“The early bird catches the worm” takes on a new dimension, but is nonetheless the truest and most appropriate phrase, to describe our bird watching experience with Bay of Grace Tours. We get up at what feels like the crack of dawn to migrate south to meet Raymond, our guide, at the Orlando Towers on a frosty Saturday morning for something truly out of the ordinary. It shouldn’t surprise us that this bird enthusiast, certified ringer, vocal conservationist, former team member of Bird Life South Africa, and now Avitourism entrepreneur arrives bright as the morning chorus of 'coos' and 'tweets'. Soon, we find that we have warmed up to his chirpy enthusiasm and take the trail off the beaten path in search of something hardly explored in the tourism community.

The wetland under the nose of the decommissioned coal power station is our first destination. Raymond is the first to admit that a bird watching tour in Soweto is the last thing people expect to find here and that a common misconception visitors have is that there isn’t a flourishing bird life in the area. He teaches us that, on the contrary, “when we are still, nature speaks.” We keep quiet for a few moments and before long the different calls and songs of varying bird species fill the air. Raymond is also quick to point out that the tours are a better hit with people who are already attuned to bird watching. Seasoned bird watchers are lured by the high number of species they have a chance of glimpsing. On this particular outing we spot close to 35 species, less than the usual 60 plus species in summer, due to winter migration. What he overlooks, however, is his ability to seamlessly touch on wider social and environmental issues without losing focus of the bird watching.

He is also incredibly generous with his wealth of knowledge and shares it in a way that makes first time bird watchers feel like they’ve been doing it for years and want to do it for many to come. As we go along, listening out for the song of the lesser spotted this or that, he candidly speaks about the pollution threatening the wetland and his passion for conservation. His walking tours for young kids are an opportunity for him to sew the seed early to create passionate green-citizens. The conversation leads us to the realisation now dawning on residents and leaders alike, that eco-tourism has great potential, not only for a healthier eco-system, but also for a thriving economy.

Equipped with binoculars and bird watching handbooks, provided by our guide, we follow him - our very own Attenborough - through the wetland as he narrates the assortment of birds we encounter. We file through the illustrated pages of the handbooks to confirm the characteristics of the bird and s’tru, what we find is a carbon copy of what Raymond describes.

That evening, he tells us excited as a kid on Christmas day, that he has a bird watching excursion in Maryvale, where he will be with birds of his own feather and where he will have the opportunity to further hone his skills and sharpen his eye. This is testament to the astonishing fire he has for what he does – as rare a find as we could have hoped to discover before heading back north after a day well spent.