22 February 2023 BeKZN recently hosted a special event to welcome the return of the Barn Swallows to their roosting site at the Lake Victoria wetland. The event, which was held at the Mount Moreland Barn Swallow Viewing site attracted 53 members. During the summer these incredible little birds congregate each night to roost in…
BeKZN Conservation | van Riebeek Wetland bird counts
14 February 2023 Early on Saturday morning 14 January, Steve Davis led another bird survey at van Riebeeck Park with Anneli’s support. An enthusiastic group of members of BeKZN joined this conservation initiative. Even at 6 am, it was already getting warm and very humid, but at least there were some birds about. Grassland species…
BeKZN Day Tripping | Sappi Stanger Mbozambo Wetlands
5 February 2023 Some background The Sappi Stanger wetlands, also known as the Mbozambo Wetland Reserve, is an important conservation area situated in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a 300-hectare reserve that is owned and managed by Sappi, a leading producer of pulp and paper. The wetland reserve is located just outside the town of…
BeKZN Conservation | Waterbird Count (CWAC) – Summer
22 January 2023 On Sunday 22 January BeKZN participated in the summer Coordinated Waterbird Count (CWAC). We started at the Umgeni Estuary and walked to the end of the Blue Lagoon groyne. Although it was near low tide, there weren’t many sandbanks exposed, and the few gulls and terns we saw were on the seaward…
BE KZN Sit-In | Portman Park, Westville
8 December 2022 We had a break in the weather and ended up with a nice sunny day. Nine people attended and Sue Smith from the Conservancy gave us a short background story of the park before leading some of the people on a short walk. Sue Smith provided an over view of Portman Park…
BeKZN Weekend Away | Wakkerstroom
Wakkerstroom Trip Report 24-27th November 2022 It had long been a dream of mine to visit the Wakkerstroom area as you hear from so many people how quaint the town is ( known as the Jewel of Mpumalanga and how excellent the birding is, with people coming from all over the world for the “specials”. Our party of…
BeKZN Walk | Juniors at Springside Nature Reserve
29 October 2022 The group arrived early and waited patiently for the gate to open at Springside Nature Reserve in Kloof. Whilst waiting we racked up a few good birds, with aerial feeders such as Lesser Striped Swallow, African Palm Swift and Little Swift abundant in the overcast skies. The cuckoos were active too, with Diederik cuckoos chasing each other…
BeKZN Birding Diary-MARCH 2023 published
BEKZN Birding Diary – MARCH 2023 – Now Published Online 2023 is well underway with some fantastic walks and a great talks already under our belt… Remember members attend all activities FREE (unless a specified special event) and visitors are always welcome with a R50 bird donation to the club’s conservation fund. Summary below but…
BeKZN Theme 2023 | In my own Backyard | Club challenge
Act Locally to make a difference Globally The richness of your backyard The theme for the club this year aims to make you focus on the amazing richness in your own garden, or favourite space, park or verge. And improve it! We would like people to develop checklists for their own garden, take photos of…
BeKZN Sit-In | WESTVILLE SCOUT BOWL
16 February 2023 After wondering whether the weather would behave, we had a lucky gap in the rain and headed off early to the ‘Dog Park’ where some Nicolette and Ticky who arrived at 7am had already seen Magpie Mannikin. The rest of us had to wait nearly two hours before we saw them (with a juvenile)….
BeKZN Goonies go to Botanical Gardens
4 February 2023 The morning started off hot and humid at Durban Botanic Gardens, as we were greeted by seemingly hundreds of Egyptian Geese on the lawns. A group of BeKZN juniors (or Goonies – Goonie is the term for a juvenile albatross) and other keen ‘junior’ birders were raring to go, as we made…
You are invited – BeKZN AGM 2023
EDIT BeKZN 74th AGM – 25th February 2023 Members of BirdLife eThekwini KZN are invited to the 74th Annual General Meetingwhich will be held on Saturday 25th February at 09h00 for 09h30 at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club. Please RSVP using the link: https://forms.gle/2DZmmAwNtj77GjVq5 This is an important event in the annals of the club so we would really ask as many members as possible to attend….
BeKZN Birding Diary-February 2023 published
BEKZN Birding Diary – February 2023 – Now Published Online Compliments of the Season to everyone – 2023 is getting started with some fantastic walks and a great talk to kick off the New Year… Remember members attend all activities FREE (unless a specified special event) and visitors are always welcome with a R50 bird…