425 | Orange House - good showing

CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Solar panels

The Orange House in Swakopmund continues its good showing in sustainable tourism and conservation and collects therefore in the second year another two penguin-rated Conservation & Tourism Support 2016 Award.

424 | Stars and Penguins

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM

A three penguin-rated Welfare, Conservation & Tourism Support 2016 award-winning Namib Desert Dune Star Camp is a nature-tourism destination, created for a night under the glittering sky after a short guided hike or drive in the magnificence of the Namib desert wilderness.

422 | Travelers stop at Connys Restaurant

TOURISM

Welmien, the daughter of the late Conny, has made her favorite recipes available to travelers passing Klein Aub to enjoy on the terrace.

Her effort earns her a one penguin-rated Tourism Support 2016 Award from BirdsConTour.

420 | Delightfully different Guesthouse Voigtland

CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Only 45 km from Windhoek and even less from the international airport, you will come across the delightfully different Guesthouse Voigtland.

Originally built in the 1900, the guesthouse is set on farm Voigtland in the Namibian savannah.

With initiatives such as garden bird feeding, sustainable hunting and sustainable tourism, Gaby & Stephan Voigts from Guesthouse Voigtland earned a two penguin-rated Conservation & Tourism Support 2016 Award from BirdsConTour.

419 | Water for Sossus Birds

CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Tourism is an important industry for Namibia but can cause significant disturbance to animals in their natural habitat. 

Sossusvlei, the main attraction point of the Namib Sand Sea (Namibia's first UNESCO natural Heritage Site since 21st June 2013) for example, is a very sensitive environment and heavy visitor disruption wipes out a big amount of seeds, reptiles and insects, resulting in a lack of food and moisture for birds. For many species these food items are also a primary source of moisture their body needs.

In order to counteract this visitor-birdlife conflict and to help birds to replenish their body moisture and food, BirdsConTour introduced the Water for Sossus Birds project in 2013. Hereby tour guides, visiting the Sossusvlei area, are requested to put outa filled water and food feeder, constructed and funded by BirdsConTour, at the 4x4 parking area. With peace of mind the guide and guests can now go and discover and enjoy the magnificent Sossusvlei area.

418 | International Migratory Bird Day

CONSERVATION

BirdsConTour celebrates migratory birds

You're out on a game drive and absorbing the fascinating bird life your guide points out. But, have you spent a thought on who of them are migrants and what their threats are?

Being a guest in Namibia is always exciting. For some visitors, simply taking in the sights and sounds of the wild avifauna is the most exciting and fun-filled part, but most come for the learning experience. If you are in the latter category, here is something for you to get your fill.

Migrant birds are important biodiversity ambassadors not only for Namibia but for the whole world. It is therefore that each year the International Migratory Bird Day gets celebrated, this year on the 10th of May. Every year, from October to April, more than 150 migrant bird species visit Namibia from northern and central Africa, Europe and Asia.

Palearctic migrants, such as Barn Swallow, Common Swift, European Bee-Eater, Willow Warbler, European Roller, Red-backed Shrike, Red-footed Falcon, Steppe Eagle, Black Kite, Ruff, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Black Tern and White Stork, fly from Europe and Asia to Africa.

Intra-African migrants, such as Diderick Cuckoo, Dusky Lark, Yellow-billed Kite and Abdim's Stork fly a north-south route in Africa.

Damara Terns use the coastal route to and from west Africa.

Many wading species such as Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwit and Arctic Tern, use a coastal migration route.

Did you know that a satellite tracked Arctic Tern flew 70 900 km in one year?

In many instances, though, our migrating birds face many threats en-route and at their destinations. These are illegal hunting, powerline collisions, overgrazing, deforestation, pesticide pollution, water pollution, air pollution and climate change.

BirdsConTour established the Bird of the Year Namibia project to create an awareness of these threats by annually choosing an ambassador bird species in order to pronounce the different threats.

417 | Getting Kids involved in Birds

CONSERVATION & WELFARE

Kids are naturally curious and love to learn about birds because they hold a special fascination, they can fly!

Leni loves and enjoys helping birds by feeding them

Enzo proudly points out his self made bird feeder

Parents and teachers can help children learn about birds by taking them out to build a bird feeder. Children love to feed the birds outside in the garden. 

A Cape Glossy Starling feeds its chick with a small snake

And then it's so much fun to sit back and watch all the wonderful birds come over to feed. Making bird feeders with the kids is a great activity to get them outside and enjoying nature.

BirdsConTour shows a few ideas that you and your kids can enjoy.

Using empty cold drink cans to create seed feeders

Sunflower seed tube feeder

Porridge feeder

Fruit feeder

Nectar feeder

Corn feeder

Suet (peanut butter) feeder

Water table

The other thing parents and teachers can do is to encourage kids to build a bird house. Before and while building nests, one can do a little reading and explaining about birds and the purpose of a nest.

Small bird nest

Large bird nest out of a plant pot

Building bird feeders and bird houses with kids is a great way to get kids engaged in bird conservation.

Late Mrs Heidi Rust was a great example of engaging kids in DIY projects

Thank you to all parents and teachers for all you do to turn kids into citizen scientists!