Being a birder can be lonely; our appreciation of birds has us creeping out of warm beds while the stars are still out, stalking through frosty grasslands and winding along dusty farm roads in search of that next special encounter. All too rarely do we meet others who understand the joy this pursuit brings.
That’s why the South African Bird Fair is such a special day; it is an opportunity to celebrate not only the birds we work to protect, but also the passionate and generous community of birders and nature lovers who keep this whole show on the road. Organised with the support of Chamberlain, the fair brought together more than 1000 people at SANBI’s Pretoria National Botanical Garden on 5 September 2026, demonstrating what the Sociable Weaver already knows: there’s happiness in numbers!
Throughout the day, experts guided visitors around the gardens on birding and photography walks supported by Canon South Africa and the Young Wildlife Photographers of Southern Africa. These walks catered to all experience levels, from children to seasoned twitchers. A highlight was the live bird-ringing demonstration by a team from BirdLife Northern Gauteng, an affiliated bird club, which introduced many visitors to bird ringing and the valuable data this practice gathers.
Children were especially well catered for this year, beginning with the Lessons in Conservation workshop in the morning and continuing with many other activities throughout the day, including the Vulture Conservation Project’s Scavenger Hunt, held to honour the annual International Vulture Awareness Day. Special thanks to Italtile for supporting the event’s Children’s Programme.
Exhibitors in the expo area included suppliers of some of the country’s best optics and photographic equipment, and the team behind African Birdlife magazine, as well as displays of artwork, garden-friendly kit for urban birds, work by various conservation organisations including our own staff, travel opportunities, and much more. The Firefinch app exhibit featured an educational video game in which players took control of Rudi, a Pied Kingfisher, on a fishing expedition. It was a big hit with visitors of all ages!
Another popular feature was the Ford Wildlife Foundation Conservation Talks, a series of presentations on a wide range of conservation topics that ran throughout the day. From a talk on the 2026 Bird of the Year, the Black Harrier, to insights gained from a year of living on remote Marion Island, these talks attracted hundreds of engaged visitors. In a similar vein, Jonathan Ball Publishers’ Author’s Corner saw a steady stream of visitors eager to meet top authors and have their books signed.
All eyes were on the concert stage in the early afternoon as the brilliant entertainer Themba Robin helped us present what we have named the “Call of the Hadeda” competition. Dozens of spectators became participants as they took to the stage and regaled the audience with their best Hadeda Ibis imitations. Bonus points were awarded for innovation and sheer volume, as determined by our panel of judges, and the three top contestants walked away with signed copies of Eddie Germiquet’s wonderful new book, South African Birds by Name. The overall winner, chosen after she even fooled the Merlin Bird ID sound-recognition tool, received a Canon video camera sponsored by Firefinch.
We offer our deepest thanks to our chief sponsor, Chamberlain, as well as Canon South Africa, Ford Wildlife Foundation, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Italtile, and all the other exhibitors who made this event possible. We also thank every one of you who attended or supported the fair from afar, and for the community you help create. Without you, we could not continue Giving Conservation Wings. Thank you, and see you next year!
