BirdLife South Africa’s 2022 Conservation Hero, renowned bird guide David Letsoalo, talks birds, pizzas, perfect tunes and making friends in Manhattan’s Central Park.
What got you started in birding?
I was born in the area behind Moria, the Zionist Christian Church (ZCC) in Limpopo, but I grew up in Magoebaskloof and went to Appel Farm School and ZCC Secondary School. When I left school, I trained as a petrol and diesel mechanic, but work was hard to find and I didn’t like the big city, so I took a job as a pottery assistant in Magoebaskloof in 1996. My employer gave me the task of feeding the birds that came to her feeder. When I began asking questions about them, she gave me a gift, a Roberts bird book. At first I found birding a little boring on my own, so I started little bird clubs at local schools – the learners really enjoyed it.
I began reading bird magazines and joined a bird club in Tzaneen as well as the environmental club in Haenertsburg. They had a talk about Blue Swallows by Steven Evans, then manager of the Blue Swallows Working Group, and he was fascinated to see a young black guy among all these senior citizens! He invited me to join him on a visit to a grassland the next morning, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have transport to get there at 5am, so some club members very kindly came to pick me up. Between 1998 and 2002 Steven and I remained in contact and he realised that I was seeing special birds in the area, so he started sending birders to me because there were no guides there. He then put my name forward for bird guide training at Wakkerstroom. The rest, as they say, is history…
Were you a naughty kid?
I was always outside and loved playing with my friends, climbing trees and fishing in the dams. We ate really well! I remember we found weavers building nests on a branch over a dam and I decided to try to get the eggs. I’m a chubby guy, mind you. I’ve always been stout and once I got up the tree, the branch seemed to get thinner and thinner. When I got to the nest, I stuck my hand in but there was nothing. So I stuck my hand into the second nest … and there was a rain spider! I got such a fright, I jumped back, the branch broke, and there I went into the water! It was the last time I tried to harvest eggs.
What is it about birds that fascinates you?
One of the many things is that birds are indicators. When we were expecting Cyclone Freddy, the forest was completely quiet. Usually, even when there’s rain or drizzle, birds are chirping and flying about, but in this case they could feel the pressure in the air; so there was absolutely no activity, no calls – it was as if they were in mourning.
You are a Pedi speaker. What is your favourite bird – in your language?
My favourite bird, the Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, doesn’t have a Pedi name because it’s seldom seen and is largely overlooked. I love its coloration – the yellow throat, bill and vent as well as the rufous cap and the fact that it forages in the canopy but nests on the forest floor. I first saw the Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler in 2002 and it has just fascinated me ever since. And the call… (David breaks into a perfect rendition: ‘seee suuuuu seeee suuuuuu!’) Along with the call of the Cape Parrot, every time I hear the Yellow-throated Woodland Warbler, my spirit feels healed.
What is the best birding trip you have ever taken?
One of my favourite destinations is False Bay in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. I can’t get it out of my mind because the diversity of birds is incredible. We went on a trip there and when we got down to the estuary, it was pumping with waders! A good 150 birds can be clocked in an hour or two.
You’ve travelled overseas with Rotary and one of your stopovers was New York. What did you think about it?
My trip was part of a Rotary professional exchange programme. New York is a city that’s alive 24/7. I’ve never seen anything like it! And right there in the middle of this crazy-busy city you have Central Park. I went birding there and saw so many American birds! I met a guy who was thrilled to see someone of my colour looking at birds. He took me around to different corners of Central Park where he knew there would be warblers and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Where should people stay if they’re birding around Magoebaskloof?
For a bigger group of eight or more, I usually recommend Bramasole Guesthouse. It’s in a beautiful valley against the forest, with lovely scenery. For individuals or couples, Magoebaskloof Birders Cottage is great, with very interesting birds in the gardens and Crowned Eagles nesting on the premises. Kuhestan Organic Farm is also one I recommend because it is right on the doorstep of Woodbush Forest and is a corridor for the Cape Parrot – they pass there every morning.
What do you and your family do when you’re not birding?
My wife and I want to start a refreshment stop and pizza shop in the village where we live just outside Polokwane. I’ve been building a pizza oven, which is now complete, and have been practising making the perfect pizza.
I like asking what one’s favourite food is, but I guess pizza?
Haha! Pizza is one of my favourite foods, but I love most food that is prepared well. It’s like music – I listen to any kind of music, as long as it’s a nice melody. My perfect music is actually a combination of the calls of the Yellow-throated Warbler and the Cape Parrot, with some frogs doing the chorus in the background.
Interviewed by Anton Crone for the May/June 2023 edition of African Birdlife magazine
If you are keen on the best birding experience in Magoebaskloof, Polokwane, greater Limpopo or Kruger National Park, be sure to contact David on 083 568 4678.
