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The Magic of the Morning Chorus
Imagine yourself early in the morning in the middle of the South African bush; the sun is just about to rise, and the wildlife begins to wake up. You close your eyes and listen. What can you hear?
Imagine yourself early in the morning in the middle of the South African bush; the sun is just about to rise, and the wildlife begins to wake up. You close your eyes and listen. What can you hear?
The newly revised Second Edition of Robert’s Birds of Greater Kruger book was released! It is a fresh and new edition, from the introduction to new chapters, habitat descriptions, checklists, distribution maps, illustrations, and photographs—and it only took three hard years to revise.
Being off the grid, Makuleke Camp runs on solar power and gas, with backup generator power for days like today. It’s heavily overcast and drizzling today, so the generator is buzzing reassuringly in the background. The camp is in a beautifully remote northern Kruger National Park, unfenced and off the cellphone reception grid. It’s a world of its own.
Take our EcoTraining Quiz this week and test your knowledge of dung beetles.
South Africa is a haven for dung beetle species biodiversity. These industrious insects play a crucial role in ecosystem health by efficiently recycling organic matter. With over 700 different species found across the country, South Africa is a global hotspot for dung beetle diversity.
Makuleke is a stunning area of northern Kruger with ample photographic opportunities, and when paired with an Instructor that knows where to look and how to go about taking the photo you get a great photographic course.
I remember that day like it was yesterday. A hot and humid early summer day in November 2020, the day my Field Guide Level 1 course started. Little did I know that from this day on, I would embark on a journey that would teach me so many things and make me leave my comfort zone. A journey that yet continues to last.
The Racket-tailed Roller has a rather limited distribution in South Africa, primarily being found in the far northeastern tip of Kruger National Park which is dominated by Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) which occurs in dense stands with limited ground cover as its understory. Let instructor Ross Hawkins explain more about this elusive bird.
South Africa is well known for its birdlife, with close to +/- 850 species recorded in the country, of which around 100 (give or take) are migratory, in other words, they don’t call South Africa their permanent home but rather spend some parts of the year beyond our borders.
“Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. We as humans are part of a naturally resilient world. Micro and macro organisms in nature have countless interrelationships that keep our natural world healthy and our modern world functional. Through our eyes, we only see the macro-organisms around us but there is so much more going on that actually sustains us beyond our modern perceptions.”
Red-billed Quelea’s are a relatively common sight in a number of South Africa’s nature reserves and farmlands. These small seed eating birds can be predominantly seen flying from food source to food source and always in big numbers. These numbers will ebb and flow depending on the amount of food available and to make it quite difficult for predators to take any individual within the flock.
Study wildlife conservation and accredited field guide courses at any of our pioneering African training camps.
Located on the banks of the Mara river,
the camp is nestled between communities
and wildlife conservancies.
Explore the untamed wilderness of Kruger
National Park’s Makuleke Concession
with EcoTraining.
Located at the confluence of the Limpopo
and Shashe Rivers, in the eastern
corner of Botswana.
A natural wonderland with free-roaming
elephants located in the Limpopo
Province of South Africa.
A unique safari destination that offers
visitors an immersive and unforgettable
experience.
Offering a diverse and rewarding
learning environment, teeming with life
and rich in ecological variety.
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