Page 10 - 05 December 2025

PAGE 10 · THE REPORTER 5 DECEMBER 2025

After hearing more stories of kind-
hearted people”saving” baby birds, I
decided to place the accompanying
poster that explains what to do better
than I can. Please teachers explain this
to well-meaning children.
Early on Sunday morning, the sun
appeared briefly and the worsies asked
to go for a walk, pointing their noses at
the blue sky framed in the bedroom Southern Red Bishop (Rooivink)
window. If you have had the pleasure of male in breeding plumage.
experiencing 3 dogs trying to convince
you to take them walkies, you know that been cutting again. But this year
we had no choice. Three dogs on leads, they cut more than ever, with no
cameras in hand, our spirits high, we regard for the bird nests. Nests were
set off to our beloved dam, where we strewn around, discarded,
could set them free. (We have trained trampled underfoot. I shudder to
them reasonably well, to not chase think how many baby birds died,
birds and animals, with only a stern how many eggs broken. There were
reminder needed at times.) We walked many of them.
as far as the waterfall and the little weir As we walked further the extent of
where we listen to our African Rail and the devastation became evident.
the mood changed. Passing the reedbeds, we came to
I consider myself a positive person and the dam. The sound of chopping
a fiercely loyal South African. But lately was the final straw. Wherever you
things have been challenging. With our looked, trees chopped down,
business, and many others, struggling branches chopped off, logs left to
under BBBEE and the economy in be fetched later and that sound. . .
general, it has been a tough year, but we Chop, chop chop. . . .
have faith. . . Tears rolled, anger built and a sense
Our cheerful outlook changed. We of utter hopelessness overcame
walked to our beloved town dam and me.
along the way we saw the tell tale signs We, but especially my husband
of cut reeds leading us to the Kevin, used to fight this. He used to
devastation. have a few sympathetic policemen
who would speak to them, even
We had a tremendous snow storm in
winter this year, 50cm plus. The birds threaten the initiates and elders.
and I were celebrating the recovery of But now nobody cares, not the
the flattened reeds. First the weavers leaders, not the parents, not the
started building their nests. Bright authorities. No one is prepared to
yellow Cape Weaver (Kaapse Wewer) help.
males advertised with calls and These are young men who are
fluttering wings, while the females about to undergo training for
inspected their handiwork. Then later adulthood, I have heard that they
came the Southern Red Bishops are taught about responsibilities
(Rooivink) dancing around a reed and etc. Why not teach them respect?
calling the females. Nests everywhere. Respect for one another, respect for
Low down in the reeds, the little the law, for their elders and for all
warblers (Rietsangers) sang happily life, people and creatures great and
while feeding. Common Moorhens small, respect for creation.
(Grootwaterhoender), Red-knobbed My heart bleeds. . .
Coots (Bles-hoender), Yellow-billed Imagine 25 to 30 nests destroyed,
Ducks (Geelbekeend) and others were each with 2 to 5 eggs, let’s average
busy raising their families. If you were at 3, that means 75 to 90 Southern
lucky, you may just hear an African Rail Red Bishops less this year, and the
call. next and the next . . . .
These are just some of the reedbed I suppose the colony at the dam will
inhabitants. eventually die out or leave. That is
We reached the first reedbed and I just one of the species that nest in
wanted to cry. The mkhewethas had those reeds.