Birding in South Africa
Africa is one place I would love to go birding one day. Seeing all the animals would be wonderful also. Perhaps. Perhaps one day I will get there. I guess a large number of my readers would also love to go there for a visit to go birding. If you have already been there, share some of the highlights with my readers by leaving a comment or two.
Meanwhile, most of us will have to be content with seeing videos and reading books about the wonderful and exotic fauna of Africa – or we can regularly access Casper’s website called Birding in South Africa.
I’m jealous. Casper lives a short distance from the Kruger National Park!
Oh – and he offers free accommodation to all birders.
Now – where did I put my passport?
I and the Bird #67: Let’s all go on a birding holiday
24 Comments »24th January, 2008; Category: Birders, Blogs, Carnivals, I and the Bird, Non-Australian birds
I and the bird #64
The latest edition of I and the bird #64 has been posted over at Iowa Voice.
Go there for plenty of links to interesting posts from birders all over the globe.
For a change, I remembered to send in my contribution.
Here are some good articles to get you going:
- On a long coast – amazing photos of New Zealand
- My new toy – canoeing with pelicans
- White Browed Sparrow Weaver – in Africa
- Bat Falcon – this post is from Guyana
- Bolsa Chica in December – plenty of amazing photos here too.
This is just a taste of the fare available this week on I and the Bird. Stay tuned for the next installment.
Birding in Sri Lanka
I have never been birding in Sri Lanka but if I ever get the opportunity to go there, I will certainly take it.
In the meantime, I can still enjoy photos of the birds of that country by going to the birding blog of Amila Salgado. It’s called Gallicissa – a birder in an endemic hotspot. Amila has more than a passing interest in birds, he is also into bird photography, showing off many of his photos on his blog. As a bonus, he also features photos of frogs, insects and reptiles. It’s well worth a visit.
Link:
Ostriches in Australia – and near my home
If I want to see an Ostrich I only have to take a ten minute drive from home.
Now before all you Australian twitchers out there jump in your car or on a plane to “tick” this species off your list, let me explain. The Ostriches I’m talking about are in the Monarto Zoo just down the road from Murray Bridge in South Australia. They have a thriving collection of Ostriches as part of their displays of African animals. Visitors can walk down the hill from the Visitor Centre and get a close look through the fence. You also get excellent views as you do the bus tour of the zoo.
Ostriches at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Ostrich Farms:
Many people would not know that there have been several feral populations of Ostriches in Australia over the last hundred years or so. One such population existed near Port Augusta in the far north. They had been “farmed” for their feathers on a sheep and cattle station there in the late 1800s. A remnant feral population has existed in this region ever since, though their numbers were never more than a few dozen at best. Even though I lived in Port Augusta in the 1970s for ten years, I never managed to see even one.
Other ostrich farms existed in other states and several in the Coorong region of South Australia where a feral population existed for some time. None survive in that area today. A recent correspondent on the Birding-Aus forum lived in Port Augusta in the 1990s and he suggested that the feral population there was captured for sale. At the time Ostrich farming had a sudden but short resurgence. He was of the opinion that a small remnant population still exists in that region. There have been no recorded sightings to my knowledge in the last decade. CORRECTION: There was a report today on Birding -Aus of a sighting of a pair with 9 chicks (May 17th 2009) on Mt Arden Station near Port Augusta. (Note: there is no access to this area for birders.)
Further reading:
- Birds of Monarto Zoo – plus information about the zoo
UPDATE: Would all readers please note – I am not in the business of breeding and selling birds, Ostriches included. This is a blog about Australian birds in the wild.