This project is for the early birds
Take note of the first bird calls you hear this Saturday.
SOUTH Coast conservancies are asking local birders and nature lovers to assist ornithologist Bradley Gibbons with an interesting project – but you’ll have to be up with the larks and other feathered friends to do so.
Through the Birdlife South Africa magazine, `Birdlife Africa’, Bradley asks birders and everyone interested, to note the first bird calls they hear in the morning this Saturday, September 21. Record them then email them to him at bradley@intekom.co.za, stating the birds, your location and your name.
If inclement weather or any other problems prevent you from doing the survey on the appointed date, then do it the next day, Sunday, September 22. Please use the words, ‘Early Bird Survey’ in the subject line of the email.
Whether they live in rural areas, in the suburbs or in the cities, most people are within earshot of birds vocalising. Bradley is trying to discover which birds are the ones people most commonly hear first each morning. The list of most commonly heard ‘early birds’ will be compiled and published in ‘African Birdlife’.
He is conducting the survey in spring, when most of the migrants have returned. Birds wake up and call fairly early, too, at this time of year.
Gary Holburn of Margate’s Kongweni River Conservancy is betting on the hadeda topping the list – unless it is the neighbour’s noisy rooster.
South Coast Conservation Forum committee member, Dave Halle, who made a point of listening to his early birds this week said the raucous hadedas had tended to drown out much of the morning avian chorus but that the melodic call of the green pigeons had eventually been heard.
A number of local birders said they normally woke up to the song of the red-capped robins in their gardens.
Dave suggested that nature lovers taking part in this survey might like to take it a step further by starting a list of all the birds they spot in their garden. By doing this non-birders might discover the joys of birding. Their garden list could be the start of a fascinating new hobby, he said.
