Join us this Friday and Saturday 22nd and 23rd July as we welcome special Birdlife South Africa ornithologist guests on board our safaris, spend two days concentrating on all things feathered during the African Bird Fair 2022, host a special Fireside Chat with our knowledgeable visitors and build our bird list with your help!

WE are all set for an action packed weekend. Whether you are a fledgling birder, a full on travelling twitcher or a lover of all things birds, WE can’t wait to go birding with you this weekend. Visit wildearth.tv/birdistheword to find out more or scan the QR code in the blog pictures. If you are keen to get involved and be a part of building our bird list, make sure you keep watching as we let you know how to partake via Twitter.

This year WE are very proud to be Gold sponsors of the African Bird Fair! This fantastic event is both live and virtual and features keynote speakers, auctions, engrossing talks and much more. Graham Wallington, CEO of Wildearth, is a speaker at this prestigious birding event hosted by Birdlife South Africa and Wildearth will be playing live on a dedicated channel at the virtual fair. Attendance is free and tickets can be bought for specific events and certain talks. Topics covered include some exciting updates on the Marion-Free Mouse project, Evolving Challenges and Conservation of Bird Species, the Cape Gannet as Bird of the Year 2022 and many more. To find out more and sign up visit: https://eventmobi.com/birdfair

During the fair, WE will be searching for as many birds as we can find and WE are bringing in the experts.

Dr Alistair McInnes will be joining Jax Bath at Penguin Beach on Friday and we are delighted to have his expertise. Dr McInnes is currently the Seabird Conservation Programme Manager at BirdLife South Africa and oversees projects that focus on threatened pelagic and coastal seabird species. A large part of his work is about engagement with various fisheries stakeholders in adopting an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

At Amakhala WE can’t wait to have Wesley join Lauren Arthur on her vehicle for the day. Wesley Gush is a keen birder and research ecologist from the Eastern Cape and he will shortly begin his PhD study focusing on Secretary Birds. His family and other families from the farming community decided to convert some of their farmland into what is today the Big Five game reserve of Amakhala.

In Djuma WE are very privileged to have two special guests who will be joining James Hendry on the safaris. David Letsoalo is an expert bird guide with over 20 years of experience. Considered by many as the ‘father’ of the BirdLife South Africa Community Bird Guide network, David is an excellent bird mimic and he is regularly consulted on Cape Parrot research as an authority on the species and its habitat. Paul Nkhumane grew up in the verdant Waterberg where his fascination for nature started. Paul is a very experienced bird guide and is also very keen on butterflies and plants. Paul was trained by BirdLife South Africa in the early 2000s and he is a director of the Limpopo Birding Route.

Our guests will be joining James in Djuma and Lauren in Amakhala in a dual Fireside Chat from both locations! WE are looking forward to hearing their expert opinions around the fire as WE discuss Birdlife South Africa, the work they do and the virtual fair that is going on as well as the birds found at Djuma and Amakhala. Join us for the FSC at 7:30pm CAT, 6:30pm London, 7:30pm Paris and 1:30pm New York.