A cyclist encounters a traditional ceremony on Devil’s Peak and witnesses thousands of swifts in flight near Table Mountain. The event highlights ancient cultural practices and the birds' extraordinary migration. These observations offer reflections on deep time amid global conflicts.
On a Sunday, while cycling along a track high on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, the author observed a group of about 40 men, women, and children in a clearing. They were conversing in isiXhosa, with many kneeling and trickling scooped sand and leaves through their fingers while chanting. Others chatted or ate breakfast from backpacks, creating a happy atmosphere.
When asked if it was a religious group, a young man replied: “No, this ceremony is much older than your religions. We are in celebration of the Old Ways.” Asked what they were celebrating, he pointed at the mountain, laughed, opened his arms wide, and said: “Everything.”
Pedaling back toward Table Mountain, the author was struck by thousands of swifts hawking insects in a valley and side-slopes. The birds flew so fast and close that the air rippled.
Swifts are remarkable aerial migrants. Those observed could have hatched in Sweden, crossed the Sahara Desert, hunted in the Congo Basin, and reached a Cape Town mountain without ever landing. They undertake a round-trip migration of about 20,000km. For 10 months, they fly continuously, eating, drinking, sleeping, and mating in the air.
To rest, they sleep one hemisphere of their brain at a time, climbing to about 3,000m at dusk and gliding slowly until dawn. Early naturalists believed they slept underwater due to their nocturnal habits. Their diet consists of aerial plankton, including flies, aphids, beetles, and spiders. They navigate using solar cues, polarised light, and possibly geomagnetism, and can live up to 20 years.
This experience is part of the Storied Mountain series, which explores the deep time of Table Mountain’s rocks, fynbos, creatures, and life cycles, predating humans by millions of years. The author reflects on humanity’s brief presence on the planet, especially in times of war, and encourages collecting such moments of grace.