The “Nairobi Birdman” is filling gaps in Kenyan bird conservation on the streets of the country’s biggest city.
Seen around town with an injured kite perched on his head, it’s just one of dozens that Rodgers Oloo Magutha has nursed back to health.
These have included pigeons, storks, owls, and other wild birds that fall a-fowl of Nairobi’s powerlines, cars, windows, or other hazards that industrialized areas pose to winged wildlife.
Magutha himself is not from Nairobi, but grew up in poverty next to Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park. A haven for bird life, Magutha used to sneak into the park to watch birds, birthing a love of nature and wildlife in the young man that lasts to this day.
These quiet moments were rare in his difficult, homeless existence. He grew up without a family home, but as often as it was possible, he’d take care of birds he found that were hurt, hungry, or diseased.
“We used to stay with the birds on the streets,” Magutha told Africa News. “You see, I cannot put more than ten different species of birds in one place, so if I can find a place, where I can open a shelter, it can be very good because I will end up rescuing more birds and my dream and my passion will grow.”
Today, Magutha has reliable lodgings, and he’s used them to house birds which have in turn made him a local social media figure, known as the Nairobi Birdman. His Instagram account has a distinctly African flavor, such as when he’s dancing with a marabou stork, but he also drops educational bombs for young fans, such as how flamingos get their pink coloration.
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His dream is to eventually open a proper avian rescue center; one that’s legal, safe, and equipped with the facilities needed to care for them.
Until then, he carries on with the help of donations, feeding the birds he saves as much as he is able to, and releasing them when or if they’re able to return to the wild.
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