In 2007 Mount Moreland was awarded Important Bird Area
Status by Birdlife South Africa which has put both the local and international
spotlight on our community and the way we live and manage our natural
environment here at Mount Moreland.
Important Bird Areas form part of an international
conservation programme implemented and run by BirdLife International and its
worldwide partners to protect and conserve bird species.
IBAs protect and conserve birds and the habitats that
support them and in so doing, also protect the overall Biodiversity which
includes plants, insects, reptiles and animals.
Although the area within the Mount Moreland Conservancy has
been awarded Important Bird Area status the vast majority of the residents
clearly do not know about, understand, or support this important status. In
fact the majority of owners and residents living in Mount Moreland by their actions
and lack of actions show that they clearly do not care at all about the natural
environment in this very important place that we live.
Mount Moreland is certainly not the home to the European or Barn Swallow as it is often refered to they live and breed in Europe and only use our reedbeds as a temporary roosting site when feeding in this area.
We do however have our very own resident breeding swallow the Lesser Striped Swallow which is abundant here in Mount Moreland in addition we have large numbers of other rare and beautiful birds that need habitat and protection.
One of our own resident Lesser Striped Swallows in my garden
If one takes a look around the area all one sees is invasive
alien vegetation in particular the Brazilian pepper tree Schinus
terebinthifolius that is so very destructive to the natural environment growing
on private properties in particular properties that have still to be developed.
If one takes a closer look at the undeveloped properties that are mostly overrun
by alien invasive vegetation one would be appalled to see the extent of dumping
on these properties by the residents of Mount Moreland.
Considering the natural treasures that those living in Mount
Moreland are custodian of this attitude and total lack of concern for the
natural environment is most disgusting and needs to change.
Lesser Striped Swallow nest in an outbuilding on my property at Mount Moreland
Every single person living in this area should be doing
everything possible to change their negative mind sets and misguided senses of
order and to play their role in conserving the treasures that we are custodian
of by firstly cleaning up their own acts.
Crested Barbet which lives and breeds in a nestbox that I erected for it right in
front of my kitchen window bringing food for its young
Nature conservation starts at your own front door so please
do your part giving attending meetings and giving lip service to the environment
does nothing only actions on the ground count.
Over the next weeks, months and years I will be posting photos, observations and offering tips to improve that disgusting and shameful
situation we find ourselves in today.
The rare and very beautiful Amethyst Starling feeding young in a nest box that I errected
at Mount Moreland
