African Wildlife & Environment Issue 84 2023

GOOD READS

My friend and veteran airline pilot, Captain Karl Jensen, has the answer:“Because they can fly!” I got my own first bird book as a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle when I was seven years old. The illustrations were tiny, fuzzy and rather dull, but Leonard Gill’s First Guide to South African Birds ignited an interest that has lasted all my life. By contrast, some of today’s kids may get their lucky hands on this superb new publication that brings the world of birds to life as never before. Hopefully it will also spark a life-long fascination with birds and their incredible world! The author knows a lot about birds, for she has an Honours degree in Ornithology from the University of Cape Town. But she also has a special talent for making birds interesting and accessible to children, and has compiled a beautiful book that is both informative and inspiring. It is full of excellent bird photographs that are enhanced for visual impact and display the incredible colours, shapes and variety of the rich bird fauna of Southern Africa. The introductory chapters deal with habitats, anatomy, feathers, senses, songs and calls, feeding, breeding, eggs, parasites and migration.

We then move on to the different taxonomic groups, starting with seabirds, then freshwater types, ground birds like the ostrich, guineafowls, francolins, cranes and bustards. Next are the raptors and vultures and nocturnal birds, followed by birds of bush and woodlands, rollers, parrots, swallows and swifts. Seed-eaters are next up, then ‘LBJs’, doves and pigeons and a chapter on urban birds. In this last group we find our friends the noisy hadedas, which certainly were not urban birds when gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand. Today they are very much part of our lives. A recent cartoon showed a couple in bed being roused at daybreak by the harsh raucous rasp of a hadeda – the title of the sketch: “The only reliable service left in Johannesburg!” This excellent book will interest and fascinate children and it is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers alike. Perhaps some of those kids will become ornithologists, conservationists and people caring for the planet; perhaps a Minister for the Environment? Thank you to Struik Nature for another terrific building block for our next generation!

THE WONDERS OF DESERT LIFE: A COMPELLING, IN-DEPTH READ THE LIVING DESERTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Barry Lovegrove

A DEFINITIVE NEW EDITION OF A CLASSIC AVAILABLE AT LEADING BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE & ONLINE

Join the Struik Nature Club for online talks and events, special offers, prizes and upcoming natural history publications: www.struiknatureclub.co.za

8 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 84 (2023)