Gail Darroll is not only known for her current work but also for her
collaboration with Professor Gordon Maclean in the 1986 coffee table
publication Ducks of sub-Saharan Africa, sharing the Lady Usher Literary
prize with him. She has also participated alongside international artists in
major South African natural history exhibitions and her artworks hang in
private and corporate collections worldwide. Gail lives and paints full-time in
the small town of Wilderness in the southern Cape of South Africa.
Mark Brown grew up with a deep and abiding interest in all species
of birds and much of his career over the past 25 years has been spent
studying them. Mark has worked on a range of bird pollination and avian
physiology projects and has since become a leading researcher in the
field of nectar-feeding birds in southern Africa. He has published over
100 scientific papers. Working across the fields of ecology, physiology,
pollination ecology, animal behaviour and conservation biology, Mark is
an accomplished ornithologist and bird ringer and shares his knowledge
in public lectures, articles and publications such as this one.
Ingrid Weiersbye describes herself as an artist-naturalist, illustrator
and part-time writer with a lifelong obsession with her subject matter of
the natural environment, fostered by her Zimbabwean upbringing and love
for the African continent. She has illustrated either partially or solely four
specialist bird guides for southern Africa and contributed text and content
for this Sunbirds and Sugarbirds publication.
Guy Upfold is a passionate photographer and wildlife enthusiast with
a deep appreciation for birds and plants. He has extensive experience
in desktop publishing, layout and design and has been involved in the
production of publications that are renowned in the southern African
ornithological and botanical communities. As a devoted trustee of the
JVBBF, Guy designed this book and made a significant contribution to its
contents, showcasing his enthusiasm for birds.