Join a Bird Club

Bird Club Membership

A group of European Bee-eaters, visitors across much of South Africa in our summers.

Did you know?

Birding, or birdwatching, is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world.

Birding is a rewarding way to slow down, reconnect with nature, and discover the remarkable wildlife that surrounds us every day. It combines the excitement of exploration with the proven benefits of spending time outdoors, improving both physical and mental wellbeing. Whether you’re in a city park, a garden, or a remote wilderness area, birding opens a window into a fascinating world of colour, behaviour, and migration, turning every walk into an opportunity for discovery!

Throughout the country, you can find bird clubs ready to help you take the first step into the beautiful world of birds and birding.

Listed below are all bird clubs that are affiliated with BirdLife South Africa. This affiliation indicates a commitment to hold themselves accountable to the highest standards of ethics and inclusion, as well as a provision of invaluable support of our conservation work.

Eastern Cape

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Christiaan de Wet
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 082 576 9864

Carla de Wet
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 083 660 2511

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Corne Erasmus
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 084 515 8425

Joy Woodford
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]

Leslie Blandy
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 082 388 8877

Tim Roestorf
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Ian McEwan
Chair

E: [email protected]

Free State

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Louise Coetzee
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 82 382 1341

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Martin Potgieter
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 81 353 9334

Gauteng

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Dennis Townsend
Chair

E: [email protected]

Sue Cohen
Secretary

E: [email protected]

Alex Jenning
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Penny Abbott
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 082 566 8074

Eleanor Peake
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 082 830 1898

Val Mogg
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 083 456 4385

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Sean Naude
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 083 391 8946

Fransie O’Brien
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 072 737 0862

Pieter Heslinga
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 082 551 0130

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

David Broom
Chair

E: [email protected]

Lynne McNamara
Club Secretary

E: [email protected]

Alastair Mcduff
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

More info

Rand Barbet Bird Club is a recreational bird club – members enjoy nature, birds and birding in each other’s company.

The Club is under the happy patronage of Geoff Lockwood, Club President. Geoff is a recipient of a BLSA Eagle Owl Award for his life’s work as an ornithologist, bird artist and photographer, bird lecturer/guide/teacher, prolific SABAP2 atlasser and custodian of the birds – particularly the owls – of Delta Park.

Rand Barbet Bird Club meets monthly in the evening for a talk, goes on a Sunday outing in Gauteng one Sunday a month – and in summer week-day outings too – has two field trips a year, participates in Birding Big Day and members arrange ad hoc trips and outings among themselves.

Once a year there is a club photography evening, a bird quiz, a Christmas bash and of course the AGM – all of them good excuses for food, wine and camaraderie.

There is also an annual conservation outing.

Monthly Meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month at 18:30 for 19:00 at the Rosebank Union Church, Hurlingham, on the corner of Sandton and Winnie Mandela Drives.

Guided birding outings are on the last Sunday of each month except December.

There are two field trips a year.

Membership

Members keep in touch by WhatsApp, e-mail and an ad hoc bulletin. To keep the club small and friendly membership is limited to no more than 100 members and their partners.
Membership is currently around 75.

Membership fees:

Single Birder R400 pa; R600 pa for a birding family; payable each year on the anniversary of joining.

Rand Barbet Bird Club is affiliated to, and a member of, BirdLife South Africa. The Club encourages members to also join BirdLife South Africa, which you can do here: https://www.birdlife.org.za/support-us/join-us/join-birdlife-south-africa/

RBBC will collect African Birdlife magazines for subscribers and bring them to the meetings. Simply give RBBC as the delivery address when subscribing.

To join please e-mail the Club on [email protected].

See photographs of club activities on https://www.facebook.com/groups/RandBarbet

Or you can contact any of the below Committee members:

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Judy Stockill
Chairperson

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 267 7070

Frankie Donaldson
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 349 9585

Geoff Fotheringham
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 625 3809

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Hennie de Klerk
Chair

C: 083 300 6915
E: [email protected]

Rina de Klerk
Secretary

C: 082 626 6990
E: [email protected]

Cliff Wright
CWAC Co-Ordinator

E: 083 304 5797
E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Cathy Nicholson
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 083 306 1527

Yvonne Droste
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 082 228 1317

Ted Droste
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 082 551 5613

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Andy Featherstone
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 83 259 0231

Sandy Francis
Vice-Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27(0) 82 927 9785

Louise Rowbotham
Club Secretary

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Vincent Taylor
Chair

E: [email protected]

KwaZulu-Natal

To update club contact details, please email [email protected] and copy [email protected]

Andrew Mather
Chair

E: [email protected]

Anneli Mynhardt
Membership Secretary

E : [email protected]

Bridget Thorne
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Sean Glynn
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 082 468 5805

