A new way of looking up
Africa’s skies belong to its raptors. The eagles riding the thermals above the savanna, the owls hunting silently after dark, the vultures circling a distant carcass, the falcons folding their wings into a stoop — birds of prey are everywhere in the bush, yet most of us only catch them as a silhouette on a dead tree or a shape against the afternoon sky. This course teaches you to see far more.
You don’t need expensive equipment to begin. You need your eyes, your ears, and the willingness to look more closely. Over four weeks, EcoTraining lays the foundation for a proper understanding of raptor anatomy, ecology and identification — taught by a specialist who has spent more than twenty years reading Africa’s skies.
- ▸In-depth coverage from a specialist birding instructor
- ▸A live Q&A session with Martin and fellow participants
- ▸A recording of every live lecture, loaded onto your eLearning platform
- ▸The PDF presentation, made available after each lecture
- ▸Short quizzes on your dashboard, plus an EcoTraining assessment
Martin Taylor
Martin is an FGASA-accredited Specialist Bird Guide with over twenty years’ experience in birdwatching and conservation across Africa. Today he owns The African Birdwatching Company, delivering birdwatching and wildlife experiences across southern and East Africa, with fieldwork spanning fifteen African countries.
Four things to do before we start
All live lectures take place on Zoom. If you don’t already have it installed, download and test it before the first lecture on Tuesday, 4 August 2026.
Download Zoom →Your lessons, recordings, PDF presentations and quizzes all live here on the eLearning platform — scroll down to the lesson list to begin.
Go to my account →The same link, Meeting ID and passcode work for every lecture in this course. Add it to your calendar as a recurring event — Tuesdays and Thursdays at 18:00 (GMT+2) — and you’re set for the full four weeks.
Can’t attend live? No need to notify us — every lecture is recorded.
Meet your fellow raptor enthusiasts, and reach Martin and Bianca whenever you get stuck. Introduce yourself and tell us what drew you to the birds of prey.
Join the WhatsApp groupEvery lecture is recorded and loaded under the matching lesson by the next working day, together with the PDF presentation used in that session. Miss a lecture, or want to revisit one? The replay is always there.
Your eight lectures
Two lectures a week for four weeks. Each is a lesson on this page — recordings, slides and quizzes appear under the matching lesson as the course unfolds.
During live lectures
You must log in and have started this course to submit a review.
Course Includes
- 7 Modules
