Birdwatching in South Africa Birding contacts and birdwatching information Local Birdingpal Contacts Local Birdwatchers Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. Initial Last Name Area Available Language A van der Westhuizen Aliwal North, Eastern Cape Anytime Afrikaans/English J Curnick East London, Eastern Cape Weekend English/Afrikaanssome German Got a nice variety of birds in a small area. D Brown Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Anytime English/Afrikaans D Davis Uitenhage, Sedgefield, South Western Cape Anytime English/Afrikaans E Smith West Coast, South Western Cape Weekend English I am an avid birder and have a vast knowledge of the birds of southern Africa. Currently I have seen 870 Southern African species. It's a pleasure for me to meet new birders and to share in great birding. J Carter Cape Town/Somerset, Western Cape Anytime E Smith Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime P Coetzee Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime M Harrington Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime F Grundlingh Durbanville, Cape Town Anytime S Eksteen Napier, Western Cape Anytime English/Afrikaans I am more of an allround nature lover than just birdwatching but I think this site is a great idea. I have belonged to it for a few years now and have passed info to a good few enquiries. I have also met up with a few birdwatchers/visitors when in Cape Town. I used to live in Simonstown, now living in Napier, Western Cape. About 40 km from Cape Agulhas - Most Southern Point of Africa (Not Cape Point!). The area is known as the Overberg and wellknown for the Blue Crane. Also close to DeHoop nature reserve where they have Cape Vulture program. I work offshore up from Angola, so not at home that often, but if I can help with information, I try. My mobile no. when home 0824300690. SA code 0027 from outside country . This email or herman.eksteen@yahoo.co.uk. Napier is central in the area, to places like Hermanus, Gansbay, Arniston, Agulhas , Cape Infanta and 170 km from Cape Town itself. A MacNaughton Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape Anytime H Beekhoven Swellendam, Western Cape Anytime A Meiring Johannesburg, Gauteng Weekend Afrikaans/EnglishDutch/Geman F Joubert Johannesburg, Gauteng Weekend English M Henderson Johannesburg, Gauteng Weekend English/Afrikaans A Vicente Johannesburg, Gauteng Anytime S Simango Johannesburg, Gauteng Anytime English T O'Boyle Johannesburg, Delta Park, Gauteng Anytime English/IrishGerman A Marx Johannesburg, Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime D Swanepoel Pretoria/Johannesburg, Gauteng Weekend English/Afrikaans M Wilsenach Pretoria/Johannesburg, Gauteng Weekend English/Afrikaans Keen photographer. D Onderstall Krugersdorp, Gauteng Anytime English/Afrikaans Krugersdorp has a lot of urban bird species, many more than I have seen in urban areas in other country I have visited. I usually have space in my house for guests. The Krugersdorp game reserve is minutes away and there are many good spots within a few hours. R Geddes Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime H Louw Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime S Terblanche Faerie Glen, Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime EnglishunderstandGerman/Dutch Pretoria is situated in a particularly bird rich area, even in the urban areas. During the Bird Atlas project, that has been running for almost a year now, 167 species have already been recorded in the vicinity of my home, in an area of 8km by 8km. D Reiners Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime English/Afrikaans R Coetzee Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime L Heyns Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime Afrikaans/English R de Rover Pretoria, Gauteng Anytime G Burrows Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal Weekend English/Afrikaans M Bowker Pietermaritzburg, Kwa Zulu Natal Anytime J Anderson Pietermaritzburg, Kwa Zulu Natal Anytime English Forest, bushveld and grassland. Orange Ground-thrush, Knysna Turaco, Wattled Crane, Blue Crane, Forest Canary, Swee Waxbill, Blue Swallow, Cape Parrot, Spotted Ground-thrush, Long-tailed Widow-bird, Pale-crowned Cisticola, Ground Woodpecker, Secretarybird etc. H Langenhoven Pongola, Kwa Zulu Natal Anytime I de la Rosa Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho Anytime English D Mostert Hoedspruit, Limpopo (Nothern Province) Anytime C Badenhorst Ofcolaco, Limpopo Anytime Spanish/EnglishAfrikaansTunisian Arabic We live midway between Magoebaskloof, Krugerpark and the Strijdom tunnel in Limpopo. Special species are Taita Falcon, Bathawk & Black-fronted Bush Shrike. We have 99 Garden species. More