Saturday Work Day at Wild Bird Care

Saturday was what my husband calls a Subotnik. Where my husband grew up, Soviet Russia, there was a tradition of all workers at a factory or office, bank, any place of work, to have to work on a Saturday to improve the work place.

So Saturday all my family and many other families of volunteers arrived at WIld Bird Care to redo the back yard of the center.

We were greeted by Gary de Beer, the landscape designer, and piles of rocks, gravel, compost, tools and wheelbarrows. We were directed to a circle of Agapanthus (South African Lilies) and stones that needed to be cleared. Everyone dug in and within an hour or so it was all cleared and the new garden began to take shape. The walk ways were covered in gravel and new beds were created.

Of course, it had to rain, but fortunately it was short lived and soon new plants were beginning to be placed in the ground. The yard birds were scarce until the ducks discovered that all the bustle meant that there were worms to be found! The younger members of the crew also discovered that the ducks would eat worms right out of their hands! There were some very full ducks!

I was amazed at how much was accomplished in just 4 hours! So phase one is done....

Photos on

(Robin Osipova)