Sunbirds find historic routes
FYNBOS GARDENS IN CAPE SCHOOLS HELPS THEM FINISH THEIR JOURNEY
‘Disruption of migration, habitat has endangered many species.’
Ahistoric migration route for sunbirds between the Table Mountain National Park and the Boland Mountains is being restored by the Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration Project, using fynbos gardens in schools across the Cape Flats.
Ceinwen Smith, executive director of the project, says the birds travel between the mountain ranges of Muizenberg and Stellenbosch, but the route has been “broken” by urban sprawl.
Sunbirds cannot fly for more than a kilometre and half without stopping to feed. Establishing gardens at schools to act as “filling stations” for the little birds helps them to complete their natural migration.
Smith says the disruption of bird migration and the destruction of their habitat has endangered many species endemic to the Cape Flats.
It is not only about the birds, but also about improving the well-being of children by getting them into nature. The Cape Flats suffer from a lack of accessible natural spaces. With the birds, come educational classes and the formation of “eco-clubs”, where primary and high school children do outdoor activities such as drawing, mapping, species research and bird monitoring.
They also do field trips at least twice a year. Smith says they want to inspire “a sense of excitement” about nature. “Yes, it’s about the birds and about fynbos, but you can plant all the gardens and you can note all the birds, but if people don’t care for those spaces, they’re gone,” she says.
Smith says that the birds are also pretty and bring aesthetic value to the landscape. “Everybody likes the sound of birds rather than traffic,” she says.
Doreen Vizant, a teacher at Floreat Primary in Retreat, runs the school’s eco-club. She says that the outdoor classes help her to teach pupils about topics like photosynthesis outdoors, rather than only in their textbooks.
This way pupils can “see, feel and even taste” the subject matter,” said Vizant, adding that many pupils live in flats without yards. The gardens at the school teach them how to look after things and work as a team.
Joel Simons, schools programme manager at Ingcungcu, said the pupils build the gardens themselves to create care and custodianship. They do the site analysis, mapping, prepare the ground, plant and take care of the gardens.
He says they don’t want it to feel like another “planting project” but to “create a long-lasting commitment to the space”.
The eco-clubs also introduce pupils to “unusual subjects that aren’t offered at schools that could lead to career paths”, such as bird-watching and mapping.
And the field trips give them access to parts of the city otherwise inaccessible to them.
Simons says many of the pupils who join the eco-club have some type of struggle. “The club provides a space for them to be part of something”.
At some schools, the eco-club is the only extracurricular activity outside sports. “Children are finding solace, community and belonging where maybe it’s not being provided to them … whether it be at home, on the streets or in school,” he says.
Ashlyn Lawrence, in Grade 6 and an eco-club member, says he feels good when surrounded by nature. “I feel like the plants are cuddling me,” he says.
But it hasn’t been plain sailing. Smith says their involvement in Lavender Hill had to be pulled back because of gang violence.
The resources at some schools are limited and some struggle with thievery and vandalism. Plants have been pulled out and fencing removed. “If the school doesn’t have a secure perimeter, it can be really challenging,” she says.
A thesis by Bongani Mnisi at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology provided the foundation in 2013 for the project. Since then, nine schools have established gardens, and six are participating in the eco-club programme.
The schools are Crestway High, Steenberg High, Sibelius High, Floreat Primary, Prince George Primary, Harmony Primary, Muizenberg High, Levana Primary and Lavender Hill High.
In 2021, a report – Nectar gardens on school grounds reconnect plants, birds and people – was released. It found a significant increase in birds over time. It said that over five years, the sunbird population increased by 35%.
Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration receives funding from many sources, including Table Mountain Fund-WWF, Cape Bird Club, and Botanical Society of SA.
Recently, it got crowdfunding via BackaBuddy, as well as fundraising events.
The project is part of a fynbos corridor collaboration with Greenpop and Communitree.
In the greater scheme of things, the fact that a historic migration route for sunbirds between Table Mountain National Park and the Boland Mountains is being restored might seem irrelevant… or even a waste of time and money. Who cares, might be the attitude of many. Yet this story is more than just a sweet, feel-good tale against our often grim news backdrop (and it definitely is a little ray of sunshine) – it is also an account of optimism and how humankind can work to undo some of the damage we have caused.
The Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration Project uses fynbos gardens in schools across the Cape as “filling stations” for the tiny birds as they migrate between the mountain ranges of Muizenberg and Stellenbosch.
Urban sprawl and the loss of fynbos islands, particularly in the Cape Flats area, has broken up the route.
Some of the new “filling stations” are in schools in areas plagued by gang violence and drug abuse… and pupils are already becoming involved in eco-clubs and outdoor activities, including mapping and research.
Hopefully this may give them something more in their lives.
And, in doing so, show life’s symbiotic circle: we help save the sunbirds and they help save us.