African Ringing Expeditions

For upcoming Bird Ringing Courses see: http://thebdi.org/upcoming-bdi-events/

The Biodiversity & Development Institute (BDI) is a non-profit research entity in South Africa. We are offering unique and immersive bird ringing courses in South Africa, designed to provide opportunities for ringing African birds. The bird ringing taking place during these courses contributes to long-term research projects. We have designed these courses to run for six to seven days at several different and unique locations. Thus far we had held ringing courses in the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa, with the aim of expanding to other locations throughout South Africa. Our expedition leaders are vastly experienced ringers who have PhDs based on ornithological topics. For the course venues, we carefully select sites to maximise the number of species that can be netted and ringed. We also make sure to provide safe and comfortable accommodation options, hearty South African food, and a superb overall experience!

We take care of accommodation, food, and all of the bird ringing equipment. All bird ringing occurs under our permits and under the auspices of the South African Ringing Scheme (SAFRING). Our bird ringing courses provide wonderful opportunities to ring African birds, to interact with local ornithologists and conservationists, to contribute to important long-term citizen-science projects, and to experience delightful accommodation in spectacular landscapes. In this series of linked pages we will highlight some of the details of our courses, including more information about who we are, what we do and why we are passionate about these bird ringing courses, what happens during an course, where the courses occur, and when they occur. More details can be obtained by contacting us directly. We hope that you will join us on one of our future courses, and that you’ll use the course as a springboard for exploring other parts of South Africa.

Find out more about the expeditions:

General:

Bird ringing at Vondeling : 17 to 19 September 2024
29/09/2024
The BDI did a bird ringing demonstration at Vondeling Wine Farm. We were invited to show how bird ringing works to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Class of 1984. These were people who had qualified as vets in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria 40 years ago; some had retired, some were still working as vets, and some had […]
Bird ringing at Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory, southern Namibia : January to April 2023
12/09/2024
During the early part of 2023 (15 January to 20 April) a total of 3,440 birds of 56 species were ringed at the Alte Kalköfen Bird Observatory in southern Namibia (26°49’S 17°21’E). The majority of the birds were ringed around the complex of buildings that form the Alte Kalköfen Lodge; two other ringing sites on the Sandverhaar farm were also […]
Flowers and feathers: Vanrhynsdorp : 4 to 7 August 2024
11/08/2024
We visited Botuin Cottages between 4 and 7 August to enjoy the spring flowers and do some birding and ringing. Flowers and feathers. It was also a test run to evaluate whether we should repeat the initiative next year, and on a larger scale! The answer was an unambiguous YES. Read on to understand why this was such an easy decision. Plants […]
Open Day for bird ringing : Grotto Bay 31 August 2024
26/06/2024
The BDI is holding an Open Day for bird ringing on Saturday, 31 August 2024. We are hosted by the Grotto Bay Private Nature Reserve. The reserve has an area of 385 ha, and the vegetation consists of Strandveld and Sandveld. It is about 60 km north of Cape Town, turning off the R27. We meet at the Conservation Centre within the reserve. One of our […]
Bird ringing course at New Holme, Hanover, 9 to 15 September 2024
20/06/2024
One of the privileges of being a bird ringer is the opportunity to see birds up close. The opportunity to see the detail of the feathers, the colour of the eye, and the complex patterns in it, and the opportunity to grasp the reality that you don’t want to be an insect when that weapon is on the hunt for food! Bird ringers have made a vast […]

Find more of our ringing posts here.