Durban - Sharing the rich cultural heritage of the province, helping bird guides left without income during lockdown and saving endangered bird species.
The BirdLife Port Natal 2021 calendar includes fascinating detail on the Zulu names of some of the province’s unique birds, making it a great corporate gift or Christmas stocking filler - or simply to hang in your home.
KwaZulu-Natal is a must-visit destination for any national and international “twitcher” because of its huge diversity of birds, with some extremely rare species found only in this corner of the world.
Nicky Forbes, the chairperson of Birdlife Port Natal (which falls under BirdLife SA), said this year’s calendar celebrating the Zulu names of birds provided interesting cultural significance for each species.
This included the red-capped robin-cat or Unonkositini (Cossypha natalensis), of which Forbes said: “The varied and musical sounds made by this KwaZulu-Natal favourite are acknowledged by the Zulu name suggestive of the bird sounding like a concertina (inkositini), an instrument which plays a big part in maskandi music.”
The Zulu name for the pink-throated twinspot is Umagumejana (Hypargos margaritatus) which is a metaphorical name for “this pretty and decorative bird, named after a young girl of the Gumede clan known for her fine beadwork”, she said.
Another bird featured is the Cape glossy starling or Ikhwezi (Lamprotornis nitens) which, according to Forbes, is the Zulu name given to the planet Venus, also known as the Morning Star.
“A very apt name for this sparkling bird with its glittering plumage. It is also a possible reference to its bright yellow eye mimicking a star in a sea of shimmering blue,” she said.
Proceeds from the sale of the calendars will go towards the Community Bird Guide Covid-19 Relief Fund, as well as a number of different projects to help endangered species.
This includes the BirdLife SA research project on the critically endangered Southern banded snake eagle, which is restricted to the coastal forests of northern KwaZulu-Natal. This small population in formally protected areas making up Isimangaliso Wetlands Park is considered the flagship species for this threatened ecosystem.
Forbes said another important project the organisation helps is the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
“Marion Island has an astonishing array of endemic species and charismatic marine megafauna.
“After cats were eradicated from Marion Island in the early 1990s (it remained the largest island on Earth cleared of cats for many years), mice were left as the only introduced mammal there.
“At the time, no thought was given to tackling mice, even though their impact on invertebrates such as flightless moths and weevils, plant communities, nutrient cycles were gigantic.
“Little did we know that mice could become such a significant threat to seabirds. Work done at Gough Island demonstrated that mice can devastate seabird colonies, and now they’re attacking seabird chicks at Marion Island, with increasing impacts each year,” she said.
And with the massive impact the Covid-19 lockdown has had on tourism, BirdLife Port Natal has been helping BirdLife SA to support bird guides who have had no work in the past few months. BirdLife SA has trained more than 200 community bird guides who are all skilled in locating birds in their areas, both visually and by mimicking the birds’ calls.
“Local and international tourism is expected to slump for several months, even after lockdown is lifted.
“This has been a devastating blow to our community bird guides who rely on local and international ecotourism to support themselves.
“BirdLife SA is raising relief funding for guides who need to sustain themselves and their families during this challenging period. We are appealing to all our supporters, especially those who have experienced the wonderful skills of our guides, to contribute to these funds,” said Forbes.
All funds received for the Community Bird Guide Covid-19 Relief Fund went directly to the guides, she said.
This year’s calendar includes a special pull-out of all the bird guides and their contact details.
The calendars cost R100 each, or R90 for three or more calendars.
There is a R10 delivery fee for Durban.
To order, send an email to [email protected].
The Independent on Saturday