Voices of the Flyways: Giselle Murison & Jessica Wilmot

Giselle Murison (Western Cape Estuaries Programme Manager) and Jessica Wilmot (Flyway & Migrants Project Manager) share their insights into BirdLife South Africa‘s work for migratory birds at the Berg River Estuary.

Every year the estuary welcomes the arrival of thousands of migratory birds, many of which have travelled all the way from northern Europe to reach its saltmarshes, mudflats and other precious habitats. Join Giselle and Jessica to find out what is being done to protect this vital flyway site and the birds that depend on it.

Tell us about where you work. What is the habitat like, and what makes it important for migratory birds? 

Giselle Murison: “The Berg River Estuary is located about two hours north of Cape Town on South Africa’s west coast. The Berg supports more than 270 bird species and amongst those are important populations of Globally Threatened species. The estuary is a really important non-breeding site for birds to rest and refuel along the African-Eurasian Flyway.

In the summer we see a big influx of migratory waders which travel along the flyway from breeding grounds as far off as northern Europe; these include species like Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint which are particularly abundant here.

The estuary is also a really important nursery area for fish, including estuarine and larger marine species. Fishing really is the lifeblood of the community here along with industries such as the saltworks, as well as tourism which plays a big part in the local economy.

The estuary itself is made up of a real mosaic of different habitats including intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh, sedge marsh, reed marsh, salt pans and open water. We need to conserve each part of the mosaic in order to ensure the overall health of the system.”

Header image: The Berg River Estuary. © Warren Witte, BirdLife South Africa

What have you and your organisation been doing for migratory birds under the ERF project?

GM: “The loss of estuarine habitat is a big problem at the Berg and one of the ways we’re losing important habitat is through accelerated erosion. So through the RSPB and ERF project, we’ve been looking at ways that we can actually combat erosion and help landowners restore habitats along their banks to slow that erosion process.

A key part of the project focuses on the rehabilitation of degraded saltmarsh habitat as well as monitoring of existing saltmarsh. Part of this work involves the planting, or re-seeding, of areas that have been lost or degraded and, in particular, looking at environmentally-sound soft engineering bank stabilisation methods where we can restore bank habitat to mitigate against accelerated erosion.”

Jessica Wilmot: “The ERF project has also helped fund a satellite tagging and colour-ringing project at the Berg for Curlew Sandpiper and Grey Plover. It’s a really exciting project that we’ve recently launched to understand not only the localised movements, so how connected estuarine sites are along the west coast, but also the wider picture right along the flyway.”

Could you tell us a bit more about the tagging work? 

JW: “Tagging work of this kind has never really been done before for migratory waders in South Africa, so there are lots of questions to answer! For instance, from South Africa where do the birds travel to reach their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra? What are the key stop-over sites for them, where they pause to rest and refuel, in the African-Eurasian Flyway? It’s really important to protect those sites too – they essentially connect the pathway that these birds use. So if those sites aren’t protected, then it forces the individuals to travel further distances, or they might not get enough food en route.

In February 2026, we tagged 20 Curlew Sandpiper as well as three Grey Plover and the data they are already providing is fascinating with one Curlew Sandpiper making it as far as South Sudan in just a matter of hours. Others have crossed the Red Sea into Asia while another has taken a totally different route crossing the Sahara Desert heading towards Europe!

The funding has allowed us to collaborate with international partners, including Wetlands International and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, because in South Africa we don’t have that specific expertise in trapping waders and attaching the tiny trackers. So this has been a really exciting upskilling opportunity for us.”

Not everyone knows how important the flyways are. What is one thing you wish everybody knew about the species and habitats you’re protecting?

JW: “I wish people here saw migratory birds coming to South Africa as a privilege. We are in a way custodians of the environment that they’re dependent on for an entire season of their lives. And without those habitats, they won’t survive. I don’t think people realise the distances some birds travel, which is why putting trackers on is important, not just for the data, but so that people can actually visually see a map and realise “My word! this bird is travelling 15,000 kilometres in two and a half months and manages to survive. What can I do to help protect that bird’s journey or alleviate the pressures that it’s already facing?”

GM: “Protecting the African-Eurasian Flyway is a partnership effort. We are just one link in the chain and we all have to play our part to make sure that this important flyway is protected and the birds are conserved.”

What is one of the biggest challenges you face?

GM: “South Africa’s estuarine systems are amongst the most threatened ecosystems in the country. They are incredibly productive but unfortunately they have very little formal protection. The Berg River Estuary is one of the country’s most important estuaries for wildlife and was declared a Ramsar site in 2022 and yet it lacks formal protection status which unfortunately is the case for most of our estuaries in South Africa. At BirdLife South Africa we’re trying to increase formal protection of our estuaries, including the Berg, and improve its management.”

If you had to choose one species to represent your flyway, what would it be and why?

JW: “The Curlew Sandpiper is adorable. This little bird weighs between 50 and 70 grams and they fly vast distances – one of our tracked birds flew over 3,100km in just 45hrs – incredible! They’ve recently been uplisted to Vulnerable by the IUCN. And if you think about the challenges they have to overcome just to get here, and then still survive the threats that they face on a daily basis, it’s quite astounding. It‘s crazy to think that they breed in areas where there’s snow and then they come here and acclimatise well enough to survive.”

What’s the funniest or strangest thing that’s ever happened to you in the field?

JW: “I’ve definitely had my fair share of getting vehicles stuck and having to dig them out again! After hours of solo drive transects, I’ve also caught myself talking to myself, or even chatting to mammals along the way, just to keep myself entertained!”

What makes you feel optimistic about your work? 

JW: “It’s easy to become overwhelmed or feel hopeless at times but witnessing how birds survive despite the immense challenges they face every day is motivation enough to want to help protect them and the journeys they undertake.

I think caring deeply about the natural world is both a privilege and a burden – a privilege because of that innate connection with nature, which so many people have lost, and a burden because conservation can sometimes feel hopeless. But the people involved are some of the most passionate and inspiring individuals you’ll ever meet, and that gives me a lot of hope.”