African Birdlife: Insights into Migrations, and Their Life Stories

Wednesday, 17 January 2024

Presenter: Timothy Jackson

White Stork: photo by Timothy Jackson

Timothy Jackson started his love of Africa and nature as a child growing up on a farm in rural England, spending hours feeding and watching wild birds from a very early age. When he was 7, Robin & Pat Morgan retired next door from Kenya having farmed in the Kenyan Highlands and led safaris throughout Eastern Africa. This connection started the ‘safari bug’ for Timothy that has now become a way of life.

At age 14, Timothy’s parents moved to British Columbia, Canada. The Morgan’s put Timothy in touch with the Hopcraft family living in BC, who had also moved away from Kenya; John Hopcraft was born and raised on one of many colonial farms from the 1920’s onward surrounding Lake Nakuru. In the years that followed, John and his wife Sandy worked closely with the World Wildlife Fund, Roger Tory Peterson and others to purchase all the farms around the lake, to then hand this land to the government to be turned into the National Park that it is today. It is these ‘connections’ that continued to inspire Timothy on his path.

Timothy has a background in agriculture & education, with 8 years teaching in the classroom, teaching technology education.

Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl: photo by Timothy Jackson

Timothy has spent over 4 years of total time ‘on safari’ exploring Africa, over the past 24 years; most years now with guests, while in the past also taking part in formal guides training, such as gaining the FGASA (TG – trails guide) qualification, training as a walking guide for walking in dangerous game areas, and every year doing ‘on site’ inspections of camps- all over the last 24 years since his first visit in 2000 to East Africa.  Timothy has had the honour of visiting nearly every major National Park and Game Reserve/Conservancy in Southern and Eastern Africa. 

His presentation will cover African Birdlife: Insights into Migrations, & Their Life Stories.

Ruppell’s Vulture: photo by Simon Thomsett