Last year a group of us, Londolozi Rangers, past and present, decided to try our hands at something a little different. We decided that we were going to embark on a Birding Big Year. The concept was simple enough – to set our eyes on as many different bird species as we could within Southern Africa throughout the year. The Big Year started slowly on the 1st of January but as the days slid off the calendar, things were sure to heat up.
A Giant Kingfisher
We don’t often see Long Crested Eagle at Londolozi. In fact, this was the first one I have seen here in nearly four years. With a light breeze blowing from behind the bird, it was rather easy to see how it got its name!
The rules…
Although the Big Year was a relatively straightforward notion, we had to lay a few ground rules in order to keep things fair. The most important rule was that you actually had to see the bird in question before you could tick it off your list, merely hearing a bird’s call was not enough. The second rule was that we could only tick off birds that naturally occurred in Southern Africa, therefore exotic birds in pet shops and gardens would not count.
The last rule was tough to enforce – you had to be completely honest about what you did or didn’t see. Since we had no prizes riding on the competition other than bragging rights, there was almost no incentive to claim a few extra ticks.
Ranger and Tracker team under the Jackle Berry Tree in front of Varty Camp.
A common ostrich found at Londolozi
Thankfully though, the Londolozi Rangers are such an honest bunch, there was no need to worry about policing the final rule. With the rules clearly laid out, the rangers methodically went about finding new birds wherever we could find them.
As the year began to gather momentum, it became clear that if we were to stand any chance of winning the competition, we would have to bird outside of the box. Since we all live and work in the same area of South Africa (i.e. Londolozi), we would have to venture outside of the realm of familiarity to chase after birds we had never seen before.
A Wood Sandpiper. These birds get the ‘wood’ part of their name due to the fact that they nest in swamps in the forests (a.k.a. woods) of Europe, even using old thrush or pigeon nests.
Suddenly everyone was planning their holidays around birding. Whether we were merely passing through an area or staying there for a couple of weeks, we would take our binoculars along – one never knows where a rare bird may pop up. From the suburban gardens of Johannesburg to the remote Zambezi River Valley and everywhere in between, there were Londolozi rangers armed with cameras and binoculars scouring the area for birds.
The product of this newfound enthusiasm for birding was that the whole guiding team has vastly improved their birding skills. Birds that had stumped us in the past became familiar friends. Learning to listen out for faint bird calls and to correctly identify a bird based on tiny differences in size, shape and plumage all became second nature as the year wore on.
Purple Roller
Additionally, the Big Year encouraged us to explore many of the far-flung corners of Southern Africa in search of our avian quarry and opened our eyes to the unrivalled beauty of our continent.
A Carmine Bee-eater hawks from a perch on Fluffies Clearing. Summer is a wonderful time to be in the bush if you are a birder, as the migrants add a whole new dimension of colour and interest to an already fascinating environment.
The winner…
A grey-headed bush shrike
African paradise flycatcher
In the end, it was former ranger and now part of Londolozi’s Sales Team, Garrett Fitzpatrick who took home the gold medal in the Birding Big Year. He managed to tick 432 bird species in 2021, which is an impressive feat indeed. Although, Garrett may have won the bragging rights I believe that the entire Londolozi guiding team came away more enriched for having participated in this prestigious event.
Collectively, we made a concerted effort to get out into nature and to explore new areas. Spending time immersed in nature provides a deep sense of fulfilment and I think that all of us will look back fondly on the memories created whilst out searching for some of nature’s greatest marvels – birds.
I love all your birds and I love watching birds and taking photos of them. Though I am not a “real” birder (i.e. only interested in birds – leopards are still my absolute favorites), I like “collecting” birds, i.e. taking photos of them or just observing and seeing them. I always try to see as many as possible and note them down when I am on a safari.
Well said. I originally got back into photography after the DSLRs became readily available to attempt to capture images of bald eagles in flight for a painting I wanted to do. That decision led to photography becoming the overriding passion in my life, especially birds and wildlife, which led to my decision to book my first safari in 2018. I have returned each year to your amazing country for both the wildlife and the birds. My experience at Londolozi last year was phenomenal in both regards – thousands of photos of wildlife and beautiful birds. Loved the images shared above and saw many of these during my last visit. Keep on birding – it’s good for the soul.
How true, birding really is good for the soul!
Such a fun challenge to inspire new adventures! I tend to have a hard time slowing down enough to be patient and really watch for birds, even though I love them and always enjoy birding. By having a goal and checking them off a list, that motivates me by tricking me into thinking I’m being productive. At least it helped a couple weeks ago during the USA’s annual Great Backyard Birding Weekend. Keep it up!
Lovely photos and well done to Garrett – it’s Alex’s bee eater photo I would have on my wall.
A good bird photo is many times harder than a good photo of an elephant
It is a great photo of Alex’s
Congratulations to Garrett! Beautiful photos including that amazing African paradise flycatcher.
In the past whether on a walk, hike or kayak I usually had a bird book and always a camera. What I couldn’t ID in the moment would be done later looking @ the photos. These days it’s primarily walking my dogs who have become very patient with the “wait” command as I snap a bird pic!
Congratulations to Garrett! Birding is such a wonderful experience, seeing and cataloging birds, so rewarding. Thanks for sharing Nick.
What. Fabulous idea! I have often seen birds at Londolozi but usually we don’t have time to stop and learn a bit. Why could we not have one safari be a bird safari ? It would be great and we would learn even more about the inhabitants of the bush! Victoria
What is the name of the violet- crested bird? Rollers are incredible also the flycatcher. My favourite because of its behaviour it’s ostrich, and, although common, guinea fowls. But they are all beautiful and interesting animals!
Could the bird that you’re thinking of be the Purple Crested Turaco?
Thank you for giving it a name, it’s an amazingly beautiful bird!
A hearty congratulations to Garrett for his first prize in identifying 432 birds in 2021! I might get lucky with 10, but that being said, I’m aiming for 25 sightings on my next trip. I loved everyone’s photos, especially the weaver at his nest.
What a brilliant idea for a competition Nick and team! Love the stories and all of the images of the various birds the team spied!
Nick you have taken beautiful foto’s and I love watching birds. Their colours differ and each one is unique in their own right. What a great idea you Rangers have, to see and mark down all the birds you have seen.
I am not a birder per se, but ever since I was given a bird stamp book as a child I have always enjoyed seeing and even photographing interesting birds. Your photo of the purple roller is delightful.
Wonderful photos Nick of all your most prized finds. 💕Recall the Paradise fly catchers from my childhood that used to nest on our property and the stunning shot of the Lilac breathed roller and Carmen bee eater. Have to say I don’t recall ever seeing a Grey headed Bush Shrike. Well done to Garrett. I’m sure 2022 might be a bumper year for you all after the tremendous rains as it seems even Europe has been blessed with some unusual sightings this year. Thanks for sharing…just love birds 💗
Nick, What a great contest! We remember one of our friends who was traveling with us challenged himself to see 100 bird species along the way in Africa, but mostly at Londolozi. When he got to number 99, he put his camera and log book down… He said “I guess I’ll just have to come back again to find the last one!”