Today I am flying to Cape Town, South Africa. I will be spending 10 weeks studying abroad in South Africa, traveling between wildlife refuges, but mostly centered around the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape Province. There are about 20 of us going from Penn State, including students and staff. The region of South Africa I will be in is characterized by a mix of coastal and dune forests, shrub, and grasslands. Over 300 species of birds occur on the Dwesa-Cwebe Reserve. The mix of vegetation types and the high amount of biological diversity make this area very important ecologically. I have been to South Africa before, in 2007, so I am somewhat familiar with the bird species that occur in the country, but I will be in a slightly different area of the country this time, so I am pretty excited and anxious to get there and start birding! I dont know how often I will have internet access, but I will try to post with info and photos as often as possible!
Masked Weaver - a photo I took during my birding trip to South Africa in 2007