Migratory birds return to Africa

This video is called Fieldwork on Trans-Saharan bird migration in west Africa.

From BirdLife:

Launch of the 2012 ‘Spring Alive’ Season in Africa

Wed, Sep 12, 2012

On 1st of September 2012, 8 African BirdLife International Partners will start their observations of migratory birds returning to spring in Africa.

At least in Africa south of the equator it is spring.

The BirdLife International Africa Partnership Secretariat is pleased to announce the launch of the 2012 Spring Alive Season in Africa. Spring Alive is an international project organised by BirdLife International, designed to promote children’s interest in nature and its conservation by highlighting the arrival of spring.

The core component of Spring Alive is a mass-participation website that is implemented in all partner countries. Citizens, but specifically children and families, are encouraged to observe and record the arrival of 5 migratory bird species each year: White Stork, Barn Swallow, Common Swift, Common Cuckoo and Eurasian Bee-eater.

This year 8 African countries; Botswana, Ghana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zimbabwe will participate in the programme. From September to the end of November 2012, many bird connected activities, engaging children, their families and friends will take place in the participating countries. On www.springalive.net participants will enter their first observations of arrivals of the five selected bird species.”

According to Thandiwe Chikomo [Spring Alive Focal Point for Africa] -“This year a record-breaking number of over 40 countries worldwide will participate in Spring Alive season. For the first time there will be 8 participants in Africa.”

This event is intended to raise awareness and appreciation of migratory birds and underscore that collaborative approaches, at different scales, are required for the conservation of the birds and their habitats.