THE CHAMBERLAIN GUIDE TO BIRDING GAUTENG
ETIENNE MARAIS • FAANSIE PEACOCK
I’m afraid Birding Gauteng is now officially SOLD OUT. No more boxes hidden in the garage or shoved deep in a cupboard. Stay tuned for news about a future updated edition…though nothing concrete yet.
The greater Gauteng region, including Johannesburg and Pretoria, is often overlooked by birders on their travels further afield. However, with its great diversity of natural and modified habitats, the region offers more than 450 species, including 80 endemics or near-endemics. Many specials are more easily seen here than anywhere else on Earth! Whether you’re a visiting birder, a hardcore local lister, or even just an outdoor-enthusiast looking for a good travel guide, this book is a must-have!
This information-packed, lavishly illustrated new book provides in-depth information on site access, birding habitats, seasons, routes and how to go about finding the specials. Sites covered range from suburban nature reserves, through classic favourites such as Rietvlei, Suikerbosrand and Marievale, to exciting weekend destinations including Zaagkuildrift, Nylsvley, Magoebaskloof and Wakkerstroom. A number of exciting new sites not previously described elsewhere are also included, such as Mkhombo Dam, the Cradle of Humankind and the Vredefort Dome. The book includes a chapter on weekend destinations, from Lesotho to the Limpopo River!
FEATURES
“…written with such obvious passion and knowledge that it reads more like an encyclopaedic love-letter to the region and its avifauna than just a book about where to see some great birds.”
“What an incredible book. Congratulations to Etienne and Faansie. I am very impressed with every aspect of this book: the text, the maps, the images…the bar for birding guides has once against been raised!
The book is super – I showed it to my colleagues who are either non-birders or mildly into birding. Ten of them have asked me to obtain a copy for them! Interesting that even for non-birders the book is visually appealing and draws their attention to nature in Gauteng that they did not know about. I think the book will have a wider appeal than just for local birders. It is also excellent for visiting birders.
What a magnificent piece of work it is! I can hardly keep my eyes open this morning, having spent all of last night just paging through it. I couldn’t think of anyone who’d be able to do a better job at this that Etienne and Faansie and huge congrats go out to them for a beautiful book with tons of useful information. There can be no doubt that this book belongs on the shelf of every birder!
101 BIRDING SITES
Click to expand the headers below and see all the birding spots included in the book.
BIRDING SITES
101 PRIME BIRDING SPOTS
…for day trips within 100 km of Johannesburg and Pretoria, plus recommended further afield weekend destinations.MAPS
96 DETAILED MAPS
Full-colour site maps cross-referenced to the birding text, plus large-scale orientation maps for each of the 7 regional chapters.PHOTOS
300 STUNNING PHOTOS
Striking photographs from some of Southern Africa’s top photographers illustrate more than 250 species. Landscape and habitat photos are also included.EXTRA INFO
36 INFORMATION BOXES
…which provide in-depth details on finding specials, bird biology, and information on mammals, reptiles, frogs, botany and geology.GPS
GPS & GOOGLE EARTH
Free downloadable Google Earth (KMZ) and Garmin compatible GPS units to enable you to navigate easily around the sites.SPECIFICATIONS
384 PAGES
Full-colour. Gloss paper. Size A5. Weight 820 g. Softcover only. English only. ISBN: 978-1-873671-00-9.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Faansie Peacock has been passionate about natural history and ornithology since childhood, and has been birding for more than 25 years. His fascination with LBJs culminated in the publication of Pipits of southern Africa, and the acclaimed Chamberlain’s LBJs, both reflections of Faansie’s meticulous observation skills, artistic talent and obsessive note-taking. He holds and honours degree in Ecology. Faansie, his wife Ronél and his son Christian live in Elardus Park, Pretoria. He has seen more than 100 species in his garden including a Kurrichane Buttonquail.
Etienne Marais owns and operates Indicator Birding (established 1998), an eco-tourism company specialising in finding the more elusive specials in southern Africa. Etienne is the founder of the Raiders of the Lost Lark, the first birding team to record 300 species in one day – all within the Gauteng region. Etienne has nearly 45 years’ birding experience. When he’s not birding in Mozambique, Etienne spends his time in Centurion with his wife Alice and children Kayla and Ruben. He shares his garden with a pair of Little Sparrowhawks and a Honey Buzzard.