Passion for nature, size doesn't count

I have been lucky with my experience of nature. Very lucky. I have not just visited great wildlife areas, I have grown up and lived in or near many of them. I grew up in a remote part of northern Kenya, and had wildlife right at my doorstep. I went to school on the rift valley escarpment and had forests and savannas to enjoy in that area, as well as like minded friends to share it with. Then later I studied nature conservation and got to know wonderful places like the forests around George and nature reserves like De Hoop Nature Reserve.

In the beginning of 1998 I got on a bus and came to Namibia. Just over 11 years later I am still here. And I have had the pleasure of getting to know some seriously amazing wildlife areas.

I still live in Namibia, still guide, and still visit these amazing areas, but I am doing less guiding to be home more with my kids. In the process I am discovering the shear pleasure of the small things. At home I have put up feeders, water for birds and planted a few good bushes for birds. I get excited that I can sit at my computer and hear Rosy-faced Lovebirds fly over. Over the weekend I went out to Avis Dam to do some birding, despite many people fishing and walking their dogs, the experience is shear pleasure for me. I could even go so far as to say that I enjoy trying to see some bird I have seen hundreds of times before, but remaining challenging, like the Rockrunner for example (dipped this Sunday...I was their in the middle of the day on a windy day...)...yeah, I enjoy it more than this crazy pressure that their sometimes is when you have guests who have never seen a lion in their life, and Etosha is windy and the grass is high and the lions have it to easy, and just sleep.

The point is, despite having "seen it all" (far, far from it, of course, but there is sometimes that perception,) I am passionate about nature, and enjoy every opportunity to experience nature, even right here in town.

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