Perplexing Pendulines
The nest of the Cape Penduline Tit is nothing short of miraculous. Michael Mason spent a few days photographing a family of these incredible little birds and made some fascinating discoveries!
The 2nd Kids Book is here – yay!
Yay! The second edition of Faansie's Bird Book is here! Now with four new countries, 842 birds, QR codes to unlock bird sounds and a whole lot more. Check out the video preview and content boxes for some sneak peeks. Let's go birding!
FIREFINCH Trip Report: Namibia
Every few days there is a brand new birding article on FIREFINCH. It's a real treat when you unlock your phone and see the notification! Today on FIREFINCH we travel through the beautiful vast nothingness of Namibia. In the blazing heat of December nogal! But thanks to Hamman Prinsloo's writing and stunning photos, we can experience it all in comfort. Normally this content is only available to subscribers, but I thought I'd share Hamman's great report here. It is packed with useful tips and stakeouts, and I also added some maps to the birding sites. For more such high quality material, check out FIREFINCH app!
Subsong in my Lockdown neighbour
To celebrate our 50th FIREFINCH post, you can read the full Dawn Chorus article here. It's about a very talented friend I met during Lockdown. This post is all about the audio, so check out the Podcast version or follow along on the individual play bars. Enjoy!
The FIREFINCH treasure hunt
WARNING: This is tough! But if you love puzzles, codes and riddles, check out the seven-step FIREFINCH treasure hunt! Be careful not to reveal the answers as you scroll down!
Celebrating 50 articles on FIREFINCH!
Since our app FIREFINCH launched in Sep 2022, we've posted 50 Dawn Chorus articles. By myself and lots of other expert birders. Check out some of my favourites here!
New birds in Southern Africa: A tale of two lists
How many new species have been added to our Southern African list in the last few decades? The first time I counted up my lifelist as a young kid, it was 73 species...out of a possible 919 on the list. Today our Southern African list is on 978 species. In the 36 years I've been crawling/walking/running around in search of birds (and the publication of Roberts V) 100 species have been added. Here they are!
Faansie’s Bird Book: Reviews..please
So, the book is here: Faansie's Bird Book: A fully fledged field guide for kids. I am so excited to share this with kids of all ages (even those who pay a mortgage). I would really love to hear what you think. Why don't you send me a voicenote on Whatsapp? Okay, back to the bubble wrap for me...
Bird calls for beginners
How well do you know your bird calls? These are some fairly easy ones - I am certain you hear some of these every day. Give it a shot. If you are unsure, hover the mouse over the clue box. Then check out the answer. Good luck!
Cederkloof Photographic Retreat: 5-7 October 2018
This looks like a really amazing weekend! Photography tutorials in the field, pre-dawn listening for bird calls, guided flower hikes and a whole lot more - all in the stunning mountain fynbos landscape around Citrusdal. From 5-7 October.