Birdwatching by the river

From a vantage higher than the very highest line of clouds, the surface of our country appears tattooed with the imprints of immense, leafless trees. In a network of limbs, winding tendrils become branches that in turn become twirling stems and curling trunks. Then, on careful inspection, all becomes obvious and these marks on the ground are an exorbitant outline of rivers.

Some are brown, some are black, some are green and some are blue, but all are fringed in the fluff and puff of life. South Africa has a rich network of rivers and streams; they have carved and textured every valley, spewed onto almost every plain, and as they flow – and sometimes pause and sometimes disappear forever – they make homes for the birds.

An assortment of birds enjoy riverine environments: water thick-knees stand gathered on sand spits in the middle of a stream, grey herons stalk with stealth, their giant yellow eyes blinking, and little three-banded plovers with bright red eye rings and bold breast bands tease the shoreline for food.

Where a river has cut a steep bank into a hill, look carefully at its surface for the many holes sprinkled across it like polka dots. From their blackness whizzes a blur of birds, appearing and disappearing. You could find yourself watching a colony of brown-throated martins fluttering about, little brown bodies gliding on little wings. From one lonely hole darts an iridescent bullet: a malachite kingfisher sparkling in blues, greens, reds and oranges, with a big beak clutching a fish.

As you drift closer to a bank of dense reeds, you might flush out a common moorhen or even an elusive black crake. In the branches of overhanging trees you could see a sunning African darter, wings outstretched like a sculpture. About it buzz the tiny yellow shapes of weavers (the most common species being the southern masked weaver), building their nests as humans might fasten and position Christmas decorations.

When you next fly high above the line of the highest clouds and look down, you’ll understand the patterns on the land more clearly, and see more than just undulations and horizons and rivers, you will see life.

The importance of water to wilderness

As you explore the world of rivers and streams, you will be reminded of the importance of water to wilderness. BirdLife South Africa is deeply involved in all aspects of wetland conservation and by extension has become a significant custodian of the avifauna along our river systems. The organisation is presently hard at work developing an annual event to celebrate wetlands and their immense relevance to the health of the natural environment. To join the organisation or find out more about its projects, visit www.birdlife.org.za or email us at [email protected].