There is a particular kind of magic in watching an Osprey pair tend to their three chicks near a nest of strategically placed sticks, live, on a screen inside one of Rutland Water’s many wooden bird hides. I suppose it is the same magic that draws a birder to a fynbos trail before dawn, or to a patch of seasonally flooded grassland in summer. That magic, and the industry built around searching for, observing and working in birding in South Africa, is what I represented for a week in July at the Global Birdfair in Oakham, England.
This is a fair that carries real weight. It began in 1989, initially as the British Birdwatching Fair, and went on to channel more than £4.6-million into BirdLife International’s conservation work before pausing in 2021. It returned in 2022 as the Global Birdfair, relaunched by founder Tim Appleton MBE alongside Penny Robinson – the same pair who run the event today.
Avitourism, described as a ‘niche segment of ecotourism built around birdwatching’, is more like a covenant. Birders travel to see rare, beautiful and localised species. In doing so, and if the systems around them are built right, they are able to fund the reserves, guides and communities that protect the habitat those species need to survive. A Cape Parrot or Wattled Crane becomes worth more alive and visited than it ever could otherwise. That is the pitch, and it is one South Africa is exceptionally well positioned to make.
At the fair, as part of BirdLife South Africa’s efforts to showcase avitourism in our country, I presented a talk about the various ‘Flock’ events we organise and the ‘Flock’ brand as a whole. It was important to use the platform to show an international audience how expeditions such as our famed Flock to Marion voyages have been used to grow BirdLife South Africa’s brand, raise crucial conservation funds and deepen support for our work
Just as valuable were the conversations happening offstage. Discussions with our partners and supporters enhanced existing relationships and opened doors to further collaboration, and conversations with BirdLife Partners from across Africa and beyond signalled an appetite to share elsewhere on our continent South Africa’s model of linking bird tourism to sustainable livelihoods while benefitting conservation.
The theme for this year’s fair, ‘Preventing island extinctions’, featured a partnership with BirdLife International to spotlight the endemic birds of São Tomé and Príncipe, with the Dwarf Ibis as a flagship species. Working live at the event, artists painted a mural that celebrated the endemic species of São Tomé and Príncipe, illustrating species that birdfair visitors may never see – but they will, perhaps, help pay for their protection.
An event of this magnitude reiterated just how large – and at the same time small – the birding community is. It runs on relationships that are often built over excitement, shared binoculars, muddy shoes and stories about ‘the one that got away’. And it reaffirmed how well we, as a nation, are positioned to cater to global birders.
We look forward to continuing our engagement with the international birding community, flying BirdLife South Africa’s flag high and encouraging people to visit our wonderful country in their pursuit of birds.
