Over 120 bird species counted on Birding Big Day
Bird watchers from all over the country drive around feverishly counting as many bird species as they can find
Birding Big Day (BBD) is an annual event organised by BirdLife South Africa. Bird watchers from all over the country drive around feverishly counting as many bird species as they can find. All the information is then fed into the national database.
BBD will be held on Saturday, but because Ingula has such an amazing diversity of species – in fact, it has 312 species on its list – it was decided to host a separate BBD for Ingula only.
On Saturday, November 19, around 20 local bird lovers set off to explore the Ingula Nature Reserve and record as many bird species as they could. Within eight hours, 126 species were recorded. The most important of these is the Wattled Crane, which is one of South Africa’s critically endangered species.
Their presence is an indicator of the good condition of the grassland and wetlands in Eskom’s care at Ingula.
The resident breeding pair at Ingula successfully raised a chick this season.
Delighted first-time participant Delene Niewenhuis from Bergville said: “Thank you so much to Eskom for the privilege of being allowed to explore the beautiful Ingula Nature Reserve.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
If you are reading this on your cellphone and there are telephone numbers provided in the text, you can call these simply by clicking on them.
To receive news links via WhatsApp.
For the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
