Firefinch

New photos and sounds are available in this version.

One of Africa’s leading field ornithologists, Michael Mills, has shared some fantastic sound recordings with us - thanks Michael! Many of these are of really special birds and remote places from all over Africa: Angola, Gabon, Tanzania, Chad etc. Some of 24 new species are African Hobby, Mottled Swift, Green-headed Oriole, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Green Barbet and Pallid Honeyguide. Plus 2 new penguins: Kings on South Georgia and Littles in New Zealand (by James Lidster). I managed to record the deep chuk contact call of Eastern Nicator with my phone - it has been added to the existing recording.

We’ve also added clips for many sought-after specials: Cape Rockumper, Grey-headed Parrot, Brown-backed Honeybird, Dusky Lark, Terek Sandpiper and many others. I added Sclater’s Lark and some other things from a recent Northern Cape trip, plus a huge flock of Namaqua Sandgrouse that has to be heard to be believed - check it out.

One of the most exciting additions are calls from Roseate Terns from a new breeding colony that Etienne Marais discovered at an undisclosed location. Overall, FIRERINCH now has high-quality sound clips and sonograms for 757 species.

As usual, Anton added loads of great new photos.

Fixed a bug that caused some people's specie count to be wrong if a sighting was created or deleted offline
Fixed pricing issue that displayed the incorrect prices

Look out for the Winter Special running from June until 15 July 2023!

App updates:
*Fixed issues where some users couldn't access promotions.
*Users can now access their subscriptions via the burger menu.
*Fixed issues when changing a sighting's list, the list count now updates correctly
*Fixed an issues where the app crashed when trying to change details in a sighting.

Look out for the Winter Special running from June until 15 July 2023!

App and content updates:


*Added photos for 3 birds we still needed photos for:
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Grasshopper Buzzard
- West African Crested Tern

*Added 70+ new photos.
More stunning photos of special birds include:
- Tristan Albatross
- Black-chested Prinia
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Mangrove Kingfisher
- White-necked Raven
- Blue Swallow
- White-eared Barbet
- Cape Batis
- Bush Blackcap
- Rufous-winged Cisticola
- Wingsnapping Cisticola
- White-crested Helmetshrike
- Tawny-Flanked Prinia
- Yellow-throated woodland warbler
- Northern Royal Albatross
- Lesser Noddy
- Soft-plumaged Petrel
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Little Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Long-crested Eagle
- African Cuckoo Hawk
- Western Osprey
- Bearded Vulture
- Cape Vulture
- Palm-nut Vulture
- Cape Robin-chat
- Cape Rock Thrush
- Gurney's Sugarbird
- Reed Cormorant
- White-breasted Cormorant
- African Jacana
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Secretarybird
- Black-chested Prinia
- Red-necked Buzzard
- Olive Bee-eater
- WB Snake Eagle
- Forest Buzzard
- Western Reef Heron
- Cape Eagle Owl
- Black Kite
- Sharp-tailed Starling
- Buff-spotted Flufftail
- Parasitic and Pomarine jaeger
- Sooty Shearwater
- Red-winged Francolin
- Swee Waxbill

*Updated plates for:
- Senegal Coucal
- Red-tailed Shrike
- African Goshawk
- Kori Bustard

*Your sightings are now sorted by date descending.

*Updated the Red-tailed Shrike map with updated sightings

*Small design tweaks

Look out for the Winter Special running from June until 15 July 2023!

App and content updates:


*Added photos for 3 birds we still needed photos for:
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Grasshopper Buzzard
- West African Crested Tern

*Added 70+ new photos.
More stunning photos of special birds include:
- Tristan Albatross
- Black-chested Prinia
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Mangrove Kingfisher
- White-necked Raven
- Blue Swallow
- White-eared Barbet
- Cape Batis
- Bush Blackcap
- Rufous-winged Cisticola
- Wingsnapping Cisticola
- White-crested Helmetshrike
- Tawny-Flanked Prinia
- Yellow-throated woodland warbler
- Northern Royal Albatross
- Lesser Noddy
- Soft-plumaged Petrel
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Little Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Long-crested Eagle
- African Cuckoo Hawk
- Western Osprey
- Bearded Vulture
- Cape Vulture
- Palm-nut Vulture
- Cape Robin-chat
- Cape Rock Thrush
- Gurney's Sugarbird
- Reed Cormorant
- White-breasted Cormorant
- African Jacana
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Secretarybird
- Black-chested Prinia
- Red-necked Buzzard
- Olive Bee-eater
- WB Snake Eagle
- Forest Buzzard
- Western Reef Heron
- Cape Eagle Owl
- Black Kite
- Sharp-tailed Starling
- Buff-spotted Flufftail
- Parasitic and Pomarine jaeger
- Sooty Shearwater
- Red-winged Francolin
- Swee Waxbill

*Updated plates for:
- Senegal Coucal
- Red-tailed Shrike
- African Goshawk
- Kori Bustard

*Your sightings are now sorted by date descending.

