Irene Daniels shares her lifelong passion for birding
Daniels was thrilled to be one of the winners of The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund competition, which won her a copy of Common Birds of the North Coast by Bing Comrie.
Ninety-three-year-old Irene Daniels is a birding aficionado, recently hitting 40 years of experience with her hobby.
It all started in 1982 on a Daniels’ family trip to the Kruger National Park, when she became frustrated with the lack of game on offer.
“There were unfortunately no animals out on our drive, so when a little Kingfisher caught the corner of my eye I was immediately interested! I quickly grabbed my notebook and recorded the sighting – and I have yet to stop loving it since,” said the Palm Lakes resident.
Though it may seem painstaking to modern birders, who often rely on apps, Daniels still likes to record her sightings by hand.
It is not about the competition, or what numbers she can hit, but rather enjoying the serenity that comes with experiencing nature’s beauty.
“Sometimes animals might be shy, but you will always have an entire kingdom of birds to discover, should it be in a game park or in your garden,” she said.
Daniels is originally from Johannesburg, moving to the North Coast earlier this year to live with her daughter Meriel Mitchell – also a keen birder.
“Naturally we were a bunch of rowdy kids in the back of the car on holiday occasions, so mum got us interested in birds, too. All four of us kids still love to do it, admittedly with the help of apps in our case,” said Mitchell.
But given her new surroundings on the North Coast, Daniels was thrilled to be one of the winners of The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund competition, which won her a copy of Common Birds of the North Coast by Bing Comrie.
If you didn’t win you can still buy a copy for R100 from The North Coast Courier offices on Ballito Drive.
All proceeds go to our Orphan Fund.
Although her ‘white whale’ – the Angola Pitta – may not land in their Palm Lakes garden, Daniels was excited to see all the other local avians on offer.
Sometimes it is life’s simple pleasures that endure the longest. Take a second to look up into the trees in your area and you too might discover a new love for nature.
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