Feathers & Fun
Like a Phoenix rising out of the ashes, the Regional Bird guide course is set to be reborn in 2023. With experienced instructors and the most diverse birding province at your disposal, this is definitely a course to consider. Birding as a whole has started to pick up a lot in the industry over the last few years, with the Regional Birding Qualification being a compulsory elective for either the Advanced- or Professional Field Guide qualifications at FGASA, it has quickly become an essential certificate.
With the Eastern Cape roughly hosting 630 different bird species, it is by far the most diverse province for birding. The diversity of biomes is absolutely amazing, and within a 50km radius around our campus we have 5 different biomes to explore, and this is not even including the marine component. Amakhala Game Reserve and Ulovane campus combined is about 9000 hectares, boasting a bird list of close to 300 birds. This allows for great birding opportunities right from our front door. During the course, we do multiple drives and bushwalks on Amakhala Game Reserve and Ulovane campus, exploring and analyzing all the whistles and feathers we come across.
During this course, we take quite a few field trips around the area to really explore the diversity that the Eastern Cape has to offer. From forest trails in the coastal thickets searching for White-starred Robins and Blue-mantled Crested Flycatchers, Mountain trails looking for Verreaux’s Eagles all the way to beach walks looking for Terns and Oystercatchers, we explore our beautiful province and visit exceptional gems that the area has got to offer.
Besides the practical activities, there are an array of activities ranging from board- to computer games that test your skills against your fellow peers in an enjoyable and fun-filled way of learning how to distinguish between the massive diversity of birds that our country has to offer.
Being based in the Albany Thicket in the Eastern Cape, we put most of our focus on the Core list and Albany Thicket list of FGASA, but having such great diversity around us we are not limited to just offering the training for these two, we are able to cover the majority of the biomes and this once again allows for a great opportunity to gain experience and really sharpen your birding skills in a variety of areas.
Whether you are just looking for a birding experience to learn more about our feathered friends and their behavior, or whether you want to pursue the full Regional Birding Qualification, Ulovane is a great place to explore the wonders that birding in the Eastern Cape has to offer.
Contact me or Candice for more information and to become a part of the Twitchers in the Eastern Cape at [email protected] or candice@ulovane
Pieter Dunn – Lead Trainer Apprentice Trails & Bird Guide Trainer
“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?”
David Attenborough