Tim Cockcroft Birding - Guided Birding Tours

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Tim Cockcroft Birding - Guided Birding Tours Updates on local birding tours in and around Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Along with this came an interest in bird calls.

A born and bred Eastern Cape man, Tim has had an enthusiasm and passion for birds since late 1984. He had more of a curiosity as to what sound a bird made, as opposed to which bird was making a particular sound. Fast-forward to more recent times: Tim is probably best known in local circles for my ability to recognise bird calls and, in some cases, calling them out of the bush for people to see. Wh

ether he is leading a private outing, a bird club outing, or just part of the group, his skills are put to good use. Some have even dubbed him the “Bird Whisperer”. He is a registered FGASA guide and is available for tours. Tim is also known for his art, which also started at an early age. His watercolour portrayal of Southern African birds have recently started attracting the attention of birders, and is available.

My two clients had a productive morning's birding. Along the first part of our route, we had good sightings of Southern ...
02/03/2025

My two clients had a productive morning's birding. Along the first part of our route, we had good sightings of Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Black-crowned Tchagra, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Collared Sunbird and Cardinal Woodpecker. The next road into the wooded valley and beyond produced Black-headed Oriole, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Long-crested Eagle, Village Weaver and African Olive Pigeon. The grasslands a little further on yielded Denham's Bustard, African Stonechat, Long-tailed Widowbird and Pin-tailed Whydah. Along the next part of the route, we saw Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow, Jackal Buzzard, Red-knobbed Coot, White-backed Duck, Lazy Cisticola and European Bee-eater. The last part of the route was where we saw African Fish Eagle, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Little Stint and Common Tern.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

The time has come for the inevitable change in my prices for my tours. I have kept my prices the same for the last few y...
26/02/2025

The time has come for the inevitable change in my prices for my tours. I have kept my prices the same for the last few years, as long as possible. However, we all know the ever-increasing cost of living. The prices you see here will be in effect as from 1 March 2025. If you have already booked any tours for March onwards, this change will not effect what I have quoted you up until now. Thank you all for your support.

Here are my ORIGINAL unframed watercolour paintings that are currently available. Please message me for prices and sizes...
25/02/2025

Here are my ORIGINAL unframed watercolour paintings that are currently available. Please message me for prices and sizes. No NFTs.

My range of notebooks, available at Market Trader's Store and Home Base in Port Alfred, or directly from me.
25/02/2025

My range of notebooks, available at Market Trader's Store and Home Base in Port Alfred, or directly from me.

My current range of license disc stickers, still available at Market Trader's Store and Home Base in Port Alfred, or dir...
25/02/2025

My current range of license disc stickers, still available at Market Trader's Store and Home Base in Port Alfred, or directly from me.

My three clients from Germany had a good morning out birding near Bathurst. Our first stop was a bit quieter than usual,...
23/02/2025

My three clients from Germany had a good morning out birding near Bathurst. Our first stop was a bit quieter than usual, but we did manage to see Olive Thrush, Terrestrial Brownbul and Dark-backed Weaver. At other stops further on, we saw Black Saw-wing, Lesser Striped Swallow, Knysna Turaco, Black-bellied Starling, Knysna Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird and Olive Woodpecker. Just before we left Bathurst, we saw Fiscal Flycatcher and Lazy Cisticola. A detour back to Port Alfred produced a bit less than we had hoped for, but it was good seeing some Amur Falcons foraging.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

Blank notebooks with prints of my bird paintings on the front cover, R40 each, excluding courier within South Africa, Po...
21/02/2025

Blank notebooks with prints of my bird paintings on the front cover, R40 each, excluding courier within South Africa, PostNet to PostNet.
Please message me for more details.

Brand new item, license disc stickers, R25 each, excluding courier within South Africa, PostNet to PostNet.
19/02/2025

Brand new item, license disc stickers, R25 each, excluding courier within South Africa, PostNet to PostNet.

Three brand new C6 greeting card designs now available! No NFTs.
12/02/2025

Three brand new C6 greeting card designs now available! No NFTs.

My two clients had a productive full day of birding in the Bathurst and Port Alfred area. Despite a wet and drizzly star...
07/02/2025

My two clients had a productive full day of birding in the Bathurst and Port Alfred area. Despite a wet and drizzly start, we didn't do too badly. Rufous-naped Lark, Wailing Cisticola, Black-crowned Tchagra and Black-collared Barbet were seen on the first part of our trip. In Bathurst, we saw Black Saw-wing, Western House Martin, Lesser Striped Swallow, Brown-hooded Kingfisher and Sombre Greenbul. Not long after we started out on the backroads nearby, we stopped at a spot where we saw Black Cuckooshrike, Olive Bushshrike, Dark-backed Weaver and more. Further along, we stopped to see Grey Sunbird, Denham's Bustard and White-backed Duck. The birding at the estuary was fairly productive. Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Greenshank and Little Egret were seen resting and waiting for tide to drop more than it had at that point. A lone Crowned Hornbill was seen in the bush nearby, while on the sandbank we saw White-fronted Plover, Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Sandwich Tern. After lunch in Port Alfred, we went around town to look for Knysna Warbler at my usual spots. Most were "conspicuous by their absence" and the one we did find simply refused to show itself.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

C6 size blank greeting cards, printed from my original artwork. R30 each, excluding courier costs. Watch this space... m...
04/02/2025

C6 size blank greeting cards, printed from my original artwork. R30 each, excluding courier costs. Watch this space... more designs coming soon!

