Jos is changing. I used to describe it as a big town but not anymore, this big town is now a city, an unplanned city that is rapidly growing backwards, threatening the core aspects that draw people to it.
We now have serious traffic jam that keeps unsuspecting commuters on the road for hours, markets are springing up everywhere, and people build on drainages with impunity.
I passed through Angwan Rukuba market Saturday morning, a typical Jos neighbourhood on my way to participate in the Global Big Day.
The Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds around us. It is an avenue to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and share the birds sighted with the global community on eBird, which the Jos Bird Club (JBC) registered as a team.
JBC_Members
From the market to Odus I took a bike to Mazah, as we descended downhill the houses thin out leaving you breathless, minutes from the market the road to Mazah opens up to beauty. Mazah is beautiful, if you can look past the contaminated streams, the trip is worth it. If you or someone you know still throw trash in the streams running all over Jos, stop! It doesn’t disappear to ‘Valhalla’ instead your trash finds a home in Paradises near you.
Mazah is home to different species of birds, which is why it was chosen as one of the locations to mark the Global Big Day.
The club as a team recorded over 60 species in this location. The last time I was at Mazah for birdwatching, the Black Crake (Amaurornis flavirostra) was the bird of the day and today the bird was voted as the bird of the day. What a pleasant coincidence, the Anaguta tribe of Mazah should adopt this bird as a mascot for the next year’s Tukunku day.
Black Crake (Amaurornis flavirostra)
The Black Crake is a waterbird in the rail and crake family, Rallidae. It breeds in most of sub-Saharan Africa except in very arid areas. It undertakes some seasonal movements in those parts of its range which are subject to drought.
Anytime we go birding we ended up doing much more, today we found some giant mushrooms but chose to eat dorowa (Honey locust) and tamarind instead as small chops for the occasion.
Giant Mushroom
If you live in Jos create time for birding, it gives you a whole new perspective of life in general and who knows? it will inspire some to join Mr Waldi Gurumse’s dream of moving out of the city and settling on the outskirt, off the grid and in tune with nature.
Mazah Hills
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
We go birding every second Saturday of the month for those interested in joining. Contact Elizabeth Shade Fadipe or Nachin Wamyi Kazeh for more details.
Written by Janet Faden.