Colin Summersgill
Vice-chair

E: [email protected]
P: 060 827 3785

Hugh Bulcock
Membership/Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 082 373 6569

Phyllida Mc Grath
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 082 876 4477

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Gavin King
Acting Chair/Membership/Secretary

E: [email protected]

Dylan Weyer
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Peter Nelson
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 457 2256

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Chris Macdonald
Chair

E: [email protected]

Limpopo

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Jody de Bruyn
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 82 802 2085

Marcia van Tonder
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 83 345 7172

Nick Baglow
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 82 575 2524

Julia Friskin
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 83 996 8841

Joy Gornall
Chair

E: [email protected]

Mpumalanga

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Frank Webb
Chairperson

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 804 3486

Fran Coole
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)72 104 1227

Moira McMillan
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)74 147 9111

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

John Proudfoot
Chairman

E: [email protected]

North West

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

John Wesson
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 83 444 7649

Jenny Wesson
Secretary/Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 83 444 7649

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

CF Truter
Chair

E: [email protected]

Gerda Welman
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

Hantie Mathews
Secretary

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Pieter Labuschagne
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 082 908 7965

Lawren Oelofse
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: 082 453 6796

Northern Cape

There are currently no affiliated bird clubs in the Northern Cape. Should you wish to find out more about becoming affiliated, please contact Shireen on [email protected].

Western Cape

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Steve Peck
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 81 817 3223

Johan van der Westhuizen
Vice Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 76 015 2274

Tierck Hoekstra
Membership Secretary & Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 327 4344

Jill Wheater
Club Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 496 2447

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Ann Mawer
Chairperson

E: [email protected]

Patrick Raymond
Vice Chairperson

E: [email protected]

Pippa van Noppen
Secretary

E: [email protected]

Darryl Harrison
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Kobus Graaff
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (23) 347 1475

Marieta Howard
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]

Anton Quenet
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (23) 347 0844

Hester Graaff
Secretary

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Michael Buckham
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 462 9220

Linda Merrett
Membership Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27(0)21 685 7368

Jill Thorne
Treasurer

E: [email protected]

Sheila Scott
Secretary

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Ed Meyer
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 880 7604 (WhatsApp)

Margaret Loesch
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27(0)82 465 3969 (WhatsApp)

Janice Hogarth
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 703 9588 (WhatsApp)

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Pat Nurse
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 402 6133

Brian Taggart
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 450 1099

Jenni Miller
Activities Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)72 486 0733

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Willene van der Merwe
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: 082 567 8631

Sakkie Krynauw
Membership & Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: 082 904 5363

Marne Volschenk
Secretary

E: [email protected]

Graeme Hatley
Chair

E: [email protected]

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Brigid Crewe
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 570 0808

Judy Kotze
Vice-chair / Membership

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 254 0919

Benita Bartlett
Treasurer

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)83 254 8791

To update club contact details, please email [email protected]

Dalene Vanderwalt
Chair

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0) 84 702 4201

Pam Duffield
Secretary

E: [email protected]
P: +27 (0)82 736 6673

Why should I join a bird club?

Joining a bird club is one of the best ways to deepen your enjoyment of birding while becoming part of a welcoming community of people who share a passion for birds, nature, and conservation.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced birder, clubs offer many opportunities:

A forum to learn from knowledgeable birders,
Help to improve your identification skills, and gain confidence in tackling even the trickiest “Little Brown Jobs” (LBJs).
Regular talks, workshops, courses, and newsletters keep members informed about the latest birding news, upcoming events, and notable sightings in their area.

Bird clubs organise outings to a wide range of destinations, from local hotspots to more remote birding locations, including sites that may not be accessible to the general public. Many clubs also offer midweek excursions for retirees and senior citizens, making it easier for everyone to participate.

Beyond birding, club membership opens the door to lasting friendships, shared adventures, and a network of birders who can help you discover new birding destinations and opportunities. Through regional and national partnerships, clubs often collaborate on larger events that introduce members to exciting places they may never have visited otherwise.

Importantly, many bird clubs play an active role in conservation by managing sensitive habitats, monitoring bird populations, and contributing to citizen science projects. By joining a club, you’re enriching your own birding journey, and you’re also helping to protect birds and the places they depend on.

Bird clubs which are affiliated with BirdLife South Africa are our first port of call for involvement with Citizen Science projects such as CWAC, CAR and SABAP2.

All clubs are run according to well-established principles with a democratically elected chairperson and committee.

For more information about a bird club in your area, explore the table below.

Note: Membership of BirdLife South Africa or a subscription to African Birdlife magazine does not equal membership to a bird club. More information on how to join a bird club near you can be found below.

Successful Club Outings : Guidelines for Clubs and Leaders