My two clients from Friday's tour returned for another morning of birding, this time in a different habitat. The bird ac...
03/02/2025

My two clients from Friday's tour returned for another morning of birding, this time in a different habitat. The bird activity soon came alive, with Rufous-eared Warbler, Grey-backed Cisticola, Sickle-winged Chat, and Karoo Scrub Robin showing well. White-browed Scrub Robin and Chestnut-vented Warbler sang in the same tree, while Acacia Pied Barbet perched nearby. We also managed to see White-throated Canary, White-fronted Bee-eater, Familiar Chat and Lark-like Bunting. Another side road produced Grey Tit and Malachite Sunbird. Our final stop of the morning yielded Cape Penduline-Tit and Yellow-bellied Eremomela.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My two clients really enjoyed their morning's birding near Bathurst and Port Alfred. At our first few stops around Bathu...
31/01/2025

My two clients really enjoyed their morning's birding near Bathurst and Port Alfred. At our first few stops around Bathurst, we saw Dark-backed Weaver, Black-headed Oriole, Black-bellied Starling, Green-backed Camaroptera, Olive Bushshrike, Olive Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird and Brown Scrub Robin. In the river valley, Knysna Turaco made their way through the trees, while further along the route, we saw Grey Sunbird, European Honey Buzzard, African Stonechat and Wailing Cisticola. The estuary yielded fewer species than normal, although numbers were good. Grey Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Ringed Plover and Black-winged Stilt were seen here.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My client from yesterday was back for more birding. This time we birded the areas West of Port Alfred. Our first stop wa...
30/01/2025

My client from yesterday was back for more birding. This time we birded the areas West of Port Alfred. Our first stop was the best and most productive of the morning. Olive Bushshrike, Grey Sunbird, Cape Batis, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Collared Sunbird, Black-backed Puffback and Spectacled Weaver were all seen within a short space of time. Another spot nearby produced Little Grebe, Black Crake and Yellow-billed Duck. From there, we headed for a coastal grassland route. Here, African Pipit, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Cape Sparrow, Cape Longclaw and White-faced Whistling Duck were seen. Our next stop, a large section of indigenous forest, yielded Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-headed Oriole and Green-backed Camaroptera. By now it was quite hot, and the good birding had died down considerably. On our way back to Port Alfred, we saw Tawny-flanked Prinia and Long-tailed Widowbird.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

My client had a very satisfactory morning of birding near Port Alfred. Our first stop produced specials such as Knysna W...
29/01/2025

My client had a very satisfactory morning of birding near Port Alfred. Our first stop produced specials such as Knysna Woodpecker and Narina Trogon. The next valley and onward yielded Yellow-breasted Apalis, Southern Black Tit, Dark-backed Weaver, Black-backed Puffback, White-browed Scrub Robin and Grey Sunbird in the wooded areas, while Wailing Cisticola, Long-tailed Widowbird and Crowned Lapwing were seen in the grasslands. On our way to the estuary, we saw Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, and at the estuary, Eurasian Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Kittlitz's Plover, Little Stint and Common Greenshank were present. We then took a detour back to Port Alfred, where we saw Black-crowned Tchagra and Pearl-breasted Swallow.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

Here is my current selection of notebooks, printed from my original artwork, at R40 each, excluding courier. Please mess...
22/01/2025

Here is my current selection of notebooks, printed from my original artwork, at R40 each, excluding courier. Please message me for orders or more information.

Here is my current full range of blank greeting cards printed from my original artwork, C6 size, available at R30 each, ...
22/01/2025

Here is my current full range of blank greeting cards printed from my original artwork, C6 size, available at R30 each, excluding courier. Please message me for more information. No NFTs.

My two clients from Sweden enjoyed a good morning's birding. Our first stop was at Kleinemonde, where we had good views ...
18/01/2025

My two clients from Sweden enjoyed a good morning's birding. Our first stop was at Kleinemonde, where we had good views of Dark-backed Weaver, Collared Sunbird, Southern Black Tit, Black-bellied Starling, Grey Sunbird and others were seen. We then headed for a private farm. Some of the sightings here were Crowned Eagle, Narina Trogon, Half-collared Kingfisher, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Brown-hooded Kingfisher. At another nearby spot on the farm, we saw Black Cuckoo, Southern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, European Honey Buzzard and Spectacled Weaver were seen. Back in Port Alfred, we saw the elusive Knysna Warbler. At our final stop of the morning, we watches a Giant Kingfisher caught a large frog, which took about 15 minutes to pulverise and finish.
Please visit https://timwcroft.wixsite.com/timcockcroftbirding for more information on my local birdwatching tours.

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