415 | The Healing Power of Birds Program

WELFARE & CONSERVATION

BirdsConTour (Birds Conservation & Tourism) uses local wild birds as an aid program to treat people. Natured is one of the best medicines. The Healing Power of Birds Program brings peace and joy to many people and at the same time, by establishing wild bird sanctuaries (feeding stations), the program gives local wild birds a boost, too.

Attracting local wild birds to people's environment (home, school, guest farm, church, lodge, business, residential care community, nursing home), through BirdsConTour transforming sites into havens for birds, the sensory observation of these birds - the colors, the sounds - and the chance to watch their behavior in the wild bird sanctuaries (feeding stations) outside, are stimulating aspects for:

Companionship and Relief from boredom

According to an old Chinese proverb, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. BirdsConTour finds that people owning or staying at a wild bird sanctuary have a lot of laughter and peace of mind. BirdsConTour designs the wild bird sanctuaries in such a way that the birds give the residents companionship, relief from boredom and the chance to care for other living things. BirdsConTour observes that residents who used to stay in their houses all day now come out daily and sit and watch the birds for hours. One can see them slip into another world and watch them react to the birds.

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Patients go and sit nearby the wild bird sanctuary (feeding station) to watch the birds' behavior and listen to their calls. This is stimulating for people with dementia. Side effects from their medication make them drowsy, but the bird activities wake them up. Some start smiling, smiles last longer and some become much more talkative. In some cases these wild birds trigger happy and soothing memories. Bird observation can tap into long-lost visual or auditory memories and can evoke strong happy reactions in people with Alzheimer's, improving their mood for hours afterwards.

Duty, Commitment and Responsibility 

Owning a wild bird sanctuary teaches people duty, commitment, responsibility and care for wild creatures through regular feeding and cleaning sessions.

Focusing

Wild birds singing can also make it easier to focus, for example on homework, because birdsong relaxes people physically but stimulates them cognitively. Over thousands of years people have learnt when the birds sing they are safe but it's when birds stop singing that people need to worry. Birdsong is also nature's alarm clock, with the dawn chorus signaling the start of the day, so it stimulates us cognitively. Birdsong works because it's stochastic, made up of lots of random sounds. It lacks repetition or pattern to focus on.

Comfort and Solace

Observing birds can help people through medical, physical and emotional crises. Birds, their characters, activities and stories, aid in communication and healing.

Cancer

The gentle chattering of wild birds is found a healing and soothing presence by cancer patients suffering pain.

Fear

Listening to birdsong calms patients as they receive injections and can help them de-stress before undergoing treatments or surgery.

Ears and Eyes

Bird observation can reset the ears and eyes.

Depression and Heart problems

Walks in wild bird sanctuaries can comfort depression and treat heart problems.

Fear of flying

Airports can use birdsong and bird observation possibilities as a calming method for passengers to relax before their flight.

Business

Hearing and seeing birds means good business. Attracting birds at ones business through an implemented wild bird sanctuary (feeding station), creates a mental connection with freshness and therefore improves customer and staff satisfaction.

While not a substitute for therapy, The Healing Power of Birds Program is created to aid in communication, healing and wellbeing.

414 | Namibian Bird of the Year 2016 announced

CONSERVATION

As the Bird of the Year 2016 Namibia the birds conservation and tourism organization BirdsConTour elected the Lappet-faced Vulture, our biggest vulture species, whose existence is under threat. In the Lappet-faced Vulture Year our vultures - the Palm-nut Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Hooded Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Cape Vulture, White-headed Vulture - will become even better known.

Each year since 2013 a Bird of the Year Namibia is chosen by BirdsConTour. Birds are excellent flagship animals and useful health indicators of the environment. This annual initiative serves BirdsConTour for creating awareness about birds and bird habitat conservation.

The Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) is an Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes and is the only member of the genus Torgos. It does not share the good sense of smell of some members of the New World vultures and is not closely related to them.

This largest African vulture has a 3-meter wingspan and weighs 15 kilos. This powerful species can open a fresh carcass. Pesticide poisoning and persecution has caused a decline in its population.

Previous birds of the year

2015 - House Sparrow

2014 - Kori Bustard

2013 - Common Ostrich

416 | Argo Rust - a great ecologist passes away in Namibia

CONSERVATION & WELFARE

The 19th of March 2016 marked the end of a life dedicated to the conservation of nature as Argo Rust (born 19 September 1939), a Namibian ecologist and farmer, succumbed to a battle with cancer. He was a co-founder of the Namibian Centre for Holistic Resource Management, a holistic approach to manage resources sustainable.

