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!
Any guesses? I found out...the hard way. Before all the counting began though, I made a short "tutorial" video that points out the main feather tracts of a bird, and their respective functions. If you have a few minutes to spare, I am sure you'll find this illuminating. And what a stunning little bird the Black-throated Canary is (or at least, was, before I yanked its feathers out).
Hard to believe today, but the Great Snipe used to be so common in South Africa that it was hunted in large numbers by snipers (yes, that's where the word comes from). It then disappeared for about 80 years. However, could two separate sightings in January 2015 herald a return of this spectacular wader? That would be great indeed.
I am very proud to announce my new book: CHAMBERLAIN'S WADERS - the definitive guide to southern Africa's Shorebirds. Following in the footsteps of Chamberlain's LBJs, the book includes more than 600 new paintings, covers the ID and biology of 80 species and is packed with extra info. Watch this video to get a sneak peek at what the book will look like when it's done (towards the end of 2016).
Africa's Red-billed Quelea is possibly the planet's most numerous bird species, with a global population of around 1.5 billion birds. Here are some videos to show what you can do with an abundance of queleas, a lot of bird seed and a little patience.
How many palm strips does it take to build a weaver nest? Foolishly, I dedicated a morning of my life to determine the answer to this question. In the process I discovered some fascinating aspects of weaver life, and gained even more appreciation of these beautiful, talented and energetic birds. Guess the answer, before you continue!
