Books & Music
This month: a fascinating collection of birdwatching essays, a guide to finding the cheapest airfare, a classic book about the Lowveld and a mesmerising album by US folk star Sufjan Stevens. Enjoy!
Birdwatcher, poet and author Vernon R.L. Head, known for his book The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World, has edited and compiled a new book called Featherings. It’s a collection of essays about birds and birdwatching, written by ornithologists, artists, novelists, journalists, talk-show hosts, advertising executives and professional nature guides – and Vernon himself. He tells us more.
Where did your love of birds begin? On my grandfather’s flower farm about 40 years ago, where Northcliff is today, in the distant shadow of Johannesburg, when wild things still lived unencumbered there. It was dawn, my grandfather pointed to the sound of the socalled “rainbird” in the mist, near a vlei. The bird hopped onto a bush, fluffed its feathers, its red eyes shining. I was hooked. I later learnt that the rainbird is a Burchell’s coucal, then I learnt its scientific name, Centropus burchellii. Watching birds became a way for me to be in the natural world, to name things, and to dream.
This is your third book on birds. What made you decide to take on this project? It’s important to connect people with wild places – that’s the only way we’ll save the wilderness. This book is a carefully selected collection of short pieces about just that: connections, links… I have selected stories told by all sorts of people, giving new and exciting and varied perspectives on these powerful and often intimate connections. I didn’t request specific themes; all I asked for was “an intimate moment watching a bird (or two)”. It was the intimacy that would bring the magic. All the contributors are birdwatchers. All birdwatchers have special gifts of observation. It doesn’t matter that some of the authors have won the Gill Memorial Medal for Ornithology; some might have PhDs and be world authorities in their field; others might have seen more bird species on the planet than most mortals. All of that is just a by-product of the thing we call birdwatching! I was certainly surprised by some of the contributions: One story is about the rediscovery of a species in the wild, the first time it was captured on film. Another story is about a narrow dance with death – extreme birdwatching!
The contributions cover some interesting destinations: Wakkerstroom, the Kalahari, Nature’s Valley, Zambia, even Borneo… What are some of your favourite local destinations? The West Coast National Park is just up the road. It’s home to thousands of migratory shorebirds in summer. You never know: You might see a vagrant species that isn’t supposed to be there. Maybe even a first on the official BirdLife South Africa bird list! I also enjoy going down to Cape Point with my spotting scope when the wind is blowing onshore. That’s the best time for land-based albatross watching. The smell of the fynbos and the dance of the orange-breasted sunbirds are a bonus.
In the preface you say you hope these tales “will inspire contemplation”. Why is this important? Our frenetic, shrinking world is one filled with aspiration: People want a nice new house like the houses on TV; they want a nice new car that goes faster than the rest. What we’ve forgotten is that there’s an inspirational world out there, often right on our doorstep. It is the world of wild birds. This world is a place to think, to rediscover what is important, to search for the things that can’t be bought, the things that make us our best selves.
Why should someone start birdwatching? Walk outside. Sit under a tree and listen. Maybe the leaves will dance little shadows on the ground, just for you. Then look up and see if you can find a bird. Watch the play of feathers and listen to the sound it makes. There’s immediate joy in the freedom of wings. There’s equilibrium in nature – it’s right there above you. You’re part of it. If you understand the immense power of that moment, your new connection with birds will change your life.
“Look up carefully, you are in a precious thing.” That’s a line from one of your own contributions, “Butterfly Bird”. Why is a forest precious? A forest almost exists as if it’s a single organism. Being within a forest allows you to be part of the gentle rhythm and nuance of nature. Being in a forest is like drifting on a pond: It has its own peace and its own answers. Go for a walk in a forest, but don’t talk. Just listen and look up.
Name a few elusive species on your life list? The rarest bird in the world is the Nechisar nightjar and I’ve seen one. If you want the story, you’ll have to buy my book on the subject! Two weeks ago I saw a spoon-billed sandpiper in southern Thailand, one of the rarest waders in the world. Then there was the blue pitta… That’s another story!
Tell us about your next project. Does it involve birds? Of course. I’ve just finished writing a novel called A Tree for the Birds, which will be published in two months. Then I’m off to Colombia… There are birds to see!
Featherings – True Stories in Search of Birds is published by Jacana Media and costs R257 in bookstores.