Particularly over the last century the development of arable land for agriculture and unsustainable grazing management replaces grassland into cropping and bush encroachment, impacting biodiversity and the ecosystem services grasslands provide, negatively.

This rapid decline of biodiversity through the loss of grassland ecosystems over the last decades motivated Argo Rust to take immediate action to halt biodiversity loss and improve biodiversity conservation by promoting sustainable livestock grazing and game management practices through the Farm Sonnleiten and later Farm Gauchas project in central and central southern Namibia.

Bird-friendly meat production

BirdsConTour acknowledges the tireless effort and passion with which Mr. Argo Rust (picture) has established  Farm Sonnleiten and Farm Gauchas.

His endeavors aimed to document - through scientific observation - how livestock and game can successfully improve biodiversity and therefore avoiding the extinction of many birds, thus responsibly producing bird-friendly meat.

409 | Bird watchers for clean roads

CONSERVATION & TOURISM

BirdsConTour has created the 'Cleaning the routes traveled' project in 2013 because we know how important clean tourist attractions are to the local tourism industry.

Black garbage bags and a tool for collecting litter are always part of the luggage and wherever time is available and litter is lying around next to the road traveled, a cleaning stop is arranged. Simultaneously this offers a break from the tiring driving and gives everybody the chance to stretch his or her legs while doing something productive.

Guests react very positive to this project and mostly assist in picking up litter.

There is simply no better way of keeping the roads traveled clean and leaves a good impression on the guide, the tour company and finally even on the country and its people.

On the 22nd of November BirdsConTour together with Gisela from Germany cleaned the litter on an often used picnic site alongside the A3 road between Maun and Ghanzi, while being on a 16 day bird watching Namibia/Botswana tour organized by Terra Unica, BirdsConTour and Pack Safari.

408 | Safe roadkills

CONSERVATION

An African wild cat roadkill

The same roadkill now securely placed for scavengers to clean it away.

A roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles.

Roadkills are a relatively new source of fatality; and if one were to estimate the entire kilometers of the roads in Namibia, the mortality must mount into the hundreds every 24 hours. Driving without paying attention to animal movement, driving at night and driving at too high speed contribute to the death toll. Unfortunately some drivers intentionally run over insects and reptiles, such as snakes and turtles.

To avoid the growth of a culture of indifference and hopelessness if people learn to ignore lifeless bodies on roads, BirdsConTour starts making a difference by removing at least one dead animal off the road during each tour that BirdsConTour is involved with. Removing animal carcasses, no matter how big or small, from roads BirdsConTour supports public safety because the removal takes away the potential distraction and hazard of the carcass to other motorists. The removal also prevent deaths of further animals that try to feed on the carcass. If possible, BirdsConTour tries to move the carcass to a nearby suitable place where it can be enjoyed in safety by other wildlife, especially by scavengers.

Remember that roadkill removal off the road is a way to support public safety as well as protecting carcass feeding animals. But with the act of removal it is of utmost importance not to pose a threat to people and traffic!

With this birding tour BirdsConTour saved a chameleon that was busy crossing the road.

Before following vehicles could kill it, BirdsConTour took it off the dangerous road and placed it safely on the other side of the road.

410 | Break away to the Kalahari Bush Breaks

CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Built in 1985

Thanks to the efforts and dedication of Kalahari Bush Breaks the nature on the farm Elandsbult is conserved and responsible tourism practices are in place.

One of the last essentially intact eco-systems in Africa is found here in the Kalahari on this 4000 ha farm, located 87 km to the east of Gobabis. There are approximately 264 species of birds to be seen here.

Mrs. Elsabé Barnard gladly received the BirdsConTour award

Kalahari Bush Breaks received a BirdsConTour two penguin-rated Conservation & Tourism Support 2015 Award for their efforts in conservation and tourism.

407 | Discover Mahangu Safari Lodge

WELFARE, CONSERVATION & TOURISM

Mahangu Safari Lodge is best known as beautifully situated next to the Mahango National Park and opposite of the West Caprivi NationL Park in Namibia.

 For being involved in social matters, such as supplying the surrounding community with water, for actively supporting an anti poaching unit in the surrounding parks and thereby offering sustainable tourism, the Mahangu Safari Lodge received a three penguin-rated Welfare, Conservation & Tourism Support 2015 Award from BirdsConTour.