How and why did a quiet, introverted girl from deep in the rural Eastern Cape end up sharing her life story because of birds?
Let me tell you.
I grew up in a small village called eMxhelo, just outside Alice in the Eastern Cape. My grandparents were my heroes, my role models. I shadowed my grandfather in everything he did. At home we had goats, chickens, cattle, dogs and cats.
I knew how to milk a goat while I was still in primary school. I could catch a chicken with my eyes closed. I knew gardening was therapeutic before I even knew what therapy was. With that type of upbringing, it wasn’t far-fetched that I would end up working in nature or the environmental field.
I got to varsity and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to disappoint my family. I thought about being a doctor and shelved that idea as soon as I saw blood. Eventually I went with Biodiversity and Ecology – a smart choice, you would think.
Unfortunately, life was showing me that it wasn’t for the faint-hearted. I was living on my own at age 17, a mere four months after losing my dad, and my life was a mess. Eventually I had to go back home to the village without finishing my degree. I thought my world was ending. Little did I know that I just needed to be back in my safe space, to recalibrate in a protected and healthy environment. But Granny wasn’t having me vegetating around the village, so I went back and changed majors. I got into Nature Conservation and found my niche. This is when I found bird identification and learnt about the intricacies of being a living organism – on a much larger scale.
I got bitten by the bird bug when I saw a Southern Double-collared Sunbird standing proudly on an aloe flower. I went from only being able to ID five bird species to wanting to convert everyone in the office to spotters as if their lives depended on it. The birding bug had infected the depths of my existence, and my life was never the same after that.
I read every note I could find after positively identifying a bird. I updated my list of birds daily. I was doing something along the lines of conservation but focusing on my feathery friends, even if it was just documenting their existence in one small area in the Western Cape. For the longest time, it was just me, the camera, and ticking off birds on my list. Life made sense.
When Covid came, I decided to move back to the village again, to isolate in a place of safety. That is when BirdLife South Africa and the amazing work they do came into the picture. I realised just how much work is being done by BirdLife to afford birds the same safety that I always experienced when I returned home to the village.
I never had to think twice about packing up and going home when life wasn’t going according to plan. All I had to do was call my Granny, and I would find her at the door with open arms, no questions asked, and some amazing food prepared.
I’ve never floundered because my home is under threat or destroyed. I’ve never had to question if I can even go home because someone else has taken it over. I have a safe space always and forever.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case for some of our bird species. I’ve found papers written, seen research conducted, presentations given and pledges documented – all in the name of bird conservation and making regions safe for birds. This is amazing, as it enables policies to be drafted and laws to be passed for bird conservation. But unfortunately, species like the Green Barbet are not receiving the attention they deserve.
While in the Eastern Cape recently for some fieldwork, I learnt that local communities do not always know of the environmental issues the birds face, and I realised there was a gap that people like me need to bridge. I am now actively working with people in small rural communities who enjoy learning about birds and bird conservation.
I would like to be part of a world where both policymakers and local communities share a common goal – providing safety to all involved. We must share our spaces and our resources with the birds. The end goal for all is to be in a safe space.
Can we all be the reason the birds feel safe? We must all be the village that these birds need, so that if anything happens out there in the big bad world, they can still find safety and solace in spaces of their choosing.
That is why I share my life story and photographs.
– Sandiswa Kula
This captivating and informative book focuses on the coastal and terrestrial bird species most at risk within South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Presented in an elegant large format, Birds on the Brink highlights the beauty, unique traits and vulnerabilities of these birds, while emphasising the human-induced threats, such as habitat loss, climate change, energy infrastructure and competition for resources. Personal accounts from scientists, conservationists and guides on the front lines offer insight into the science, skill and dedication required to safeguard these species. The birds featured are not merely fascinating creatures – they act as sentinels of biodiversity, whose decline signals concerning ecological shifts.
