173 | SEASON'S GREETINGS - ADVENT FOR BIRDS

173

YOUNG BIRDERS AROUND THE GLOBE GIVE

Advent for birds this Christmas Season

Photos and text by Stefan Rust

2013

(In terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belongs to Stefan Rust)

This Bird Advent is a special Christmas project initiated by BirdsConTours’ Young Birders to count and celebrate the 4 advents (Sundays) leading up to Christmas Day by supporting wild birds.

Every participating Young Birder is awarded with a 1 penguin-rated Bird & Birder Friendly Award, receives a penguin candy lolly and wears the Christmas hat for a photograph that gets published together with a brief text.

Under the project Young Birders BirdsConTour takes the idea of the Advent Calendar by doing something good every advent for wild birds. Around the globe BirdsConTour motivates one child (Young Birder) per advent leading up to Christmas to either feed wild birds, clean the bird habitat, put up a nest box or something similar leading to a better life for birds.

The idea behind this Young Birders Advent for Birds project is to create an awareness of bird life with children and simultaneously helping birds.

01. December, Sunday

Nino Leicher (13), a Young Birder from Windhoek, Namibia, fixes plastic bags over the vehicles mirrors to prevent an aggressive Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler from fighting his own reflection by thinking it is a rival bird. This habit, especially during breeding season, can lead to exhaustion that will make the bird more vulnerable to disease, malnutrition and predators.

08. December, Sunday

His family’s planned house is not built yet, but the house of the wild bird family that will stay with them is done. Young Birder Rigo Hellmich (3.5) from Farm Sonnleiten, Namibia, certainly will see that his father puts up this nest box to support bird life, because he likes birds.

15. December, Sunday

German Young Birder Wiebke-Julia Röder (1), visiting Namibia, gets introduced to keeping poultry free range by her grandmother Heidi Rust. Keeping chicken, geese, ducks, guinea fowl and pigeon is a very rewarding, relaxing and fun hobby giving one pleasure and is a magnet for children with the added benefit of having free range fresh eggs and meat and cost-effective insect controllers.

22. December, Sunday

Young Birder Wolfram Röder (5) from Germany visits Namibia and already understands the importance of water for birds. Birds need water for drinking and bathing, particularly during winter when natural water may be frozen, and in dry, hot weather when water can be hard to find.

24. December, Tuesday

While cyclone Xaver heralded by sweeping devastating wind and rain across Northern Europe, the media was packed with news about occurring financial losses. But who spent a thought on losses nature and particularly bird life experienced? Young Birder Leni Rust (4) from Germany did and erected together with her father a bird feeding station to give support to the wild birds after the cyclone calmed down.

May Peace, Joy, Happiness and spectacular Birding

be yours during this Christmas/Holiday Season

and throughout the New Year

Season’s Greetings

Joyeux Noel

Feliz Navidad

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Yours truly,

Stefan Rust