To my surprise, at the end of the Tawny owl project this year I was given the opportunity to be part of the team on the African White-backed Vulture ringing programme. I had a few weeks to get myself ready for my African adventure along with Andy Hinton, Gary Benton, Jane Robertson, and Adam Rose.

2 African white-backed vultures and a Lappet faced vulture

On our arrival in Kimberley we were met by Dr Mark Anderson, who has been running the vulture ringing programme for 14 years. It is a collaborative project with the Department of Tourism, Environment & Conservation, the McGregor Museum, the Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa, and The Hawk Conservancy Trust.

Gary and Angus checking a martial eagle nest

Each year African White-backed Vulture nests are visited and any chicks are weighed, their wing lengths measured, they are ringed and fitted with wing tags. The rings and tags allow the vultures to be identified and their movements and behaviours monitored. This year blood samples were taken for analysis for pesticides that could affect the vultures’ reproductive success. The purpose of the programme is to monitor the population, so if the population crashes as it did with the Oriental White-backed Vulture, the cause and a solution can be found by conservation organisations.

On our first two days on the survey, we were split into teams that each had a different area to look for the vulture nests. This meant a lot of off road driving, often standing in the back of a pick up truck. It wasn’t like looking for a needle in a haystack though as we were using GPS (Global Positioning Systems) to find most of the nests. Once a nest had been found, a ladder was propped against the tree and someone climbed the tree. This year Gary climbed most of the trees, after thorough instruction from Angus Antony the resident expert. Once through the thorny canopy of the Camelthorn Tree (Acacia erobola) a chick was waiting for its capture and gentle descent in a bag.

A tagged chick

Once safely down, the chick (often near fledging age so very large) was weighed and had its wings measured. Then two patagial wing tags were fitted and a metal ring put on its leg, both with unique numbers on. A small amount of blood was taken for analysis before the chick could go back up the tree to its nest. Once the chick was settled it was off to the next nest site; some of them were on the top of pylons! This year more than forty chicks were ringed and tagged.

Raptor watching!

A couple times of during our stay, Mark took us to see one of his greatest achievements. With some help from friends, Mark has built a new island at a place called Kampers Dam. Already a feeding site for the rare Lesser Flamingo, it is hoped the flamingos will use the island to breed on, making it only the third site in Africa! Whilst we were there things looked hopeful as we saw a lot of displaying and nest making.

Our next few days were spent building a hide at a ‘vulture restaurant’; fortunately Andy had persuaded an expert to join us. Adam took responsibility for the construction along with Angus. Whilst the boys constructed the frame and the door, Jane and I artistically painted the tin roof. We all then helped put the canvass around the frame and it was ready to be used to monitor the ringed and tagged vultures, providing information on their movements and behaviour.

Dronfield vulture restaurant hide - the team and the finished article

We had just enough time for a bit of sightseeing before going home - well, raptor spotting! On our journey to and from the Kalahari we saw vultures galore, plus a Secretary bird, Pygmy Falcons, Black Eagles, and Pale Chanting Goshawks or PCGs as they became known, as we saw so many.

Our last day came sooner than I wanted, but we had just enough time to go back to the hide to see if any vultures were there. Around sixty vultures were in the area, some circling in thermals. We even saw a Lappet-faced Vulture perched just meters from the hide. It was a success; the vultures were unperturbed by the new addition to the landscape, coming down to feed on a carcass.

Since our return, the hide has already been improved with money given by the De Beers who own the land; looks like we started something big! All we need now is to raise funds for a web cam so everyone can enjoy seeing the vultures, as if they were sat in the hide themselves.