editorial
It is good to see fresh young talent coming to the fore in the demanding, highly competitive field of bird photography, and even more so when this results in a stunning cover image for our magazine. The outstanding photograph of two Swift Terns locked in aerial combat over a fish is a real winner, so congratulations to Kirsten Frost – I hope we will see a lot of your work in the years to come.

competitions
Subscribe and win You could win a Monty Brett identification course.

travel with us
Learn how to take great bird images! Join Albert Froneman on our photographic safari to Botswana.

cover story

Tough times for seabirds

As the world watches with mounting concern the ecological disaster resulting from the ongoing gush in the Gulf of Mexico, South Africa marks the 10-year anniversary of the wreck of the Treasure, which saw almost 20 000 African Penguins oiled. Peter Ryan introduces this issue’s special focus on the critical conditions facing seabirds.

Rehab at Recife

Marine wildlife in the Eastern Cape has been given a helping hand with the upgrading of the South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre outside Port Elizabeth.

The great penguin debate

The African Penguin has been officially uplisted from Vulnerable to Endangered as a result of the alarmingly
rapid population decreases that it is experiencing.

Going in for the krill

It is not only declining fish stocks that are taking a toll on birds’ ability to survive. Now the shrimp-like krill, one of the staple foods for penguins and other seabirds in the Southern Ocean, is in danger of being over-harvested.

Neighbourhood stalker

A Gabar Goshawk’s valiant attempts to ambush its prey are perfectly captured by photographer Chris van Rooyen.

Killing Cock Robin

Ranger James Crookes’s graphic portrayal of a very rare phenomenon: two Bearded Scrub-Robins in a fight to the death.

Birding out of Africa: New Mexico

Ray Tipper visits Bosque del Apache in New Mexico, one of the iconic birding destinations in the US, and revels in its clouds of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes.