Faansie Peacock
GIVE YOUR KIDS WINGS For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved birds – I was probably the only child at school who did. Despite being teased about it, I wouldn’t dream of giving up birding. And let’s face it, with my surname I never stood a chance. Birding is a great family pastime. It’s intellectually empowering, it gets kids active, it provides a healthy form of escapism and it teaches us to respect the planet. But let’s be honest: Birds are small and fast and sometimes hard to see. Plus, looking through binoculars is a challenge for younger children. No matter – a birding trip will inevitably lead to all sorts of other escapades: You’ll stalk, scramble, crawl, climb, slip, jump and fall. You’ll use a torch to look for mysterious glowing eyes at night. You’ll peer through the little windows of a bird hide. You’ll follow a small road through the bush to see where it goes… Before I turned 18, my dad drove me all over the country to look for birds. We spent countless hours exploring, talking and laughing. Those memories are priceless. Indeed, birding lets you escape the mundane day-to-day and gives kids a sense of true freedom. Here’s how to make birdwatching fun.
Start small. Let your kids get to know the birds in your garden or neighbourhood park. Most towns have a dam, vlei or green belt full of birdlife. Pack a picnic and a bird guide, and take the young ones on an outing. Repeat, repeat, repeat. And be patient. Birding should gently grow on a child; it shouldn’t be forced. It’s unreasonable to expect young children to sit still for hours or to be quiet all the time.
Celebrate special milestones. Like your child seeing her 100th species, for example.
Discover together. Make a special list of birds you’ve seen together. For example, birds we’ve seen in the garden or bird nests we’ve found. The key word is “we”.
Encourage independence. If you deem it to be safe, let your child go on a bird club outing without you, or go for a nature walk alone. Let her drive on your lap on a quiet farm road. Get your kids their own proper headlamps. Choose adventurous places for family holidays. Fewer tourists, more birds, better memories. Good options are Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Pretoria, Marievale Bird Sanctuary near Johannesburg and the West Coast National Park near Cape Town.
Get dirty. Jump in, wade through, climb up and dig down. Don’t worry about the clothes or the car.
Play games. What does that bird sound like it’s saying? Can you guess which bird I’m thinking of? What nickname can we invent for that bird?
Forget the clock. Go birding at night. Get up at 2 am. Skip school and go see a special bird on a Wednesday. Most importantly, have fun!