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Familiar Chat
Publication name | Publication Type | Description | File Attachment |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-June 2011 | Familiar Chat |
Its a bitterly cold, unseasonably wet morning as I write this, making me think of global warming and the climate changes being experienced around the world. To keep a finger on the pulse of what is happening in Botswana’s bird world, please read Keddy’s report on page 5 and heed BLB’s plea to add your contribution to Bird Population Monitoring. Kabo Ditshane’s real life piece on page 4 tells us what birds meant to him as a small boy growing up in a village. It is thoughtprovoking and utterly honest. The articles on pages 2 and 8 reflect the growing interaction of BLB with children and rural communities - a good reflection of BLB’s core work. Keep warm & cheers ’til spring. Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-March 2011 | Familiar Chat |
This quarter’s Chat features two articles by Peter D’Arcy and one from Nicky Bousfield on bird ringing - a fascinating and hugely challenging activity. If anyone is interested in learning more about this or would like to join a ringing session, please contact Peter at darcybotswana@yahoo.com Also don’t miss Mike Brook’s interesting item on herons in Notwane and Bob Izzett’s delightful piece inspired by watching the goings on at his bird table at SSKA site office. An important request - If you are reading this, please drop me a line at the email below, sms me on 75652974. We need to know. Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-September 2010 | Familiar Chat |
Our annual BLB dinner will be on Sat 25th September, 19:00 for 19:30 at the Gaborone Golf Club. The guest speaker will be Mark Anderson of BirdLife SA. The cost is P150 and all Members are invited to attend. It should be an excellent affair and is one of the main events on our calendar. Please buy your tickets early to avoid disappointment - on sale at the BLB Office in Kgale Siding or at the shop in the Craft Market, Broadhurst. There will be eight people to a table so you may reserve Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-June 2010 | Familiar Chat |
A highlight of the BitdLife Botswana year, and quickly becoming a tradition, is the annual World Migratory Bird Day celebrations. This year’s event was even bigger than last year, attracting more than 500 schoolchildren and nearly 50 teachers! Reaching the hearts and minds of our youngsters, the future custodians of our fragile planet, is of inestimable value. Please read Keddy’s report on page 2 and 3 to see the impact BLB is having. Well done Keddy! There are wonderful personal Please renew your membership if you haven’t already done so. Your subscriptions are greatly appreciated and much needed and we ask that Members encourage new recruits to join BLB to further the cause of bird conservation in Botswana. Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-March 2010 | Familiar Chat |
Despite the lack of unity and concrete agreements reached at the Copenhagen conference last December (UNFCCC), it seems a number of world leaders are seeing Please renew your membership if you haven’t already done so and send me your F Chat contributions! Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-December 2009 | Familiar Chat |
Looking back at the 2009 birding year brings many happy recollections - many outstanding Sunday walks to out of the way places and many, many new faces, often from other parts of the world. Some folk are just passing through but most are in Botswana to add their expertise, share their experience and enrich lives - their own and others. International exchange and commitment to far-reaching reforms to slow global warming is easily the most important issue in the world today. Don’t miss the press release from BirdLife International on page 2 which spells out the 5 key actions BLI want the world’s political leaders, meeting in Copenhagen, to take. If you are reading this electronically, do double click on ‘click to advance’ below the adjacent bird for a delightful power point presentation on the persistence and resilience of birds — we have a lot to learn from these wonderful creatures that we love and need to protect in every way we can. I wish you all a happy and safe festive season and I hope to see you in 2010. Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-September 2009 | Familiar Chat |
It’s funny how the collective mind works - just a few weeks ago, Mark and I were talking about the yellow morph of the Crimson-breasted Shrike and how we would love to see one. Then a BLB member, quite out of the blue, told me she thought she had seen one in Mokolodi, hotly poohpoohed (sp?) by her husband. Never-the-less every Sunday (Dogsday), on our walk through the Mokolodi bush we still look for it. Then in Maun, up pops the bird, photographed by Ken Oake, adjacent, and a huge amount of excitement is engendered when those who attended the BLB board meeting saw it too. See Ian White’s pic, taken on another day, on BLB’s Flickr site. I am yellow with envy. All I saw in the Cape was crows (oh and some fabulous flamingos). In this issue look out for the story on the predicament of Lake Natron’s flamingos on page 4 and the plight of vultures in Africa on page 7. It is up to us all to get involved with BLB initiatives such as Common Bird Monitoring (see page 8), Tickbird and the Familiar Chat, so please sign up, turn up and turn on for birds in Botswana! Eugenie Skelton — editor skelton@home.co.bw |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-June 2009 | Familiar Chat |
The relatively serious content of this newsletter reflects the global concern for the state of the world and the importance of birds as indicators of it. In addition it Therefore I ask yet again, for birds’ sake, for more of your stories, ideas and feedback. Don’t miss Keddy’s report on page 2, of the delightful World Migratory Eugenie Skelton — editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-March 2009 | Familiar Chat |
