Merlin from Cornell University does have a South African bird pack that will do identification from a photo and will recognize some birds sounds of South African bird but it tends to be the birds that migrate to/from the EU. There is another app from Cornell, Birdnet, that will ID the sounds of about 3000 different birds and tell you a confidence level in the sound ID. Merlin and Birdnet are both free. Both apps are trained using the photos and audio that are added to eBird checklist as well as the Macaulay library. So the more observations, photos, and audio added from South Africa, the more accurate the range maps become, the more accurate the photo ID will become, and as more audio is added then audio ID will be available for South Africa.

What is the warning call of an african horn bill whwn it spots humans?

Very comprehensive and informative. Thank you.

Fascinating presentation. Thank you.

Thanks for this valuable work, BirdLife team - and well done on a great presentation, Jess.

Highly informative. Thank you.

Thank you, this is both informative and exciting! I am looking forward to being a part of Flocking to Marion in January 2025!

How utterly shocking and disquiting... Thank you!

Oh my gosh, Clarissa Mars is a brilliant presenter! She makes it so personal and entertaining, while still being totally factual. She is a delight to listen to. Overall, very interesting and inspiring to know the work that is being done to prevent bird strikes, so important as we move towards more renewable energy. Just a question regarding the wind farms near J Bay and Humansdorp in Eastern Cape - are there monitors and shutdown on demand initiatives there too? Or are there fewer priority species in that area?

Great presentation, loved it, maybe a small mention should have been made about the Lammergeier ( Bearded Vulture)

What a fantastic talk!!! Absolutely loved it! Could you please do a talk on how to listen to calls and identify birds by their calls?

Hello guys am from gambia 🇬🇲 I have Ben flowing.birdlife for more than 8 yeas now .an I want to be pat of Birdlife. It's the work I do in gambia from 2006 upto now .

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Very interesting topic & presentation, thank you Justin

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Brilliant!!

That was both fascinating and very entertaining! Faansie's presentation style had me chuckling, I'd love to hear more conversations with him. 😀

Dankie Faansie, weereens n uiters interessante voorlegging van jou!

This is incredible! Thank you for sharing with us

Are Yellow-Billed Hornbills protected in South Africa?

What a fantastic resource. Thank you so much! Can’t believe this wonderful information isn’t behind a paywall. I am planning my trip and have watched the whole video at least twice already. I know it will be the first of many.

Excellent presentation.

Thank you so much for sharing detailed information about South African birds. Thank you for the great video.

Excellent presentation about an immensely important project.

From the presenter: Two other key points I omitted and would like to mention here are: 1. Birding is capable of getting one into a form of psychological "flow state" ... what you might term as "being in the zone". This state can emerge spontaneously and is often catalysed by curiosity, heightened concentration and sustained engagement. Being “in the flow” releases endorphins, quietens mental chatter, enhances perception and this delivers a profound sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. 2. It is hypothesised that a key reason that birdsong is soothing for the nervous system is rooted in our evolutionary history. Birds tend to sing more when danger is absent. When they sense danger, they fall silent or sharply alarm. So hearing birdsong could be a subconscious cue for our primal mind that it's safe and ok to relax and feel at ease. However this needs to be nuanced as it depends on which predator and various other circumstances, such as what the predator is doing or whether it has recently eaten. Also bird language dynamics is very much dependent on the ecosystem (eg forest vs savanna) and clearly not all dangerous animals to humans in our landscapes (eg elephant, buffalo and rhino) will reliably produce bird alarms, silences or song. In general, what’s more likely is that people relax when they hear bird sound because they start paying attention to their senses in a more peripheral, stereo 'soft fascination' way, which is usually relaxing for the nervous system. Thanks, Matt Z

Strongly agree, the sound of birds has such a calming effect on me. Especially in the summer mornings in my plot when I hear the mellow sound of the Southern Boubou, the beautiful sound of African Grey hornbill and even a thin sound Blue Waxbill and Dark capped bulbul. I cannot imagine life without birds. Lets all join hands in protecting our birds.

Great words of wisdom from Dr Zylstra - get into nature and do some birding to restore your soul.

Great presentations, well done on this important work, which is worthy of support

Incredible 🤩 Can’t wait to take my two young sons. Needs more promotion… was only aware of it through Birdle 🙏

Wonderful initiative and an excellent promo video 🎉

Great news. 🤎

Excellent presentation and fantastic work being done. Thank you Ben and thanks to Bird Life South Africa 🇿🇦

Very interesting. Thank you. Could South Africa become an exporter of solar and wind generated power?

A good reminder of the work that lies ahead for the future of our economy and state of our planet. A just transition to a new energy future is vital for the survival of birds and biodiversity.

promo sm

Thanks for this video - I'm planning on a visit next year and this has been so helpful 👍

Stunning presentation, well done to all, how does one get onto the WhatsApp group ?

What about White River? I love White River.

Thanks that was so enriching. So agree with them backyard scenario to get people interested

Well done Kyle!!! Will be visiting in April🎉

Great content. Its my first time on your channel, lots of learning. Thank you.

Question 9 is incorrect- it does not have the option for a spotted honeyguide

Another informative and interesting presentation, thank you!

How do I get the full podcast with lances beginner advice in identifying birds?

I own a boat and have been doing cruises on Swartvlei lake near Sedgefield for 20 years, and I'm well aquinted with birds on the lake, how do I get onto your birding destinations list in the garden route ?

Who knew there was so much to know about binoculars! ;-) Good to know there are so many supporting apps and books out there for us novices.

Thank you and I am really looking forward to this course!