*Updated the Red-tailed Shrike map with updated sightings

*Small design tweaks

Look out for the Winter Special running from June until 15 July 2023!

App and content updates:


*Added photos for 3 birds we still needed photos for:
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Grasshopper Buzzard
- West African Crested Tern

*Added 70+ new photos.
More stunning photos of special birds include:
- Tristan Albatross
- Black-chested Prinia
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Mangrove Kingfisher
- White-necked Raven
- Blue Swallow
- White-eared Barbet
- Cape Batis
- Bush Blackcap
- Rufous-winged Cisticola
- Wingsnapping Cisticola
- White-crested Helmetshrike
- Tawny-Flanked Prinia
- Yellow-throated woodland warbler
- Northern Royal Albatross
- Lesser Noddy
- Soft-plumaged Petrel
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Little Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Long-crested Eagle
- African Cuckoo Hawk
- Western Osprey
- Bearded Vulture
- Cape Vulture
- Palm-nut Vulture
- Cape Robin-chat
- Cape Rock Thrush
- Gurney's Sugarbird
- Reed Cormorant
- White-breasted Cormorant
- African Jacana
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Secretarybird
- Black-chested Prinia
- Red-necked Buzzard
- Olive Bee-eater
- WB Snake Eagle
- Forest Buzzard
- Western Reef Heron
- Cape Eagle Owl
- Black Kite
- Sharp-tailed Starling
- Buff-spotted Flufftail
- Parasitic and Pomarine jaeger
- Sooty Shearwater
- Red-winged Francolin
- Swee Waxbill

*Updated plates for:
- Senegal Coucal
- Red-tailed Shrike
- African Goshawk
- Kori Bustard

*Your sightings are now sorted by date descending.

*Updated the Red-tailed Shrike map with updated sightings

*Small design tweaks

Look out for the Winter Special running from June until 15 July 2023!

App and content updates:


*Added photos for 3 birds we still needed photos for:
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Grasshopper Buzzard
- West African Crested Tern

*Added 70+ new photos.
More stunning photos of special birds include:
- Tristan Albatross
- Black-chested Prinia
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Mangrove Kingfisher
- White-necked Raven
- Blue Swallow
- White-eared Barbet
- Cape Batis
- Bush Blackcap
- Rufous-winged Cisticola
- Wingsnapping Cisticola
- White-crested Helmetshrike
- Tawny-Flanked Prinia
- Yellow-throated woodland warbler
- Northern Royal Albatross
- Lesser Noddy
- Soft-plumaged Petrel
- Grey-backed Storm Petrel
- Little Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Long-crested Eagle
- African Cuckoo Hawk
- Western Osprey
- Bearded Vulture
- Cape Vulture
- Palm-nut Vulture
- Cape Robin-chat
- Cape Rock Thrush
- Gurney's Sugarbird
- Reed Cormorant
- White-breasted Cormorant
- African Jacana
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Secretarybird
- Black-chested Prinia
- Red-necked Buzzard
- Olive Bee-eater
- WB Snake Eagle
- Forest Buzzard
- Western Reef Heron
- Cape Eagle Owl
- Black Kite
- Sharp-tailed Starling
- Buff-spotted Flufftail
- Parasitic and Pomarine jaeger
- Sooty Shearwater
- Red-winged Francolin
- Swee Waxbill

*Updated plates for:
- Senegal Coucal
- Red-tailed Shrike
- African Goshawk
- Kori Bustard

*Your sightings are now sorted by date descending.

*Updated the Red-tailed Shrike map with updated sightings

*Small design tweaks

Fixed a bug that made the app crash when a new sighting was selected.

Also comes with the previous goodness:
Try out the new listing feature!

This update is also jam-packed with new content:

* We've added the two new South African species: Woodchat Shrike and Pincoya Storm Petrel.
* There are sounds and sonograms added for over 86 species! (See if you can find which)
* You'll also find new photos for 143 species including the stunning photos of these special birds:
- Lesser Cuckoo
- Zambezi Indigobird
- Lesser Moorhen
- Striped Crake
- Greater Sand Plover
- Roseate and Damara Terns
…and plenty more

Try out the new listing feature!

This update is also jam-packed with new content:

* We've added the two new South African species: Woodchat Shrike and Pincoya Storm Petrel.
* There are sounds and sonograms added for over 86 species! (See if you can find which)
* You'll also find new photos for 143 species including the stunning photos of these special birds:
- Lesser Cuckoo
- Zambezi Indigobird
- Lesser Moorhen
- Striped Crake
- Greater Sand Plover
- Roseate and Damara Terns
…and plenty more

2 new birds: Mascarene Petrel and Christmas Island Frigatebird
You can now tap on related birds in the posts/podcasts to navigate to that bird's page
More than 20 new sounds and sonograms
More than 60 new photos

Free version now includes access to the Favourites group
Fixed bug on search screen where the screen would scroll to the top after navigating back from a bird
Removed the paywall from the onboarding process
Fixed issues with lifers and searching of certain duck species
Changed terms text on subscription page from 7-day trial to 30-day trial
Fixed Narina Logan mini map
Allens Gallinule and Upchers Warbler maps fixed
First 3 black coucal photos replaced
WB Night Heron photos added

The long-awaited full version of FIREFINCH is finally ready to fledge! (And we fixed a few bugs)

Back in January 2022 we launched the seabirds chapter especially for the 2,000 birders who visited Marion Island aboard the MSC Orchestra. What a pleasure it was to see the app so well-received and so thoroughly used, even with frozen fingers in the roaring winds of the Southern Ocean. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback, animated discussions and great suggestions!

