experience
just step outside
and look up
he told me. “If we notice something is wrong, we relay it to the other guides.” An ecosystem’s birdlife offers insight into its health. Changes in populations may indicate degradation, or shifts in climate or pollution, with wider ecosystemic consequences. “Awareness is important for understanding and protecting the ecosystem,” he said. A few days later, up in the north of the reserve, we were sitting along a dry riverbed, watching two elephant calves romp around the sturdy legs of their elders. In the golden grass at my 10 o’clock, I noticed three jet-black figures pecking at the shade of a desert date tree. “Those are ground hornbills!” I proclaimed, proud to be first for a change. “Southern ground hornbills.” “Yes,” said Gracious with a smile. “They are interesting birds. Here, if you see them, it means the rains are coming.” “Back home, many cultures believe that too. I wrote a story about them. I’m just glad we got
to see them; they’re so rare.” “These birds are quite common here. I see them maybe every few days.” “In South Africa, they’re highly endangered. You’re lucky if you see one in a week.” “I didn’t know that,” he said. I guess now I’m aware.” The belief was the same, but the circumstances different. And that’s the intrigue of birding. The same species can live two entirely different realities, depending on where you stand. One bird can be here today and gone tomorrow. Its significance can be lost on you before you understand it. Hours of nothing can yield a sighting so extraordinary it pulls you back out again the next day. All the while, something shifts in us. With every sighting, awareness deepens – first into awe, then consciousness, then care. You don’t have to be skilled at birding or travel far to make a difference; just step outside and look up.
Right Look up, look around, look within. Sometimes, nature looks back.
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