info and pictures of accommodation: http://sekororo.blat.co.za/ D Kleynhans Sasolburg, Northern Free State Anytime M Phiri Mafikeng, North West Weekend English Professional Guides Initial Last Name Area Available Language B de Boer Magoebaskloof/Woodbush Forests, Limpopo Anytime English/Dutch The best foreat birding in South Africa, the only place in the country to see the Black-fronted Bush Shrike, and many others. The Limpopo Province, with its vast unexplored areas and diverse habitats, offers one of the most exciting birding destinations in Southern Africa. Habitats range from vast tracts of montane grassland to afro-temperate forests, bushveld and wetlands. The Eastern Escarpment (including Magoebaskloof) and the Soutpansberg mountain range create relief in the landscape which allows for the development of afro-temperate forests. The lowland rivers such as the Limpopo, Levubu and Letaba rivers form corridors for species normally associated with coastal forests. Nylsvley is one of the best known wetlands in South Africa and due to its importance for birds has been declared a RAMSAR site. Many different kinds of woodland and bushveld types are found within the province hosting an incredible variety of birds. There are a number of species that are easier to find in the Limpopo Province than in the rest of the country. These are Short-clawed Lark, Shelley's Francolin, Grey-headed Parrot, African Broadbill, Crested Guineafowl. In addition to this, many Central and East African bird species reach their southern-most distribution here and thus will not be found anywhere else in the country. These include species such as Black-fronted Bushshrike, Arnott's Chat, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Racket-tailed Roller, Senegal Coucal and Tropical Boubou. The province has three National Parks and numerous provincial and municipal reserves within its borders. Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe and Maraklele National Parks are visited by hundreds of birdwatchers every year. Provincial Nature Reserves and Municipal Reserves are important sites for bird conservation. For example Blouberg Nature Reserve which is the home to one of the largest Cape Vulture breeding colonies in Southern Africa and Polokwane Nature Reserves has healthy populations of Short-clawed Lark. Because Limpopo Province has tracts of relatively unexplored habitats as well as its more famous sites, intrepid birders are fortunate to have the opportunity to make exiting discoveries wherever they venture. R Grotsch Nylstroom, Limpopo Anytime English/GermanDutch I currently conduct tours with a educational basis in South Africa - the focus is on South African birds and habitats but I also provide combinations with African Wildlife viewing. I have a National Qualification in field guiding. My specific interest being birds. I do provide a service at Euro 25.00 per day - minimum two persons. Meals and accommodation excluded. We have a beautiful 5 day tour planned for December 2008 to visit the high mountainous areas of South Africa with special focus on the many endemic South African birds. B Lawson Nelspruit, Mpumalanga Anytime English R Grant Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime D Nkosi Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime I Mileham Cape Town, Western Cape Anytime English Excellent guide. Taught us a lot about birds. Itinerary was well planned and executed. Saw incredible diversity in terms of plants/bird/geology of Cape Town. Very knowledgeable and accommodating guide, whose company we thoroughly enjoyed. Hope to be back to use his services again. Bob Spaulding and Estelle Yamakz - Seattle, Washington, USA Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable tour of the Cape Wetlands. Your expert advice enabled me to boost my species list to a creditable 94 for the week. Even my wife was surprised at how attractive a visit to a Sewage Farm could be. We plan another trip next year which may coincide with the cricket and we'll be sure to engage your services again. Once more, many thanks." Randolph and Rosamund Jones - Cardiff, Wales. Local Information Name Description Birdlife South Africa Club BirdLife Northern Gauteng Club African Bird Club South Africa Club Latest Sights RBR Birding Hotspots around the world Sites South African National Parks Sites Kruger Park Sites Cape Town Pelagics Pelagic Zest for Birds Pelagic Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia South Africa Local weather Yahoo Electronic maps MapQuest Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. Field guides recommended by Birdingpals Printable bird check list Trip Reports from South Africa Read a Birdingpal's Trip Report from South Africa Last update 29/07/2008
