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Author: Les Underhill

Prof Les Underhill was Director of the Animal Demography Unit (ADU) at the University of Cape Town from its start in 1991 until he retired. Although citizen science in biology is Les’s passion, his academic background is in mathematical statistics. He was awarded his PhD in abstract multivariate analyses in 1973 at UCT and what he likes to say about his PhD is that he solved a problem that no one has ever had. He soon grasped that this was not the field to which he wanted to devote his life, so he retrained himself as an applied statistician, solving real-world problems.
Archive/Bird ringing/Birds/Trip report

Bird ringing course at New Holme : 2 to 10 September (Part 2) : “rare is common and common is rare!”

Posted on 12/09/2023 by Les Underhill

Part 1 described the first five days of the bird ringing course at New Holme. Part 2 describes the last few days and does the overall wrap up. Let’s do th...

Archive/Bird ringing/Birds/Citizen Science

Bird ringing course at New Holme : 2 to 10 September 2023 (Part 1)

Posted on 06/09/2023 by Les Underhill

We have done five days of bird ringing at New Holme Lodge, 8 km off the N1 between Hanover and Colesberg in the Northern Cape, and exactly half way between Cape...

Archive/Bird identification/Birding/BirdPix/Birds

White-breasted Cormorant (Phalocrocorax lucidus)

Posted on 18/06/2023 by Les Underhill

Identification In theory, the White-breasted Cormorant is an easy species to identify (but there are imposters, see later). In adults the top half of the front ...

Archive/Bird identification/Birding/Birds

Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)

Posted on 21/04/2023 by Les Underhill

Identification Deciding that the bird you are looking at is an adult Kelp Gull is one of the easiest identification challenges: white head and body, black back ...

Lesser Black-backed Gull
Archive/Biodiversity/Bird identification/BirdPix/Birds/Migration

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

Posted on 06/04/2023 by Les Underhill

Identification In the interior of South Africa, almost any gull which at first glance looks like a Kelp Gull (white head and body, black back and wings) is most...

Archive/Bird ringing/Birding/Birds/Migration

The value of bird ringing to research and conservation

Posted on 31/03/2023 by Les Underhill

What do we learn from bird ringing? The first, quick and obvious answer is that ringing helps us understand movement patterns of birds. The more subtle answer i...

Hartlaub's Gull
Archive

Hartlaub’s Gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)

Posted on 12/03/2023 by Les Underhill

Identification If you are in the Western Cape, and the seagull has grey wings, then with safety** you can call it a Hartlaub’s Gull. If the back is black,...

Archive/Bird ringing/Birds/Migration

Migration in a time of war: through the battle zone

Posted on 07/04/2022 by Les Underhill

During late-April and May, Curlew Sandpipers, and lots of other migrant waders, will be migrating through Ukraine. They will be joined by many passerine migrant...

Archive/Bird ringing/Birds

Climate in Africa influences timing of migration of Willow Warblers in Poland

Posted on 06/03/2022 by Les Underhill

Since the 1980s, many migrant birds have arrived increasingly earlier in Europe in the northern hemisphere spring (March-April-May). This has often been attribu...

Eurasian Oystercatcher
Archive/Biodiversity/Bird identification/Birding/BirdPix/Birds/Citizen Science

Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)

Posted on 14/06/2021 by Les Underhill

The Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus breeds in Europe and Asia. Most move south for the northern winter. Most remain in soutern Europe, some migrate...

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  • Home
  • Departments
    • Research Training
      • Introduction
      • Research Themes
      • Study Sites
      • Logistics
    • Bird Ringing
      • Introduction
      • Ringing history
      • The Value of Bird Ringing
    • Science and Ecology Specialist Consulting
    • Citizen Science – Biodiversity Conservation & Research
    • Biodiversity Observations
  • About
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    • Contact us
  • News
    • Archive
    • BDI Research
    • BDI Bridge
    • BDInsight
  • Upcoming BDI events
  • Biodiversity Projects
    • Bird Feeder Project
    • Atlas of Frogs & Toads
    • Atlas of African Neuroptera and Megaloptera
    • Atlas of Dragonflies & Damselflies
    • Atlas of Butterflies & Moths
  • Karoo Research Centre

Recent posts

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  • Bird ringing at Strandfontein Sewage Works : …
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The Biodiversity & Development Institute is a non-profit company registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission of South Africa (CIPC), Reg. No. 2015/136344/08.
Registration in terms of the Non-Profit Organisations Act: 302-671 NPO.


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les@thebdi.org
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