I was most amused, on Wednesday 15th June, as I listened to Heart Beat Radio extending best wishes to the Governor Alan Huckle on the occasion of his birthday. The playing of the song Have I told you lately that I love you, requested by the Governor’s wife, Helen, was indeed appropriate.

Colville Petty

Iwandai set the ball rolling with the playing of the Mighty Sparrow’s calypso Governor’s Ball. Then followed Mudada’s popular tune Sweeter Than Sugar some of the words of which go like this:

As you get older
You getting sweeter
You getting better
Sweeter than sugar . . .

But back to the Governor’s Ball. It was like a ball at Government House on Monday 13th June when the Governor had an open house for “whosoever will” in celebration of the Birthday of Her Majesty The Queen. People from all walks of life were in attendance. There was food in galore. But as an Anguillian I was most embarrassed at the sight of some of our people leaving with several foil-covered plates of food. This is a bad habit and I am highlighting it here in the hope that the message gets across that such practices put all Anguillians in very bad light.

Yes, there was plenty of food. And there was music. Kingsley (Power) one-man band was great but no one danced. I had thought that the Governor would have got the dance going but then I recalled hearing about last year’s Anguilla Day senior citizens’ lunch at Rumza which he attended. It was Maude for Cedric who pulled up the Governor and got him to dance. I wasn’t there but Maude told me that when she had finished with him he was catching for breath. She added that, apart from stepping on her toes a few times, the Governor was much better “than the funny way Englishmen dance.”

Lest I forget, let me commend Governor Huckle for making this year’s Queen’s Birthday celebrations a people’s event rather than an event for a chosen few. The display by the Royal Anguilla Police Force was most outstanding.

Incidentally, it was good seeing the two opposition members of the House of Assembly there having a chat – a far cry from those days, in 2002, when Edison Baird (Eddy) claimed that Hubert Hughes had “destroyed his own Government and was now destroying the Opposition.” Hubert counterclaimed that the UF Government was using Eddy “as a suicide bomber” to destroy the Opposition and warned that suicide bombers were programmed to die.

Well, politically speaking, Eddy is very much alive. As I watched him and Hubert in deep conversation, I wondered why they, with many years of political experience behind them, could not agree on which one of them should be Leader of the Opposition. As a compromise, they could have agreed to share it: half for me and half for you – with Hubert the first two and a half years and Eddy the other. But then Eddy would be unwilling to let Hubert have the first go at it, knowing what Hubert did to Victor Banks in the sharing of the Chief Minister’s position between 1994 and 1999. (He did not honour the agreement.) So, why not Eddy first, and then Hubert?

Still at the Governor’s open house. I met an English couple who visited my museum (Heritage Collection) a few days earlier. The husband told me that they were impressed and got a good understanding of Anguilla’s history. Then both of them went on to tell me of their excitement over the many birds they saw in the East End Pond next to the museum.

Actually, over the past weeks the pond has been teeming with bird life. And it is amazing how nature works. A few weeks ago the pond was nothing but a dry bed. Not even the slightest sign of water. And there was not a bird in sight for several weeks. Eventually, there was a sprinkling of rain and within minutes there were birds. I do not know how they found out, so quickly, that the pond had water but they were there in the twinkling of an eye.

Some days later more rain and more birds. The grass around the pond turned green. Today the pond is rich in bird life. The laughing gulls are out in large numbers. So too are the white-cheeked pintail ducks for which the pond is renowned. The common moorhen, another longtime resident, is present in large numbers. Snowy egrets, great egrets, yellow-crowned night herons, green herons, lesser yellowlegs and black-necked stilts are all well represented.

The Caribbean coot, a bird which I had not seen in the pond for many years, is back. I have seen at least two of them. Also back is the ruddy duck that I last saw in the pond in November 2003. It is a most beautiful bird which sports a rich blue beak. To date, I have spotted four ruddy ducks. And I have seen for the first time the pied-billed grebe. It is a good diver. I was taken aback by the sound it was making: like that of a barking dog.

I am yet to see the return of blue-winged teals. They were present, in good numbers, last December. Neither have I seen the whimbrel which was here in November 2003 and the northern pintail duck which made a first visit in January 2004.

Another big time visitor, to the East End Pond, which attracted much public attention, was a snow goose which arrived here in November 2004. It stayed until February this year. I am looking for its return.

It was from my boyhood days that I had an interest in birds. I lived next to the pond and kept a duck with ducklings in a cage. Every morning I watched them cross the main road and go in the pond. At evening-time they winded their way back to the cage. However, over time my interest waned but was rejuvenated when I was Permanent Secretary to Sir Emile Gumbs in the 1980s. Sir Emile is an avid birdwatcher and an authority on birds in Anguilla. Today, he and I still discuss birds and whenever I see a new species in the East End Pond I would give him a ring and before I could put down the phone he is there with his binoculars.

