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Have a look at this list of Fieldguides

I've been using:
Sasol Larger Illustrated Guide To Birds Of Southern Africa
Author(s): Ian Sinclair; Phil Hockey
Publisher: Struik Publishers
ISBN: 1770072438
Published: 2005

Also available in Afrikaans. It is the most updated guide if I'm not mistaken. All the others are getting a bit old. Haven't had a need for any of the others for id in the field. Back at home I might use specific/specialised guides on pipits, waders and raptors.

Cougar, what Newman's shows is a distribution map and the colour indicates whether it is resident all year round or seasonal (usually summer only). I wouldn't know percentages, but can say it is unlikely many of the summer visitors\migrants will have arrived that early.

For those of you who might be looking for a new bird field guide or a gift for the birder in the family: The all new Robert's Field guide (English version) will be available in October. The Afrikaans translation is almost complete and will be available a little bit later. Looking at some of the illustrations and other info it should set a new benchmark for future field guides.

Have a look at this page for more info.

There is also a book in the pipeline with all the regional sub-species and also a new Robert's dedicated to birds of the Kruger Park.

Some great illustrations.

I really like the idea of annotated plates.

Definitely on the wish list

Thanx Johann, mmmm they have to be mine...

That looks like a very good guide, and very cheap as well at R175!

This I find a little.... Especially the last sentence

Unfortunately DQ, that is most often the only chance a lot of people would get to see a nightjar. And they are terribly difficult to seperate on a quick sighting otherwise.

Sorry that one of the more macabre birding practices upsets you DQ. But it is fact that picking up road-killed nightjars offers the best oppotunity to get to know these very difficult (from an ID-point-of-view) feathered friends better. It is also fact that, for some reason, nightjars are often roadkill victims and many birders, including myself, plan their birding such as to arrive such on roads soon after sunrise when those kills are still fresh and relatively undamaged. As an aside - I have found some kills so fresh that the louseflies were still active in the birds feathers!

This way we develop our own database of ID features that becomes useful in assisting the ID of live birds seen later on in one's birding adventures. I must still collect plenty specimens before my database will become useful. Unfortunately for the nightjars, and fortunately for me, they (the nightjars) continue their suicide mission.

I just received my latest purchase from Kalahari.net titled The Shorebird Guide. I saw this book in September when Johann and I went birding as it was lying in his car.

It contains over 300 pages of photos of shorebirds and although the publication's focus is on the shorebirds of North America many do occur in South Africa so the book is quite useful.

The colour photo plates shows the bird in different plumage stages and sometimes also with other bird species of similar size. On the photo page there is a page reference to a section in the back of the book where behaviour, migration, moult etc is discussed.

The book is not much bigger than my SASOL 3rd edition so can easily be taken with on a field visit.

Below a scan of the pages on Curlew Sandpiper



If you consider buying this book through Kalahari.net be aware that they offer two options. One comes from USA and takes 10 working days the other from SA and takes 5 working days. The SA option is however R160 more expensive so rather wait the extra 5 days

maybe somebody can help me find a book:BIRDS OF THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK. i would love to own a copy of this book or tell were i can get a copy of the book.

Hi and welcome, rageltjie
The only copies I can find are in USA or UK.
Take a look here

Happy birding!

thanks freda. i appreciate it

Great book, with all the much nicer names!

Its a shame that Newman (or someone else) hasn't brought out an updated version. Its really helpful to have the impossible birds eliminated when trying to identify one.

Richard