Field Notes
Mozambique is home to nearly 800 bird species. Its only endemic bird, the Namuli Apalis, is found exclusively on Mount Namuli – the country’s second-highest peak in Zambezia Province. South of the Zambezi River lies Sofala Province, boasting Gorongosa National...
Field Notes
The Pearl of Africa boasts over 1,100 species of birds, 20 primates and several well-preserved national parks, hosting some of Central Africa’s otherwise inaccessible rarities. Africa’s largest lake, the source of the Nile, and the world’s most powerful waterfall, all...
Field Notes
The Tankwa Karoo, located in the northern region of the Western Cape, is a semi-desert landscape renowned for its unique avifauna. Despite its seemingly inhospitable environment, the area supports over 250 bird species, making it a hotspot for birding enthusiasts....
Field Notes
DICKINSON’S KESTREL AND THE BROWN FIREFINCH Spur-winged Goose I’d just completed the Absa Cape Epic – an 8-day, over-600 km mountain bike race in conditions that varied from mid-40 degrees Celsius temperatures atop granite-domed mountains, to sticky mud on long cold...
Field Notes
Africa’s second smallest country, by both surface area (1,001 square kms) and population (250,000) is nestled in the crook of the Gulf of Guinea. The equator passes through one of its rocky islets at the southern tip of São Tomé. Together with two distant islands...
Field Notes
For couples travelling in Africa, where one is a birder, and the other, less so, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better destination than the Seychelles. Its endemic birds are accessible, and its tropical beaches make postcards envious. First noted by Portugal’s Vasco...
Field Notes
The lush and charming village of Mtunzini is the perfect launchpad to target the province’s coastal forest rarities. Easily accessed, an hour north of King Shaka International Airport, it was a welcome summery respite from one of the Cape’s wettest-ever winters. It...
Field Notes
I visited Mana Pools for the first time 30 years ago, on our cross-Africa journey. We weren’t birding seriously back then – larks and cisticolas weren’t paid much attention – but we set a target of seeing 100 species. A week later, we crawled the last 50...
Field Notes
No matter how often I visit Southern Africa’s wild places, there are always missing puzzle-map pieces. Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands, Gonarezhou National Park, and the newly promulgated Maputo National Park, were holes on my African treasure map. So we cobbled together...
Field Notes
Linyanti River, Chobe National Park A short six-day getaway to celebrate a week book-ended by a birthday and an anniversary found us on a flight to Maun and then a Cessna Caravan, over the Okavango Delta, to the Linyanti River in northern Botswana. Across the river...
Field Notes
Overview Madagascar’s birding is deservedly famous. What it lacks in numbers (just over 300 species) it more than makes up for in endemism. Almost 120 species are only found on the Red Island, four times its closest rival on the continent (Tanzania with 29). Included...
Field Notes
Overview This tiny landlocked nation is sometimes called the Switzerland of Africa, for good reason. The country is tidy, and safe, and its people, hardworking. By African standards, the main roads are in great condition, connecting the centrally located capital,... 