I recall travelling in 1987 to Middle Cay, just north of Dog Island, with Sir Emile, and officials from the tourism office, to look at the bird life there. We travelled on the Fisheries’ launch. The Cay has no beach or landing facility, therefore the captain of the launch had to do a lot of maneuvering to ensure that we disembarked safely. We had to wait until each wave come in and recede before hurriedly jumping off, one by one, because there was always the danger of the launch being pushed against the rock.

We landed safely. Middle Cay was literally covered with birds: frigate birds, masked boobies, brown boobies, brown noddy, terns, red-billed tropicbirds and a host of others. When I say literally covered with birds, I mean literally covered. There was hardly space to put your foot without stepping on a bird. It was a matter of tiptoeing among the birds. I found it hard to believe that I was on one of Anguilla’s offshore cays. The bird life was plentiful and rich and the beauty was astounding.

Departure time. Like the landing routine, we had to wait until the waves come in and recede before hurriedly jumping aboard the launch. By the way, it just struck me that the always neat and well-dressed Amelia Vanterpool Kubisch, with her lipstick, eye shadow and what not, was with us, but how she managed to jump aboard the launch, I just do not remember.

But I remember travelling with two cameras so when it was my turn to get on board, I left one of them with Julian Harrigan. Then the launch moved in for him. As soon as he raised his foot to get on board a wave forced the launch away from the rock and Julian went to the bottom of the sea in a flash with my camera and telephoto lens around his neck. For a while I thought he was gone then, suddenly, he surfaced like a sperm whale spewing water all over the place. Eventually, he was pulled aboard still carrying my camera, but losing his glasses.

Ironically, one of the best photographs from that bird-watching expedition was from the film in the camera which Julian took with him to the bottom of the sea. It was a photograph of two masked boobies (with a young one). It eventually ended up on the front cover of Cable and Wireless’ telephone directory for 1988.

In spite of Julian’s misfortune, and the loss of my camera, the trip to Middle Cay was worth it. The Cay is a bird sanctuary. I hope it still is. Other sanctuaries are Sombrero Island and Scrub Island. Anguilla and its offshore cays are rich in bird life but regrettably only a handful of Anguillians are birdwatchers.
Anguilla apart, bird watching is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people the world over. It is growing rapidly in popularity. Research has shown that “it is one of America’s favorite hobbies and the fastest growing outdoor activity.” A survey carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that “51.3 million Americans” engage in bird watching.
Bird watching is a recreational activity which is tremendously satisfying. Birds inspire us with their beauty. They allow us to enjoy some of nature’s most wonderful creations. Thus the reason for William Blake writing, many years ago: “When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!”
Things of beauty always bring joy, comfort and contentment and that is why bird watching is one way of escaping from the pressures of work and the stresses of everyday life. Further, bird watching brings relief from loneliness. Birds provide companionship.
Some researchers have put forward the view that bird watching offers “a diversion from pain and infirmity” and provides “visual and auditory stimulation.” They see it as encouraging verbal communication – provides for stimulating conversations among bird watchers.

From a philosophical standpoint, bird watching affords a fuller appreciation of the workings of mother-nature and deepens our reverence for the Creator. It is a source of insightful spiritual inspiration. Also, birds stimulate the imagination which finds reflection in our art, poetry, photography, music and religion.

From the standpoint of our economy, bird watching has a positive impact essentially because our economy is tourism-based. One of Anguilla’s attractions is its bird life. Some people come not only to see the beaches but also the birds.

Anguilla has some 150 species of birds. Unfortunately, very few of our people are aware of that fact. Some weeks ago I was telling Sister D about the birds in the East End Pond and she told me that she only knew two species: the turtle dove and the sparrow. I have a feeling she only knows about the sparrow because of the hymn: His eye is on the sparrow. That aside, it is obvious from the above considerations that birds are extremely important to the quality of our existence. Without them our quality of life would be severely diminished. It would be deficient in colour, sound and flavour.

If we are to maintain that quality of life, and if we are to reap maximum benefits from our rich bird life resource, then we have an obligation to protect our wetlands, offshore cays and natural environment in general. After all, birds are also an important component of our ecosystem. A vibrant bird life is a sure sign of a healthy and vibrant natural environment.

Our obligation to the protection of our bird life has also been set out in the Holy Bible. Deuteronomy 22, verses 6 and 7 (NIV), advises thus: “If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.” Let us be mindful of that advice. Its source and relevance are beyond question.

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