From the Chair | BL KZN Forum

KZN. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who made this event possible.

As Chair of the BirdLife KZN Forum I am very pleased to welcome you to a year of birding with the KZN affiliated bird clubs and the celebration of KZN in this first edition of KZN Birds for 2023. We are also thrilled to announce that we are back to a quarterly release of our magazine, KZN Birds, which focuses on birds and birding in KZN. Our team is working diligently to bring you the latest news, events, and features on our feathered friends.

We are also excited to reflect on our recent March Forum meeting in Ladysmith, which was a huge success. A full article will be inlcluded in the next issue #71. It was a pleasure to see so many passionate members of our community come together to share their experiences and knowledge of birds in

Looking ahead, we are eagerly anticipating our upcoming September Forum in Zululand, where we will be based at Bonamanzi. We are confident that this event will be just as successful and informative as our March meeting. We can’t wait to explore the avian wonders of this region with our fellow bird enthusiasts.

While we are always sad to see committee members resign we thank Doug Bell and Crystelle Wilson for their work on the KZN Forum Committee. The March meeting saw the appointment of the 2023 committee and we are proud to introduce the committee, which consists of the Chairs of the BirdLife Affiliated Clubs - Peter Nelson (Ladysmith Birders), Tony Coetzer (BirdLife Sani), Sean Glynn (BirdLife KZN Midlands), and Nicky Forbes (BirdLife eThekwini KZN), who will work under the dedicated office bearers; Secretary Carron Dove, Treasurer Tony Coetzer, and Editor of KZN Birds Ticky Forbes. I am thrilled to have been voted back as Chair of BirdLife KZN Forum and I look forward to working with this wonderful team for what is ramping up to be an exciting year.

We are also joined at the committee meetings by representatives of a number of relevant organisations, namely the KZN Rarities Committee, KZN Ornithological Trust, and the SABAP2 KZN representative. Their expertise and dedication to our cause will undoubtedly contribute to our success.

We are excited for what this year has in store and we hope to see you at our upcoming events.

Happy birding!

Nicolette Forbes Chair BirdLife KZN Forum / BirdLife eThekwini KZN