Page 9 - Thola Issue 17

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The Annual Awards Evening took place at the Johannesburg Country Club
in Auckland Park and the motivation for this award was made by Prof. Ara Monadjem and Dr Andrew Jenkins. It reads as follows:
“David Allan is no stranger to southern African ornithology where
he has played a prominent role since the early 1980s. David’s involvement with southern African birds has been
as a ‘jack of all trades’, but he also knows a lot about every conceivable topic in the field. This also applies to his knowledge of raptors. His seminal work on raptors resulted in the publication
of The Status and Conservation of Birds of Prey in the Transvaal, co-authored with another iconic figure of southern African ornithology, Warwick Tarboton. In this book, they lay down basic survey methods for the study of raptors in
the region, and present important
has played a significant role in surveying and monitoring raptor populations
in the Lesotho highlands. His work in this sensitive region has documented the impacts of both the Katse and Mohale Dam projects on the birds of prey, provided critical detail on the distribution and abundance of both Bearded and Cape Vulture nest sites
in the highlands, and broadcast the potentially disastrous consequences
of wind farms for these two highly threatened species. His involvement
in critical vulture conservation work (which began as long ago as the 1980s) is ongoing, and includes participation
in regular aerial or ground surveys of Bearded and/or Cape vultures in the Drakensberg and the Transkei, recent publications on the outcomes of these surveys, and authoring a comprehensive review of the conservation status of
the vultures of Africa, on commission
of southern African raptors, and his recent co-authorship of Geographic Variation of Southern African Birds. He has also served a very productive term as editor of Gabar, has been an active member of numerous special interest groups and task teams, and is an accomplished speaker, having delivered papers at the majority of the over 50 scientific conferences he has attended, and given literally hundreds of talks to bird clubs, conservation societies and other public forums.
The scope of David’s contribution
to South African raptor biology and conservation is immense, and reflects his absolute dedication to the cause.
A trademark of his work has been his ability to shift focus, easily switching from one area to another, or between taxa or issues, in order to bring his unique combination of consummate field skills, dogged tenacity and almost pedantic thoroughness to bear where
it is most effective. His preparedness to pitch in where required has meant that he has collaborated with many of us
in the raptor research community over the years, and he has proved incredibly selfless in giving 100% effort in the field, or in providing his own hard-won data, to the benefit of other peoples’ projects. He has also ably mentored many young, aspiring birders and raptor fanatics in his time, and some of the now older members of our community owe him a sincere debt of gratitude for the role he has played in developing their careers.
Whether we’re talking Bearded Vultures, Ovambo Sparrowhawks, Taita Falcons or Cape Eagle-Owls, poisons, forestry or wind farms, identification or taxonomy – David has been there, done that, published the paper and made the difference.
While he continues to do sterling work through his position as Curator of Birds at the Museum, David has surely already completed a lifetime of achievement in South African raptor conservation, and is a thoroughly deserving recipient of this prestigious award.”
“He has ... ably mentored many young, aspiring birders and raptor fanatics in his time, and some of the now older members of our community owe him a sincere debt of gratitude for the role he has played in developing their careers.”
– Excerpt from the motivation written by Prof. Ara Monadjem and Dr Andrew Jenkins
comparative statistics on, inter alia, nesting densities, breeding seasons, reproductive ecology, population estimates, and prey. Since its publication in 1984, this book has continued to advise and stimulate raptor biologists and enthusiasts across the region. While doing the fieldwork for this landmark monograph, David did some pioneering work on the accipiter community of
the Hekpoort Valley north-west of Johannesburg, and he remains one of the county’s foremost authorities on the biology and identification of this difficult group.
Over the past two decades, David
to BirdLife South Africa and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
David is a prolific author, having contributed over 500 publications
on birds to date, including over 60 scientific papers in refereed journals, over 200 popular articles, at least five books and countless book chapters, species accounts and other valuable texts. His best known books include the book already mentioned; The
Atlas of Southern African Birds (two volumes), which has laid the foundation for all subsequent atlas-type projects
in the region; an extremely popular photographic guide to the identification
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15