Our Books:

Essential Birding: Western South Africa | Birds of Africa: South of the Sahara

Essential Birding: Western South Africa - Key Routes from Cape Town to the Kalahari

Introduction | Reviews | How to obtain a copy

Western South Africa is one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots and is legendary among international and local birders alike for the remarkable suite of birds that are found here and no-where else. This guide details how and where to find these species, as well as other eco-tourism attractions such as big game, whales and flowers. Authors Callan Cohen and Claire Spottiswoode, research students at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, link over 100 birding sites into practical routes that encompass the whole of southern and western South Africa. These range from the mountainous environs of Cape Town to the West and South coasts and inland to the famed desert regions of the Kalahari, Bushmanland and Namaqualand. The routes are well served with detailed, full colour maps, and photographs illustrating the most sought-after birds and their environments. The time-limited visitor is informed of exactly how to get to each of the regions' most rewarding birding sites, as well as what one can expect to see there, and the best times and seasons to visit. Also included are practical suggestions for trip planning and a comprehensive annotated bird list.

Reviews and comments "...this really is an essential guide for any birder visiting the Cape...a real delight to read...not only clear and easy to follow, but spot-on for locating the specialties...I recommend that you buy a copy, you may well be tempted to make plans to visit this outstanding region" Ron Johns, BIRDING WORLD "...possibly the best 'Where to find' I've ever read..." Gruff Dodd, Wales, United Kingdom “ an absolutely fantastic book...I don’t go anywhere without consulting the book beforehand… I’m already over-dependent on it.” John Maytham, CAPE TALK RADIO

"No serious birder should even consider stepping onto the Cape without this guide." Martin Birch, SURFBIRDS"Essential reading." Bo Beolens, FATBIRDER.com

“...takes you by the hand and shoves new species in front of your binoculars...hard to imagine birding without this book” Cameron Ewart-Smith, GETAWAY

“...excellent tips for finding and identifying species...a standard tool, for local and visiting birders alike” James Harrison, SA Bird Atlas, VELD & FLORA

"… linked to practical routes which encompass the whole region” Mark Johnston, SA 4x4 MAGAZINE

-Essential Birding raffled by Bill Oddie during his South Africa trip in association with AFRICA BIRDS & BIRDING.

Link here to read full online reviews on Surfbirds and The Fat Birder

Where to obtain a copy

In South Africa: Essential Birding-western South Africa is stocked by Exclusive Books, Wordsworth and Bushwillow stores throughout South Africa (price: R 89.99). It is also available at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens bookshop, any bookshop in the V&A Waterfront, international airports, at evening meetings of certain bird clubs (including the Cape, Eastern Cape and Tygerberg Bird Clubs), from the BirdLife South Africa store, or from the authors directly (see below).

United Kingdom and Europe: In the United Kingdom, Essential Birding-western South Africa is stocked by a number of mail order bookstores. We recommend purchasing a copy with Wildsounds although it is also available at the Natural History Bookstore, Subbuteo Books and Amazon.co.uk (price GBP 8.99) and worldwide online orders are accepted by these suppliers.

North America: We recommend purchasing a copy with Wildsounds although it is also available at the Natural History Bookstore, Subbuteo Books and Amazon.co.uk (price GBP 8.99) and worldwide online orders are accepted by these suppliers. We hope that American Birding Association Sales will carry this title shortly.

Direct from the authors:
If you are having trouble obtaining a copy, we are able to post copies internationally and accept Visa and Mastercard - please fill in the online form below or contact us and we'll email you a quote.

Birds of Africa: South of the Sahara Birds of Africa south of the Sahara is the first book to describe and illustrate all the bird species of the Afrotropic region, that part of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It provides unrivalled coverage of southern, East, West and Central African birds in a single, compact volume. Featuring nearly 2100 species, this guide presents more thatn 3000 captioned images over 358 colour plates, and enables easy identification through illustration of the relevant plumages (male, female, juvenile) and descriptions of identification features, habitat, status and calls of all the species. Rather than merely describing each species, emphasis is placed on the key characters separating species. Colour distribution maps summarise each species' range, and incorporate the latest atlas surveys. Despite its exceptional coverage, this volume is compact enough to use in the field and follows the standard field guide format, with text and range maps opposite the colour plates for ease of use.