Wishing Your a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!
Christmas is a time for giving! And we have found some freebies that we thought we would share with you over this Festive Season.
New Bird ID App for Zambia
Cornell Laboratory have launched the Zambia pack for the Merlin Bird ID App. Everyone who took part in the Global Big Day submitted their sightings which were then used by Cornell to create the Zambian Pack. Friends of Birdwatch Zambia field-tested the pack before its launch and commented that it is extremely accurate in its IDs, particularly from the photos – Cornell claims a 93% accuracy.
Merlin is a full-featured field guide covering over half the world’s birds and includes many useful features. It covers 774 Zambian bird species with ID tips, sounds, photos and maps. There is Photo ID to automatically identify your images and a beginner ID help to guide you to your bird with 5 easy questions.
This free bird identification and field guide app, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, puts the power of the eBird community in your pocket. They combine data from eBird, expert-curated photos and sounds from the Macaulay Library, and text from identification experts. Merlin features an automatic photo identification tool, a step-by-step identification wizard, and a field guide customizable to your location. It is a powerful tool for beginners and experts alike. Over 7,500 species worldwide can also be discovered.
The Merlin App, including the Zambia pack, are free to download and to use from both the App Store and Google Play – merlin.allaboutbirds.org
The Bushcamp Company Calendar 2021
You might have noticed there is a distinct lack of 2021 charity calendars for sale. This year The Bushcamp Company decided to bring their 2021 calendar online and are offering both a downloadable and printable version. Previously they have sold printed copies to raise money for their community projects, but this year is it is free – as a big thank you to all their supporters who are helping them through these difficult times.
Their calendar usually features artwork from the talented school children in Mfuwe, on the outskirts of the South Luangwa National Park. But, with the schools remaining closed this year, they had to get creative… therefore their 2021 calendar features wonderful drawings of the staff of The Bushcamp Company. And if you look closely, you might just recognise a few names!
Whilst on their website, you might also like to check out their downloadable Cook & Conserve cook book. This is a collection of their chefs favourite recipes, collated into a beautiful, photo-filled book. It is available to download for US$15 with the proceeds go directly to Conservation South Luangwa and our Commit to Clean Water programme.
They hope you enjoy the new, downloadable version of their iconic calendar. You can print it and keep it on your desk, or simply download it and use it as a reminder of South Luangwa – The Bushcamp Calendar 2021
Bats About Kasanka eguide
There is still time to visit Kasanka National Park and witness the amazing Straw-coloured fruit bat migration that only happens once a year. This year park visitors were given the opportunity to receive a free copy of the Bats About Kasanka eguide – and this offer is open until the end of January 2021. So if you are planning to visit or have visited but not yet downloaded your free eguide, then contact the Kasanka Trust for your free copy.
The updated Bats About Kasanka eguide brings you fascinating information on all 36 diverse species of bats that live and visit Kasanka National Park. It includes a bat guide with full colour photographs to help with identification, along with a useful bat species check-list. The eguide is packed full of information for visitors – detailed park maps, a history of how the bats became famous, advice on planning your Kasanka bat safari, along with handy travel tips and useful links.
So whether you are planning to visit, or just want to find out more about the world’s largest mammal migration and the wide variety of bats that live at Kasanka, then Bats About Kasanka fact-filled guide is your ideal bat safari companion.
This revised edition for the 2020 Bat Season has been published by ARC Zambia and The Kasanka Trust and is now available for just US$ 2.99. Get your Kindle edition from Amazon or your pdf and epub versions from ARC’s website, and find out more about these fascinating mammals. All proceeds go directly into Kasanka National Parks conservation projects. And don’t forget, if you are visiting the park, then do ask about how you can receive your free copy!
We hope you will take advantage of all these free offers and our team would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2021!
We look forward to bringing you more exciting jobs and conservation news in the New Year!