Tim Cockcroft Birding
Birdwatching tours for Port Alfred and surrounding areas
Meet Tim
A born and bred Eastern Cape man, Port Alfred resident Tim Cockcroft has had an enthusiasm and passion for birds since late 1984. Fast-forward to today: Tim is best known in local circles for his ability to recognise bird calls and when leading his birding tours, his skills are put to good use. Having grown up in Port Alfred, he knows the area well and can take the client to some beautiful secret birding spots that not everybody would get to see otherwise. In his spare birding time, Tim is an ameteur bird sound recordist. Several of his recordings have been contributed to international online bird sound libraries, such as xeno-canto. So take a look through this site and see what he has to offer. Book a tour to make your birding in this beautiful part of South Africa an experience to remember.
Comments from Clients
"Tim thanks so so much for an adventure of a lifetime! We were spoiled by all the birds you showed us. This morning exceeded all our expectations!! Your passion and knowledge of birds changed us as birders! The Narina Trogon was a life long dream!"
"Thanks for the two beautiful days that we could spend with you and the birds, Tim. We are immensely impressed with your knowledge of the birdlife and area around Port Alfred. Your lovely style of guiding and your knowledge made for a very enjoyable and informative experience! Also thanks for your patience and help to see what I should photograph. We will be back for more!"
"Many thanks Tim for a wonderful morning. It really is such pleasure to spend time with someone who is as knowledgeable and passionate about birds as you obviously are."
"Weeks of planning, anticipation building, an early start from Port Elizabeth and none of us were disappointed. An absolutely fabulous morning, certainly not enough space to write all the adjectives necessary to describe the fantastic experience. Tim seems to have a relationship with every single bird with in depth knowledge and enthusiasm. Thank you so much.
"What can we say, Tim except amazing, amazing 2 days of birding. Finding my bogey birds, Knysna Woodpecker male and female, Knysna Warbler and Half-collared Kingfisher and the cherry on the cake was being able to get stunning pics of the Knysna Warbler and of course all the other birds. The scenery was breathtaking and your knowledge of the birds and the surrounding area made the 2 days so much more enjoyable and rewarding. We will come back in Spring or Summer for the Mountain Wagtail and just spending more birding time with you. Your enthusiasm and perseverance was great. Thank you again so much."
"Tim is a friendly expert guide who will give you a wonderful tour of Eastern Cape birds to suit your needs"
"Thanks Tim!!! We had a great day birding! We appreciate you going out of your way to show us the special birds that we wanted to see!!"
"Thanks for the memorable day birding, our first with a guide and with someone of your calibre. Thank you for a memory that will abide with us and all the beautiful birds we saw."
"Thanks Tim, for a wonderful 2 days of adventure birding. We want to clone you and take you home with us. We were super-impressed with your local bird call skills. Hope to do it again!"
"Your birding tour exceeded our expectations. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge and anecdotes. A great day! Some great lifers to add to our lists."
"Tim! Thank you so much! I learned such a lot and saw many more new birds than I imagined I would. Will definitely be back and in the meantime will recommend you far and wide!"
"Tim, many thanks for a great 3 days. The birding experiences were fantastic - I will never forget 5 Kori Bustards and above all the Cape Penduline-Tit. I have many stunning photographs as memories of the trip. Your knowledge of the bird calls leaves me nonplussed and I am determined to work very hard to get even 10% as good as you are. Once again thank you for great birding and great company."
"Had an interesting trip through the backroads, farms and saw many woodland, grassland and waterbird, as well as estuarine birds. Tim is very knowledgeable and informative."
"Thank you for a great day's birding. Got all the target species with exceptional views."
"Amazing experience! Thanks so much for the diverse experience and many interesting species."
"It is always a great pleasure using your great expertise in bird identification. As a bird guide it will be very difficult to find someone with your knowledge with the sound of birds and identification. But above all, your attitude and company is well worth the day."
"Most enjoyable and informative. Accommodating ameteur and seasoned birders. Will definitely reccommend and do another trip.
"Big thanks, Tim. Fun and fantastic day's birding. You really know your calls. A pleasure being in your company!"
"Thank you, Tim, for a most enjoyable morning's birding. You proved to us that the only way to see many different species is to go with a specialist guide. We saw lots and learned a lot. Again, many thanks."
"Thanks Tim for a great day's birding, we enjoyed spending time in the field with you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience and some of your special favourite spots. We enjoyed hearing and seeing so many special birds. We look forward to a return visit."
"Thank you so much, Tim! It was great to see and hear so many South African birds during our trip from Alaska. Your expertise was very helpful and much appreciated."
