great day of birding. At Salandra, two more birders joined the group. The 2-way radios were distributed, and we left for the Helderstroom road turn-off from the Villiersdorp road. The thick mist necessitated careful driving. As we neared the turn-off the mist cleared miraculously.
The Big Day finally arrived, and the teams and individuals set about covering the Overberg in search of as many bird species they could record in a 24 hour period. The challenge was centred on either a 6km radius or, for the more adventurous, a 50km radius.
Facebook Email Print A summary of the monthly meeting presented by Anton Odendal on 14 October 2024. Anton presented an illustrated talk at the BirdLife Overberg monthly talk in October. He reviewed species recorded in the Overberg during 2024 that had not been included in the first checklist of the birds of the region that… Read more: Changing Overberg bird profiles
The birding potential of the Napier region particularly as far as overseas birders are concerned was well illustrated through species such as Cape Clapper and Agulhas Long-billed larks, Cape Grassbird, Cape Longclaw and many more.
The Black Harrier (Circus maurus) is BirdLife South Africa’s official Bird of the Year for 2026, shining a much-needed spotlight on one of the region’s most magnificent and rarest birds of prey.
BirdLife South Africa recently announced that the Bateleur is Bird of the Year 2024. “Surely a Bateleur soaring high above the African bushveld, with its rocking, gliding motion, is one of the most iconic sights of our country and indeed our continent?”
Since its inauguration in London by the World Parrot Trust in 2004, World Parrot Day highlights the threat to wild and captive parrots throughout the world.
BirdLife South Africa announced that the Bird of the Year for 2023 will be the Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus). The usual educational resources will once again be released throughout the year.
We reacted to the COVID19 lockdown period by requesting members, collaborators and friends to report bird species recorded in the Overberg each month. n the end we managed to record more than 350 species in the Overberg region since March 2020.
A total of 285 species have been identified during December. Most of the species on this list were recorded on Birding Big Day on 3 December. Maybe 300 species in one month could be attainable in future?
Three very enthusiastic budding photographers set off on Friday, 21 August, excited at the prospect of spending the whole day in the countryside, learning photography techniques, watching birds, studying canola fields and enjoying the company of like-minded nature lovers.
Thirteen birders left Eastcliff for the beautiful Platbos Forest Reserve. A quick stop at the bird hide in Stanford allowed for some special sightings.
This is the season of canola in the Overberg; brilliant yellow fields stretching to the horizon framed by deep emerald-green pastures as far as the eye can see. Photos cannot do justice to this window of spectacular colour – around every bend is another breathtaking vista, each more stunning than the last. And woven into this tapestry is an abundance of birds.
The twelve birders left the Onrus OK parking area at 07:30 for what promised to be a great day of birding. At Salandra, two more birders joined the group. The 2-way radios were distributed, and we left for the Helderstroom road turn-off from the Villiersdorp road. The thick mist necessitated careful driving. As we neared the turn-off the mist cleared miraculously.
A trip to Scotland with Lee to see some friends and family started with a boat trip from North Berwick to visit the returning Puffins at Bass Rock.
The Big Day finally arrived, and the teams and individuals set about covering the Overberg in search of as many bird species they could record in a 24 hour period. The challenge was centred on either a 6km radius or, for the more adventurous, a 50km radius.
Facebook Email Print A summary of the monthly meeting presented by Anton Odendal on 14 October 2024. Anton presented an illustrated talk at the BirdLife Overberg monthly talk in October. He reviewed species recorded in the Overberg during 2024 that had not been included in the first checklist of the birds of the region that… Read more: Changing Overberg bird profiles
At BirdLife Overberg’s year-end function fifteen members each showcased their five favourite photographs taken during the year.
The birding potential of the Napier region particularly as far as overseas birders are concerned was well illustrated through species such as Cape Clapper and Agulhas Long-billed larks, Cape Grassbird, Cape Longclaw and many more.
The Black Harrier (Circus maurus) is BirdLife South Africa’s official Bird of the Year for 2026, shining a much-needed spotlight on one of the region’s most magnificent and rarest birds of prey.
BirdLife South Africa recently announced that the Bateleur is Bird of the Year 2024. “Surely a Bateleur soaring high above the African bushveld, with its rocking, gliding motion, is one of the most iconic sights of our country and indeed our continent?”
Since its inauguration in London by the World Parrot Trust in 2004, World Parrot Day highlights the threat to wild and captive parrots throughout the world.
BirdLife South Africa announced that the Bird of the Year for 2023 will be the Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus). The usual educational resources will once again be released throughout the year.
We reacted to the COVID19 lockdown period by requesting members, collaborators and friends to report bird species recorded in the Overberg each month. n the end we managed to record more than 350 species in the Overberg region since March 2020.
A total of 285 species have been identified during December. Most of the species on this list were recorded on Birding Big Day on 3 December. Maybe 300 species in one month could be attainable in future?
This impressive list of species was recorded in the Overberg region on Birding Big Day. A total of 252.
A total of 233 species were seen by members and friends of BirdLife Overberg during November 2022.