Summer is on its way out and what a bumper season it has been! Wonderful rains have really soaked the ground and the bush is thick and full of fruit and berries. I don’t think I have ever seen so many varieties of butterflies and insects and of course that means a bumper year for birds with plentiful food for hungry babies. The Grewia bushes have put on an extra flush of flowers and fruit and many leaves are tightly wrapped with silk threads enclosing juicy larvae. The birds are having a good time! Harold writes of his trip to New Zealand, on page 3, and the silence of the forests there, quite different to Botswana where we are blessed with so much activity and birdsong. Don’t miss Nicky’s delightful notes from Francistown on page 5 — her insights into bird behaviour are based on a lifetime of close observation and love of birds. Protecting Africa’s IBAs, on page 8, talks of Kenya & Zambia, but relates closely to our own experiences and has messages for us too. In closing I once more ask for feedback and contributions. I really would love to hear from you. Eugenie Skelton — editor skelton@home.co.bw |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-December 2008 | Familiar Chat |
2008 has come and almost gone ! The Board of BirdLife Botswana wish all our readers and supporters a most restful and happy Festive Season and good Eugenie Skelton - editor" |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-September 2008 | Familiar Chat |
It has been a year since I took over the reins of the Familiar Chat and to herald the season of rebirth I decided to cast off the old feathers and bring in a new look! Hope you like it. I just love Spring with its promise of more birds, lots of breeding activity and the freshness of new flowers and foliage.. The sunbirds are thrilled too, twittering amongst the Acacia mellifera (meaning honey-bearing) and Aloe marlothii blooms and the Magpie (Longtailed) Shrikes are a delight with their musical whistling delivered from the tops of tall trees. In this issue, don’t miss the new children’s page or Pete’s report on the Trans-Okavango Bird Transect carried out last spring. The first report from our strong new branch in Jwaneng is on page 7 and we are delighted that Ghanzi now has a branch too, under the leadership of Lorraine Boast (from Cheetah Conservation), and Kasane is under the new leadership of Lyn Francey and Pete Laver. To all our BirdLife branches, may you grow from strength to strength and we hope to see many of you at the Annual Dinner on the 18th October. See the adjacent column for details. Don’t forget to send me your ideas and contributions - I would love some feedback! Eugenie Skelton NEW FOR KIDS! Our first page specially for younger readers, features on page 11. Our thanks go to Doreen McColaugh for her ongoing dedication to Environmental Education in IF ANYONE CAN CAN BLB Annual Dinner At the Hesters, Mogorosi, Plot 30A, Notwane Tickets available at the BLB shop, and Crafts, in the Craft Centre, Broadhurst . Numbers are limited so please buy your tickets early In This Issue September is the month of the Trans-Okavango Bird Transect. This annual scientific expedition is the brainchild of Maun businessman, Lars Elvenes, and provides the opportunity for BirdLife Botswana and the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre to collect monitoring data from throughout the length of the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is regarded as an Important Bird Area (IBA) following BirdLife International criteria:
The Trans-Okavango Bird Transect provides an opportunity to monitor many of these key bird species. Globally threatened birds Information was collected on every globally threatened bird seen; however sightings of Wattled Cranes and Slaty Egrets were relatively few. Comprehensive and very useful information was obtained |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-June 2008 | Familiar Chat |
With the winter solstice almost here, we are half way through winter already! The current mild temperatures make birding a pleasure, so do get out as much as you can and submit your bird sightings to our Tickbird website. By following the easy steps in Pete’s article on p 3 even the most technologically challenged readers Eugenie Skelton – editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-March 2008 | Familiar Chat |
The new year has continued to bring wonderful rain and with it a population explosion of seemingly everything. Of course that means a great breeding season for birds and indeed this summer has meant countless hours watching the comings and goings in the garden. The berries and caterpillars on the Grewia bushes, the clear vantage point from the half dead Peltophorum africanum and our small pond have been constant favourites for the birds and hence brought great birding to Eugenie Skelton – editor |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-December 2007 | Familiar Chat |
Another year is nearly over and perhaps it is a good time to reflect on the status of birds in Botswana. The pressures on habitat are ever increasing and the proposed sugar cane plantation near Kasane is perhaps the greatest threat. 10,000 hectares of prime Chobe Forest presently supports several bird species endemic to the region, including the Miombo Rock Thrush, Green-capped Eremomela, Stierling’s (Barred) Wren-warbler and the Black-eared Seed-eater (Canary). It is here that a group of South African farmers propose to clear the Miombo and Baikaeia woodland to grow sugar cane, a product that is already in surplus world-wide. Birdlife Please renew your membership as it runs from January to December each year. A form is available on page 11. Remember too, that we greatly welcome contributions or suggestions. This is your newsletter and needs to reflect your birding interests, observations and ideas as well as being informative on Birdlife matters! My email address is skelton@home.co.bw. |
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Familiar Chat Back Issues-September 2007 | Familiar Chat |
Another year is nearly over and perhaps it is a good time to reflect on the status of birds in Botswana. The pressures on habitat are ever increasing and the proposed sugar cane plantation near Kasane is perhaps the greatest threat. 10,000 hectares of prime Chobe Forest presently supports several bird species endemic to the region, including the Miombo Rock Thrush, Green-capped Eremomela, Stierling’s (Barred) Wren-warbler and the Black-eared Seed-eater (Canary). It is here that a group of South African farmers propose to clear the Miombo and Baikaeia woodland to grow sugar cane, a product that is already in surplus world-wide. Birdlife My email address is skelton@home.co.bw. |
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