Wilkinson's World

Walvis Bay is a rather shabby, depressing-looking harbour city about thirty kilometers from Swakopmund on the west coast of Namibia.  On entering the city from either side, one is greeted by waving palm trees, but these soon fade out and you are left with the somewhat drab houses and buildings that immediately make you wonder why it’s on your list of places to visit.  But don’t be fooled by appearances, especially if you are a birder.  Walvis Bay has significant wetland areas that have received recognition by Birdlife International and been declared one of the “areas of global significance for bird conservation.”

Make your way down to the lagoon and you can immediately see why this area received Ramsar Site status in 1995.  (Wikipedia definies a Ramsar Site as follows :  “The Ramsar Convention (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognising the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value. It is named after the town of Ramsar in Iran.”)

Stretching for about seven kilometers, the shallow waters of the lagoon are filled with palaearctic (migratory) birds of every description.  Depending on the tide, one gets to see both the waders and the shoreline birds feeding vigorously in the rich waters.

The incredibly beautiful Greater Flamingoes live on a diet of invertebrates, whilst the Lesser Flamingoes can be seen shuffling their feet to shift the algae on the sea bed.  Other key species are shown on the photograph below – click on the photo to enlarge it.

At any given time, the lagoon hosts a minimum of about 20 000 birds, but this figure rises during spring and summer to anything up to 250 000, influenced also by the rains inland. (Walvis Bay is one of the driest cities in the world, receiving less than 10mm of rainfall per annum.)

The wetland area extends beyond the lagoon to the mudflats and the nearby salt refinery, and different birds frequent these areas for the food that they offer.

It’s magical spot, and if you choose to dine at The Raft restaurant in the lagoon (where the food is excellent), you can watch scores of birds flying past as you eat.  Look out too for the different jellyfish that are found in the water – all shapes, colours and sizes.

For non-birders, Walvis Bay bay offers Dune 7 – a marvelous dune climbing experience; boat trips for fishing, seal and dolphin viewing; kayaking; quad-biking and trips into the desert.  Plenty for everyone really but a real delight for twitchers!

It was a rather strange sight to see. A group of Blue-cheeked bee-eaters sitting on a very sandy stretch of road in northern Namibia, and scratching in the sand so like puppies. They didn’t appear to be looking for food as they kicked the sand up behind them, so why they were doing it is a bit of a mystery.

As bee-eaters go, the Blue-cheeked bee-eater is farily large, being about 30 cm in length, the male being slightly larger than the female. The sexes are alike in plumage, being mainly green with light blue eyebrow and brown throat that fades into yellow under the chin. The blue cheeks that give the bird its name become faded as the plumage becomes worn and may not be very noticeable in the field. Legs and feet are brownish in colour and the long, slightly decurved bill is black; the eyes are bright red.

The Blue-cheeked bee-eater is a non-breeding visitor to Southern Africa, where it is limited to the more northerly areas. The birds usually arrive from West or North Africa, where they breed, in mid-October and depart again in April. They are gregarious birds and are often found in large flocks. The roost in groups, shoulder to shoulder along branches in thorny trees or along convenient telephone wires. They prefer moist woodlands, or the edges of lakes, pans, vleis and rivers and are not found in the more arid regions.

These birds feed mainly on insects such as dragonflies, bees and wasps which they hunt over open areas. They often perch on telephone or other wires and swoop down on their prey that the catch in flight, with great success.
The call is a musical “chirirup” that is often made while the birds are in flight.

The scientific binomial for the Blue-cheeked bee-eater is Merops persicus; Merops from the Latin for a bee-eater, and persicus from the Latin for Persia (which is now Iran). Hence a bee-eater from Iran. As the birds breed in the Middle East (among other places) this would seem to be quite appropriate.

Earth consciousness has been practised by indigenous people for many centuries, often through meditation and reflection on their simple lives and surroundings.  Their attunement to nature is borne out by quotes and sayings of the wise ones passed down through the ages.  We can be grateful for these pearls of wisdom that are so applicable in our rushed lives right now.

As one who loves to meditate in quiet, peaceful places, let me share some beautiful spaces with you as we ponder on the wisdom of people gone by.

Honor the sacred
Honor the Earth, our Mother
Honor the Elders
Honor all with whom we  share the Earth
Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones
Swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people
Walk in balance and beauty

Native American Elder

Earth  Teach Me

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain

A Ute Prayer

Treat the earth well.
It was not given to you by your parents,
it was loaned to you by your children.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children.

Ancient Indian Proverb

Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.

Chief Seattle, 1854

When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

Cree Prophecy

Have a beautiful, peaceful and reflective day!