Yvonne Fontyn trains her binoculars on the growing avitourism industry

Original article from the Financial Mail .

“It’s more than an obsession, it’s an addiction,” said Ben King, one of the foremost birders in the world, who runs KingBird Tours in New York.

King was chatting to a group who were attending the first Global Birdwatchers’ Conference, held in November in Jamnagar in the state of Gujarat, India.

Visiting the nearby Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, and observing the expensive equipment people were lugging around — the telescopes, the Rolls-Royces of binoculars and long-range cameras — I could only agree with him.

Gujarat is promoting its avitourism attractions. With its many rivers, lakes and long coastline — and a largely vegetarian population — it’s home to 350 bird species and is a haven for birders.

SA, too, has plans to grow this lucrative niche industry. Last year the department of trade & industry published its first avitourism report. SA attracts between 21000 and 40000 avitourists a year, according to the study, of which between 8000 and 16000 are foreign visitors. These tourists spend between R927m and R1,725bn/year .

More evidence that the hobby is growing is provided by Pippa Parker, publisher of Struik Nature at Random House Struik. She says: “Bird field guides are among our best-selling titles and there is undoubtedly a growing interest in birds. Sasol Birds of SA remains in our top-five natural history titles every year, and Newman’s Birds is in our top 15.”

The hobby is widespread — from those who observe birds in their garden to “twitchers”, who race from one location to the next to tick birds off their list. Birders aso make some of the best tourists; wealthier and better educated than other tourists, they are eco-friendly and generally interested in other aspects of tourism such as wildlife and culture.

For people who have left the fast lane, a spot of avitourism may be a reward at the end of a demanding career. Speaking on his cellphone from deep in the Eastern Cape, keen avitourist Alan Knott- Craig, the former CEO of Vodacom, says: “Having a two-year trade restraint has enabled my wife and I to travel widely in Southern Africa. She is actually the bird expert, while I take photographs.”

Knott-Craig has invested in photographic equipment worth thousands in pursuit of his passion, and recently published a book of his bird photography.

Another keen birder is former Exxaro CEO Con Fauconnier, who says he and his wife have tended to concentrate on birding in Southern Africa. “But this year we will be travelling to Oregon, on a nostalgic trip to the place where I did my MBA, and then to Alaska for the wildlife and birds. Wherever we go, we include some birding.”

South Africans tend to be Southern African listers, so are not particularly keen on birding outside the region, says Marje Hemp of Birding Africa tour company. “As they gain more in experience, they look at the rest of Africa. American and British birders are also keen on Southern African destinations.”

Hardcore “worldlisters” are mainly interested in seeing endemics, specials and rare and difficult birds, says Hemp. “More relaxed birders, often families or couples, are keen on seeing all aspects of nature, including birds.”

If you aspire to being a worldlister, there are several companies offering trips for both leisure tourists and twitchers.

Adam Riley, MD of Rockjumper Birding Tours, based in Pietermaritzburg, says tours for hardcore birders are generally longer (24- 26 days) and target every endemic and special bird of the destination.

“These tours often include just one-night stays in many areas and long drives to remote locations, often just for one or two species,” he adds. “Days usually entail predawn to dusk birding, and sometimes even nocturnal activities, with the participants all very eager, and often they discuss little besides birds during their trip!

“But the bulk of our tours are ‘Classic’ tours, spending two to four nights at each location, with time to watch, appreciate and learn about the birds as well as taking in the highlights of each region, be they mammalian, historical or cultural. Our guides have the opportunity to mentor the participants on bird identification and behaviour.”

Riley says Rockjumper has grown substantially since inception in 1988, with a dip during 2009-2010. “But based on forward bookings, 2011 looks like it will be a bumper year.”

He believes the birding trend is influenced by growth in awareness of the environment and conservation. “In addition, many people now perceive birding as a sport rather than a gentle pastime. The New York Times recently published a birding article in its sports section. Publicity has also fuelled this growth; this includes high-quality bird field guides, birding PDA software, books on or by prominent birders, TV shows and even a Hollywood movie on birding in production at the moment.”

Rockjumper offers trips to such exotic locations as the Antarctic, where penguins, albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters can be seen, among the 50 species on offer; Bhutan, where the Himalayan monal, satyr tragopan, white- bellied heron, ibisbill and rufous- necked hornbill can be seen, among the 350 species that live there; Cuba to see the bee hummingbird, Cuban trogon, Cuban gnatcatcher and critically endangered Zapata rail, among others; and Ethiopia to see the spot-breasted lapwing, blue- winged goose, Rouget’s rail, yellow-fronted parrot and wattled ibis, among the expected 475-500 species. In addition, each of these destinations offers interesting mammal and cultural life.

If you have never been birding before and are keen to start, it’s best to join your local bird club and participate in the outings, which are usually led by experienced birders to nearby locations. “Once you have a grip on your local birds, the world is your oyster,” says Riley.