After receiving his BSc (Honours) degree at the University of Natal, Andrew moved to Cape Town and began what became a PhD study, based at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, on the factors limiting the Peregrine Falcon population in South Africa. Since then, Andrew has retained a connection with “The Fitz,” first as a postdoctoral researcher, then as contracted research biologist, and more recently as a research associate. He has been involved in bird impact assessment work in South Africa and Lesotho since the early 1990s. After a brief sojourn as the research coordinator of what was then the Wildlife and Energy Interaction Group (now the Wildlife & Energy Programme) of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 2007-2009, he went solo and full-time as an ornithological consultant, and founded AVISENSE Consulting cc in mid-2009. Andrew is registered as a Professional Natural Scientist (Pr. Sci. Nat. Zoology, Ecology 400117/14) with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals, is a founding member of the Birds & Renewable Energy Specialist Group (convened by BirdLife South Africa and the EWT), and is the primary author of the best practice guidelines for avian monitoring and impact mitigation at both wind and solar energy development sites in southern Africa. AVISENSE Consulting evolved into AVISENSE Africa (Pty) Ltd in 2021 with co-director Anthony van Zyl, with the aim of providing bird-related services throughout Africa and beyond. He lives in Cape Town with his wife Zelda and their son Ruben.

Anthony completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Pretoria where he worked part time at the Ditsong Museum of Natural History in the bookshop, collections and assisting bird department on field trips. He moved to Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape for his BSc Honours where he worked on bats and sugarbirds for his mini-thesis. After compulsory national service, he conducted research on the biology of the Rock Kestrel for his MSc Zoology degree from the FitzPatrick Institute of Ornithology at the University of Cape Town. Anthony worked as Curator of Birds at the Ditsong Museum of Natural History for five years before working on computers in the oil industry for 19 years. During this time, Anthony continued to work on birds, specifically raptor research and surveys in South Africa. Anthony started AVISENSE Africa (Pty) Ltd with Andrew Jenkins in 2021 to address the need for avifaunal surveys in the renewables energy industry in Africa. The combination of Andrew’s ornithological consulting experience with Anthony’s business, computer and field experience puts AVISENSE Africa in a unique niche of experience. Anthony is an active member of the BirdLife South Africa Taita Falcon Survey Team, serves on the BLSA/EWT Birds & Wind Energy Specialist Group, and lives in Cape Town when not in the field.