335 | Omandumba Guest Farm at a glance

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM

As Namibia's tourism industry grows, Harald & Deike Rust built chalets on their farm, situated in the Erongo Mountains.

With adequate planning rhino's have been reintroduced and other exciting initiatives are the Living Museum of the SAN People and the Omandumba Kindergarten which make great differences in so many lives.

This input earns Omandumba Guest Farm a three penguin-rated Welfare, Conservation & Tourism Support 2015 Award from BirdsConTour.

330 | BirdsConTour's own Collection #1

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM 

We love birds!

BirdsConTour believes in giving back for the space we take from nature. This is achieved through setting up Wild Bird Support Stations. These stations bring people and nature together with BirdsConTour selling, offering expert advice, installing, regular refilling and maintaining of the Wild Bird Support Stations. For this purpose BirdsConTour developed, through many years of experience, a proven own selection of handcrafted, bird-friendly and observer-friendly wild bird feeders and bird products.

Shop BirdsConTour Original Wild Bird Feeders and Bird Products (March 2015:

01)

Seed Silo Feeder (dove proof) 

N$ 123.-.

02)

Seed Feeder Deco (shovel with bird) 

N$ 93.-.

03)

Corn Feeder Hanging (dove friendly) 

N$ 98.-.

04)

Nectar Sucking Feeder 

N$ 69.-.

05)

Nectar Trough Feeder 

N$ 94.-.

06)

Fruit Feeder

N$ 78.-.

07)

Porridge Feeder

N$ 63.-.

08)

Suet Feeder

N$ 60.-.

09)

Water Table

N$ 230.-.

10)

Bird Bath

N$ 70.-.

11)

Best Material Dispenser

N$ 73.-.

12)

Bird House

N$ 53.-.

13)

Filling Basket Set

N$ 224.-.

14)

Bird Food Seed

N$ 45.-.

15)

Bird Food Corn

N$ 45.-.

16)

Bird Food Sugar (Nectar)

N$ 10.-.

17)

Bird Food Fruit

N$ 30.-.

18)

Bird Food Porridge Ready Mix

N$ 15.-.

19)

Bird Food Suet

N$ 25.-.

20)

Best Material

N$ 20.-.

21)

Binocular

N$ 400.-.

22)

Bird Book

N$ 250.-.

23)

Birding Bag

N$ 250.-.

24)

Transportable and Mobile Chicken Coop

N$ 1200.-.

Please note that all items are on order.

Please note that some items and prices may vary from above mentioned.

Enjoy birding!

331 | BirdsConTour Chicken Coop for your pest control needs

On farms ticks tend to stick on livestock, becoming a pest.

An ideal tick-eater is the Helmeted Guineafowl, roaming far and wide. However not always enough Guineas are around to do the pest control job and therefore having the chickens roaming instead is much appreciated. 

All common chicken descend from the Red Junglefowl - a wild bird originating from the jungles of Asia. As much as they fed on bugs, snakes, fruit, seeds, greenery and small rodents, so does every modern chicken. And yet chickens are often expected to thrive on stale corn, soy and grain mixed with mineral supplements, antibiotics and vegetable oil waste. But because chickens are not that defensive against predators and chickens forage for insects closer to the gardens and buildings and being natural roosters that prefer having a piece of shelter to consider their home, they must be controlled. Thus an ideal solution is of having a mobile containment unit that keeps predators out and allows the responsible person to choose where the chickens shall forage. 

In case of free ranging chicken you need a mobile coop. This mobile coop can be positioned nearby the herd of livestock that needs to be treated against ticks. 

Release the chickens in the morning while the herd of livestock is still in an enclosure to roam freely on tick patrol and you will be surprised how many ticks they eat (chickens are not vegetarians). In addition chickens are entertaining, they provide flavorful, nutritious eggs and meat, their nitrogen-rich droppings they produce will help your vegetation flourish and chickens provide outstanding mosquito, slug and snail control.

To assist you in your pest control needs, BirdsConTour has designed and developed an easy-to-handle portable and mobile 900 x 900 - 50k chicken coop. With chicken in this coop it can even be used to cut your lawn. Once the chickens have exhausted the section of grass where the coop is positioned, you easily move it to a new section of grass, as you push a wheelbarrow.

Please note that this practical BirdsConTour Chicken Coop is on order only.

329 | Namibia emerges as a global leader in sustainable tourism

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM

With having over 80 Eco Award certified tourism establishments, having protection of the environment written into the constitution, having almost half of the country under conservation management and this leading to over 250 000 rural Namibians being members of a conservancy, Namibia is internationally acclaimed as a emerging global leader in responsible and sustainable tourism best practices. With the desire to share its efforts the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, in collaboration with UNEP, the Government of France, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Hospitality Association of Namibia, the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia and Eco-Awards Namibia, hosted the 5th International Symposium and Annual Conference of Partners of the Global Partnership for Sustainable  Tourism, held in Windhoek at the Windhoek Country Club on the 23rd and 24th of February 2015.

With the theme of the symposium, "Advancing Sustainable Tourism: Securing the Legacy of Our Cultural & Natural Heritage" still in mind, BirdsConTour (Stefan Rust) guided a safari excursion from the 25th until 27th of February 2015 to feature Namibia's Namib Sand Sea (UNESCO Heritage Site) and surrounding lodges and a project practicing sustainable tourism. These were Conny's Restaurant, Namib Desert Lodge, Wolwedans and Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge.

The participating excursion members are international heavyweights in terms of sustainable tourism and in recognition for their global input, BirdsConTour rewarded  each participant with a top score three penguin-rated Welfare, Conservation & Tourism Support 2015 Award.

Award recipients from left to right: Charles Arden-Clarke,  Helena Rey De Assis, Deirdre Shurland and Nada Roudies.

Oryx dung-spitting (Bokdrol Spoeg in Afrikaans) is a fun sport practiced with guests at the Namib Desert Lodge, here with the excursion members: 

In the competition small, dry and hard pellets of dung from the desert dwelling Oryx antelope are spat, with the farthest distance reached being the winner.

328 | Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge - pronouncing responsible andsustainable tourism

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Lara having received the award from BirdsConTour

The three penguin-rated Welfare, Conservation & Tourism Support 2015 Award-winning luxury Rostock Ritz Desert Lodge, situated 240km southwest  from Windhoek, offers their guests terrific panoramic desert views, a a la carte restaurant, a relaxing pool and 19 rooms with en-suite bathrooms and balconies. Guests can enjoy all this with a good conscience because this lodge is managed in a responsible way:

In-house training of staff and promotion,

solar energy supply

and conserving Namibia's meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

to only mention part of the responsible and sustainable practices at Rostock Ritz.