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Discovering nature - by Fiona Mordaunt

I read somewhere that the world does not need saving, it needs loving, and that
in loving it we save it. There is a lot of sense in that to my mind, because once
we care about something, we tend to look after it. Growing up in a city in England,
I did not fully grasp how I fit into a natural world. It was living in Botswana that
linked me to the feeling of belonging to a living, breathing planet.

When the pandemic struck and we were unable to recycle at all I discovered the Honeycomb hub in
Phakalane were taking glass bottles and cans. I also heard of an eco-brick project in Mokolodi that
were using plastics, so I picked five eco-curious participants, who promised to be patient with my
hair-brained scheme, and said I would see whether I could find a way to recycle all their ‘stuff’ for a
month, as an experiment. I rented a small flat-bed truck and driver, and also asked my helper (B2) to
get involved, then we set about collecting. And voila! Our garage was immediately filled to the brim
with smelly recycling that people had been hording for months – whoops.
It took ages for myself and B2 to clean and bag it all, and I drove over large portions of it in my
Toyota, to reduce its size. I thought I must be absolutely crazy, but out of that came contacts and
slowly but surely there was a home for every element. The eco experiment turned into our eco club,
and never stopped running after that initial month, it is still running now. We discovered that by
collecting weekly, it is kept manageable, clean and easy.
Quite soon after arriving in Botswana I noticed a weird green ball hanging in our lemon tree and
observed a bright yellow bird flying inside, declaring it a nest! I ran for my previously untouched bird
book, genuine interest well and truly ignited. From that moment I did my best to understand how
people like me could connect more easily to nature.
Now living in England once again after 8 years in Botswana, I have used much of my Botswana
savvy to attract birds to my garden. The little Oast house we have rented is in the countryside, close
to a private forest that we can reach by crossing two fields. Amongst the trees, stripped by winter,
we walk on fallen leaves that cover the ground in a thick, wet layer. Some of them are sticking up,
and the sun is shining through their subtle forms, causing them to glow with such rich coppers and
ochres, that it makes my heart ache slightly less for the sunshine and bird calls of Botswana.

I have set up an interesting feeding and watering area, binoculars and bird chart at the ready. The
first to arrive was a robin! I was absolutely thrilled because it was so famous I could name it without
referring to the bird book. The next visitor was a little more unusual – a great spotted woodpecker -
and I felt the thrum of connection to the all-important ‘thing’ bigger than us humans, in my chest.
Our community of birds grows – the song thrush is magnificent, singing to bring in the dusk, and
I’m reaching for the bird chart and binoculars on a constant basis. Nut-hatches, blue tits, coal tits,
chaffinches, magpies, jays, and a pheasant we call Phil.
If you want to learn more about the eco club, please contact me via Whatsapp on 00447582506013

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