Welcome to the March 2022 newsletter!
Upcoming BDI Events
- 15 – 19 July 2022 2022: Winter Atlas Bash – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 01 – 07 September 2022: BDI Bird Ringing Course – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 21 – 25 October 2022: Spring Atlas Bash – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 31 October – 06 November 2022: BDI Bird Ringing Course – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 03 – 07 February 2023: Summer Atlas Bash – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 03 – 06 March 2023: BDI Citizen Science Conference – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
- 31 March – 04 April 2023: Autumn Atlas Bash – Khoisan Karoo Conservancy
The Virtual Museum
The first question asked when the conservation status of a species is considered is: “Where does the species currently occur?” So up to date distribution maps are a priority. This is the objective of the Virtual Museum.
In March 2022, more records were submitted than in any previous March. The final dot on the RED line is therefore BestMarch, by a margin of 657 records. The 12,236 records for March is the fourth best month ever!
Already in April 1,184 records have been submitted. The target for BestApril is 10,348.
Thanks, Team Virtual Museum, for your ongoing contributions. Don’t hesitate to submit common species for well covered grid cells. All species in all grid cells need to be “refreshed” regularly. This prevents the distribution maps from going out of date.
BDI Bird Ringing Course
The BDI will be hosting a bird ringing course from 31 October to 6 November 2022 at New Holme Guest Farm inside the Khoisan Karoo Conservancy, near Hanover in the Northern Cape.
The course will be led by Dieter Oschadleus. Dieter was Bird Ringing Coordinator at SAFRING for 20 years and has tons of bird ringing knowledge and experience. This course is the perfect opportunity for both trainees and registered ringers. You don’t want to miss out on this awesome chance to ring birds in the Karoo wilderness!
The photo collage was made by Melisa Bel and all these birds were ringed at New Holme! For more information on the course please send an email to Megan Loftie-Eaton at megan@thebdi.org
Garden Birds of Cape Town
We will be launching the Bird Feeder Project soon! Watch this space. In the meantime, here is a species feature for you. The Bronze Mannikin.
Bronze Mannikins are conspicuous and gregarious birds, often found in small flocks. They mainly eat grass seeds and the occasional insect. They do most of their foraging on the ground, often taking advantage of bird feeders in gardens: http://thebdi.org/2022/03/23/bronze-mannikin-spermestes-cucullata/
