World Migratory Bird Day: the West Coast’s smallest record-breaker is back
· The South African
World Migratory Bird Day takes place on Saturday, 10 October.
And this year, one tiny traveller has given South Africans a very good reason to look up.
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He weighs about 60 grams.
In less than seven months, he has flown further than halfway around the world.
Now he’s home on our West Coast, resting before he does it all again.
His name is Wembere, and he’s a Curlew Sandpiper.
He’s also living proof of why this year’s World Migratory Bird Day matters.
The 2026 theme is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!”
It celebrates the role ordinary people play in protecting migratory birds.
WHAT IS WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY?
World Migratory Bird Day is marked on the second Saturday in May and the second Saturday in October.
The two dates reflect the fact that birds migrate at different times in the northern and southern hemispheres.
This year’s theme highlights community science, also known as citizen science.
It also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the International Waterbird Census, a global effort to monitor migratory waterbirds.
THE 60-GRAM BIRD THAT FLEW 25,000KM
According to BirdLife South Africa, Wembere has travelled more than 25,000km in under seven months.
He was fitted with a satellite tracker at Velddrif in February 2026.
Velddrif is a small fishing town on the West Coast, about two hours’ drive north of Cape Town.
Wembere left South Africa on 27 February and flew to his breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra.
Now he’s back in Velddrif, where he will spend the next few months resting and refuelling before heading north again.
BirdLife South Africa flyway and migrants project manager Jessica Wilmot said she was “in awe of the lines on the map.”
WHY MIGRATORY BIRDS IN SOUTH AFRICA NEED PROTECTION
Wembere‘s journey comes with a warning.
According to BirdLife International’s State of the World’s Birds report, 45% of migratory bird species are now in decline.
One in nine is threatened with extinction.
Illegal hunting is part of the problem.
BirdLife International and EuroNatur’s Killing 3.0 report estimates that between 11 million and 36 million birds are illegally killed or taken in the Mediterranean region every year.
That’s why BirdLife South Africa recently signed the Nairobi Flyways Declaration, a global commitment to protect migratory birds across their entire journey.
As Wilmot put it, birds don’t recognise national borders, and conservation efforts can’t either.
HOW TO MARK WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
This year’s flagship species include the Abdim’s Stork, a bird that follows the rain across Africa.
South Africans can get involved by recording their own bird sightings.
Every observation adds to the data scientists use to protect birds like WEMBERE.
Groups planning a bird walk or count can also register their event on the official World Migratory Bird Day world map of events.
Registration is also now open for Birding Big Day 2026, BirdLife South Africa’s annual birding challenge.
I think there’s something humbling about a bird lighter than a cellphone flying to the Arctic and back.
It’s easy to forget these journeys happen right above our heads.
This Saturday, it might be worth stepping outside and looking up.
HAVE YOU SPOTTED ANY MIGRATORY BIRDS IN YOUR AREA THIS SPRING?
Let us know in the comments below…