editorial
I have some important news to share with you all. This issue of Africa – Birds & Birding will be the last one published as a stand-alone sister magazine to Africa Geographic. For some of you this will already be old news, especially for FaceBook and other social media aficionados, but for others it may come as something of a shock.

But, we are certainly not forsaking the birding community that has supported us so wonderfully over the years. How so? Well, September this year will see the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the proud history of our company, as a fresh, exciting ‘new’ Africa Geographic magazine will emerge. In addition to the exceptional art­icles about Africa that our readers have come to expect, the enlarged new-look magazine will incorporate the very best of Africa – Birds & Birding, with entertaining, informative articles about birds, complete with inspiring photographs for the enjoyment of everyone, but especially you, our wide and passionate community of birders.

So, for all you birders out there, rest assured that all the standards of edit­orial and production excellence with which the Africa Geographic brand has been synonymous over almost two decades will remain the cornerstones of your magazine. But now the combination of additional pages and a much larger combined reach into the world will give us an even more powerful platform to tell the story of Africa’s unparalleled wealth of wild creatures and places. For a glimpse of what lies in store, have a look at the highlights we have lined up for you in September (see page 34).
Also, Africa – Birds & Birding will continue to live in the digital world through the vibrant 24/7 platforms of social media, including a very active blog site. These great forums will carry on providing all of you with oppor­tunities to share your photography and special experiences and will continue to enable us to stay in immediate contact with you.

After reading this announcement, our subscribers, many of whom have been loyal readers from the outset, will wonder how their subscriptions will be affected. Rather than try to summarise all the possible permutations here, we have prepared an insert for you to refer to. In addition, all subscribers will be hearing from us via mail, e-mail or fax and we will have posts on our blog site as well as on Facebook. You are also most welcome to use any of the contact details in this magazine to reach us directly with your questions. And if you would like to communicate directly with me, you may do so as well at Peter.Borchert@africageographic.com.

Your support has helped us to consistently set what is widely considered to have been the best birding magazine in the world. This is a tribute to our readers, advertisers, suppliers, contributors and not least a hugely talented production team brilliantly led by the magazine’s editor Eve Gracie. Thank you all – the tradition will continue.

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features

South Africa’s Blue Swallows in trouble

Of all the Blue Swallow’s major range states, South Africa is the one where its populations are most in peril. With fewer than 40 nesting pairs and only 100 individual birds remaining, the future for this species looks increasingly bleak.

Tree huggers

Photographer Ronan Donovan focuses on some of the forest bird species of Central and West Africa, many of which are at risk from rampant logging activities in those regions.

The family way

Mike Buckham describes his early start in birding and how his enthusiasm has infected other members of his family.

Birding by ear

In the first of a three-part series on how to become a better birder, Faansie Peacock speculates that, if given a choice
between going blind or deaf, he suspects that many serious birders would choose to forsake their power of sight.

Ethics in birding

Trevor Hardaker fine-tunes the dos and don’ts – both moral and practical – of birders’ behaviour when out in the field.

Birding out of Africa: Camargue

Populations of Greater Flamingos occur not just in Africa but also in Mediterranean countries. Earlier this year a dramatic weather event in the South of France caught these leggy migrants unawares, with fatal consequences.