National Bird Week
3 to 8 May (South Africa)
The Sasol BirdLife South Africa National Bird Week - first launched in 2006 in - aims to raise awareness and get South Africans from all walks of life aflutter with excitement over our feathered friends. Schoolchildren are involved in the fun, with a birding competition and grand prize for the school that has the highest percentage of children participating. There are also lucky draw prizes for spotting five different species of bird. Members of the public can also qualify for the lucky prizes.
Suggested activities for schools include writing poems or stories about birds, bringing birds into art lessons, planting indigenous trees to attract birds, putting out different kinds of bird food at the school, or visiting a good birding areas close to the school.
Bird of the Year 2011: Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). The Barn Swallow (previously known as the European Swallow) is a small migratory bird which spends the summer months in South Africa. These swallows migrate from Europe/Asia into Africa, with millions of birds filling the South African sky during the summer months. They leave in autumn for their long journey north and will return later in the year, in September.
More info
- Visit the BirdLife website - click on events - Bird Week; or contact info(at)birdlife.org.za or 011-789.1122
- Contact WESSA ShareNet for a Wild about Birds Pack, on sharenet(at)wessa.co.za or 033-330.3931 (ext 124/144).
- Contact your local bird club to find out about any activities that have been planned.
Other birding Activities
Go to the Rhodes University ENVIRONMENT front page. Suggestions/Questions? Contact environment(at)ru.ac.za