We are excited to announce that the promised full version of FIREFINCH is now here. Albatrosses and petrels are great, but you can now enjoy the same level of coverage for almost 1,000 species of Southern African birds. The app features stunning plates by author and artist Faansie Peacock, plus 5,000 annotated photos by SA’s top bird photographers. Sonograms with informative hints will help you learn bird calls with ease.

We’ve also built in improved indexing and listing, maps, season bars, usage guides and lots of other great features. Birds are divided into 12 intuitive groups for instant navigation.

Perhaps the biggest news is that the Dawn Chorus posts are now live. Every few days you’ll receive a short article on topics such as birding spots, identification tips, birders interviews, incredible biology or birding quizzes.

The great thing about FIREFINCH is that the information is presented in short, fun, humorous and fascinating snippets instead of endless bodies of academic text…essentially we’re tricking you into completing an ornithology degree! For example, the family introductions span over 120 pages (don’t tell anyone!).

Subscribe now and embark on your birding journey with FIREFINCH!

The long-awaited full version of FIREFINCH is finally ready to fledge!

Back in January 2022 we launched the seabirds chapter especially for the 2,000 birders who visited Marion Island aboard the MSC Orchestra. What a pleasure it was to see the app so well-received and so thoroughly used, even with frozen fingers in the roaring winds of the Southern Ocean. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback, animated discussions and great suggestions!

We are excited to announce that the promised full version of FIREFINCH is now here. Albatrosses and petrels are great, but you can now enjoy the same level of coverage for almost 1,000 species of Southern African birds. The app features stunning plates by author and artist Faansie Peacock, plus 5,000 annotated photos by SA’s top bird photographers. Sonograms with informative hints will help you learn bird calls with ease.

We’ve also built in improved indexing and listing, maps, season bars, usage guides and lots of other great features. Birds are divided into 12 intuitive groups for instant navigation.

Perhaps the biggest news is that the Dawn Chorus posts are now live. Every few days you’ll receive a short article on topics such as birding spots, identification tips, birders interviews, incredible biology or birding quizzes.

The great thing about FIREFINCH is that the information is presented in short, fun, humorous and fascinating snippets instead of endless bodies of academic text…essentially we’re tricking you into completing an ornithology degree! For example, the family introductions span over 120 pages (don’t tell anyone!).

Subscribe now and embark on your birding journey with FIREFINCH!

The long-awaited full version of FIREFINCH is finally ready to fledge!

Back in January 2022 we launched the seabirds chapter especially for the 2,000 birders who visited Marion Island aboard the MSC Orchestra. What a pleasure it was to see the app so well-received and so thoroughly used, even with frozen fingers in the roaring winds of the Southern Ocean. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback, animated discussions and great suggestions!

We are excited to announce that the promised full version of FIREFINCH is now here. Albatrosses and petrels are great, but you can now enjoy the same level of coverage for almost 1,000 species of Southern African birds. The app features stunning plates by author and artist Faansie Peacock, plus 5,000 annotated photos by SA’s top bird photographers. Sonograms with informative hints will help you learn bird calls with ease.

We’ve also built in improved indexing and listing, maps, season bars, usage guides and lots of other great features. Birds are divided into 12 intuitive groups for instant navigation.

Perhaps the biggest news is that the Dawn Chorus posts are now live. Every few days you’ll receive a short article on topics such as birding spots, identification tips, birders interviews, incredible biology or birding quizzes.

The great thing about FIREFINCH is that the information is presented in short, fun, humorous and fascinating snippets instead of endless bodies of academic text…essentially we’re tricking you into completing an ornithology degree! For example, the family introductions span over 120 pages (don’t tell anyone!).

Subscribe now and embark on your birding journey with FIREFINCH!

You asked and we delivered! You can now filter your searches according to whether or not birds are on your lifelist.
SABAP data now visible from the map view for birds on the SABAP database.
Fixed issues related to lifer counts.

Fixed a bug that made the app crash on the menu screen for users who logged in with Facebook.

You might not believe it, but we have a laughing gull waiting for you! Photo's from Mosselbaai, and off course Faansie's hand-illustrated plate!

This release also includes updates to 18 plates and 49 photos.

Drastically reduced the size of the app.