South Africa’s Shorebird Tracking Project
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”3″ gap=”2″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_02_left” css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1775033297047-dced1d62-72eb-9″ include=”327081,327082,327083,327087,327088,327080,327085,327086,327084,327079,327093,327094″][vc_column_text css=””]Photo credit: Mark Brown, Jesse Brown, Cassie Carstens, Jessica Wilmot[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Following the invisible threads that connect continents Every year, as summer fades in South Africa, thousands of small shorebirds take to the skies. Species like the Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) leave […]
From South Africa to Siberia – BLSA Launches its Shorebird Tracking Project
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid style=”pagination” items_per_page=”3″ gap=”2″ arrows_design=”vc_arrow-icon-arrow_02_left” css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1774868655912-7c7b0610-ae23-1″ include=”327081,327082,327083,327087,327088,327080,327085,327086,327084,327079,327093,327094″][vc_column_text css=””]Photo credit: Mark Brown, Jesse Brown, Cassie Carstens, Jessica Wilmot[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]The Subaru Forester is packed to the roof. Somewhere between bird-ringing equipment, holding pens, field clothes and emergency snacks, we have just enough space left for ourselves. Coffee in hand, we begin the 1,463-kilometre drive to Velddrift […]
Driven by Adventure, Connected by Nature: Subaru Southern Africa Partners with BirdLife South Africa
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”326260″ img_size=”500×700″ alignment=”center” css=””][vc_column_text css=””] Jessica Wilmot, manager of BirdLife South Africa’s European Roller Monitoring Project, with Toshimitsu Tanaka, Managing Director of Subaru South Africa, with Jessica’s new vehicle. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Each spring, South Africa’s skies burst into life with the spectacular flight and familiar calls of migratory birds returning from across the world. From […]
Follow the Flight: Updates from the European Roller Monitoring Project
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”326721″ img_size=”small” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_column_text css=””] Movements of Rory, Juno, and Atlas since March 2025, showing different migration strategies across the flyway [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]The European Roller monitoring project continues to provide valuable insight into the remarkable movements, and decision-making, of this long-distance migrant. While some journeys have unfolded as expected, others have challenged our assumptions, […]
Wings of Wonder: Tracking the Epic Journeys of European Rollers
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]As dawn breaks across southern Africa, five new European Rollers, fitted with lightweight satellite trackers, take flight, beginning journeys that will span thousands of kilometers and cross entire continents. For BirdLife South Africa, these birds’ migrations offer a rare window into one of nature’s most awe-inspiring spectacles—and a powerful call to action to protect […]
Wrapping Up the Season with a Major Milestone!
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]As the season draws to a close, we had one last major goal—deploying five additional satellite trackers. Five! That might not seem like much, but considering we deployed only two in March 2024, this is a huge step forward in our mission. Why does this matter? If these trackers remain active and the birds […]
Roller Ringing – 2025
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]This season, Craig and I have one clear goal: to ring as many European Rollers as possible. Our ambitious target? Forty-three individuals. While it might not sound like a daunting number, catching European Rollers in a short timeframe is anything but easy. The conditions need to be just right—birds perched within a few meters […]
Hera is back!
Christmas came early here at BirdLife South Africa when we opened our Argos platform to see that Hera is finally back in South Africa! After nine months and a staggering journey of over 25,000km, Hera has returned to South African soil! While she’s arrived during a sweltering heatwave, we’re excited to track her movements in […]
Hera’s return journey
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Since departing from South Africa on March 30, 2024, Hera is finally on her return journey, currently resting again in Somalia. Her return has sparked a mix of excitement and relief within our Regional Conservation Programme. We’re thrilled by the thought of welcoming back our little hero back in just a few weeks, […]
World Migratory Bird Day 2024
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Over 10,000 kilometers in just two months. That’s the astonishing distance Hera, a European Roller tagged by BirdLife South Africa, flew to get to her breeding grounds in Uzbekistan. Beginning over the Easter weekend, Hera’s migration along the Eastern African Eurasian Flyway is not only a marvel of endurance but also a symbol of […]