Cathy Buckle: Waiting for the yellow-billed kites

Cathy Buckle's latest Letter From Zimbabwe paints a bleak picture of a country losing its wildlife to smoke, mining and neglect. Uncontrolled fires, wetland construction and rampant illegal gold panning have gutted habitats, and this September, for the first time in years, the Yellow-billed Kites she watches for haven't returned. It's a small but telling sign of ecological collapse. For South Africans, many of whom welcome the same migratory kites each summer, Buckle's account is a reminder that regional biodiversity crosses borders, and that Zimbabwe's environmental crisis is also, eventually, theirs..By Cathy Buckle.Dear Family and Friends,September in Zimbabwe, always known as the windy month, is now known as the smoky, hard to breathe month. As smoke engulfs us every day this September, the horizons are indistinct and lost in the grey haze of uncontrolled burning of what are called “self-apportioned plots” on the roadsides and in the grasslands.Actively protecting the amazing diversity of species in Zimbabwe is crying out for the attention of our leaders. By Laws and Regulations are already in place but are exposed to the curse of corruption where every official seems to have a price. While Zimbabwe watches, our wetlands are being built on, in every town and every city. While Zimbabwe watches, a sea of litter lies on every road side, town and country, the shame of our nation. While Zimbabwe watches, the ongoing devastation caused by the mayhem of out-of-control gold mining for the past two and half decades is immense. Uprooted trees, pits, trenches, bare, exposed ground, disturbed water courses and mud filled, poisoned rivers and pools are everywhere. The impact of all this on countless species is immense. The food chain is interrupted: insects, lizards, frogs and fish are being decimated, food for birds is declining and the effect ripples up to other species. The annual frenzy of clearing and burning every scrap of ground and cutting trees is causing widespread habitat destruction and the use of pesticides and chemicals is causing secondary poisoning of birds from eating poisoned rodents.Every day I watch the smoke-filled sky in my home area, looking for the Yellow-billed Kites. They used to be common here, intra African migrants, arriving in late July and August, announcing the arrival of summer. This late September I haven’t seen any here yet but memories of times past linger, fresh in my mind. Take a step back in time with me.Every year from about mid-August the Kites returned and it was a daily highlight to see them circling and wheeling over the grasslands looking for insects. Using their tail for steering, rapid twisting and turning, it was impossible not to stop and watch, marveling at their incredible agility. Swooping down from a height to snatch up a grasshopper or locust, a rodent or lizard, the Yellow-billed Kites eat on the wing and on a hot summer day we would see them sunbathing, lying in the dust, wings outstretched. Burning the firebreaks around the farm always attracted the Yellow-billed Kites, diving into the flames for that one irresistible mouthful, hardly touching the ground, talons at the ready to snag their prey. Along the boundary fences on the tar roads the Yellow-billed Kites were always busy taking scraps from roadkill, cleaning up the casualties of passing vehicles. Out in the bush in the wilderness areas the Yellow Billed Kites are always a delight to watch, safe from the pesticides, tree cutting and habitat loss. They fly high to locate carcasses, circling again and again to see where the meat scraps are and how to get to them while avoiding the snapping teeth of hyenas and lions. Here the Kites compete with Vultures, jackals and other predators. You have to be quick to see them swoop in, pull off a piece of meat or pick up a dropped scrap and then lift up again. Sometimes they just sit on an exposed branch and watch and wait for exactly the right moment. It is then that you get a chance to see their bright yellow legs, black talons and sharp curved yellow beaks. .Read more:.Economist Dr Chris Kotze: GNU fiddles while SA burns .This September as I watch and wait for the Yellow-billed Kites I can but hope that they will be back in my home area again next year.There is no charge for this Letter From Zimbabwe but if you would like to donate, please visit my website.Until next time, thanks for reading this Letter From Zimbabwe now in its 26th year, and my books about life in Zimbabwe, a country in waiting.Ndini shamwari yenyu (I am your friend)Love Cathy 18 September 2026.Copyright © Cathy Buckle https://cathybuckle.co.zw/ My new annual Photobook, “Zimbabwe’s Timeless Beauty The 2026 Collection” and my Beautiful Zimbabwe 2027 Calendar are both now available from https://cathybuckle.co.zw/ or https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/cathybuckle2018.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

Cathy Buckle: Waiting for the yellow-billed kites

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