When I was in grade school, one of the top students in our class complained to the teacher that my art project wasn't done by me. Then my work missed the exhibit - that monthly thematic and decorated blackboard at the back portion of a classroom. That is bullying nowadays, but that was life back then. And how could i argue back when i was not even raising a hand from my desk whenever a teacher asked questions. Memory is still fresh but what is more vivid to me was the drawing itself. It was a lone bird, in the family of doves and pigeons, well-proportioned, perched on a branch, frontal at that. It was detailed in characteristics and features. I often asked myself, what made me nail that drawing when all i had mastered was to portray my brother's cat with nothing but sketches of seven circles, excluding the tail of course.
To answer that, I refreshed myself more of that childhood days. We lived in a native house with bamboo grills that opened our vision to the natural world and wildlife outside. There were lots of birds, and along with my brothers, we loved to outwit them. Every after class, i hurriedly walked back home to set up my traps near our small piggery and poultry (where we, nine siblings, had our daily duties as well) for sparrows that feasted on some leftovers. From there, I was a witness to their cleverness and instincts, even more with the other species in the thickets nearby. I always failed to catch one, but in the process I partly understood these birds outside the 4-walled classroom. I learned a very tiny part of their extraordinary life. It was like holding a single strand of a feathered world of this beautiful creation.
Years passed and in the staircase of photo interests I walked into, I stepped in the platform of bird photography. The discipline I needed came from the previous treaded subject of interests and backed up with that childhood observations. But unlike that old drawing, my images transcend doubts, help educate and raise awareness. In line with it is the fulfillment of sharing the mysterious avian world. It is never easy though; bird photography truly stretches patience but never boils a blood. Once, I momentarily fell asleep while waiting and wishing for my lifer, only to wake up with a kingfisher looking at me from a branch above. I could only smile to it because i knew I could not reposition myself for a shot. There's too much to learn in this category, where every species has its own unique characteristics. Where and what the animals feed on and their general habits are the few basics. All these need to be understood in different seasons and locations. Bird Photography (Nature Photography in general) flies one to a limitless horizon of the unique life and wonders of the natural world. The challenge is never-ending. It is a common scenario to crawl to a location with a 30-lb backpack yet still have no reason to arrive later than the subject. Sometimes, a bird displays the unexpected, but you only have a second to respond. If you are lucky enough, it poses some gestures for a minute but you compose your picture from where you are and just close your eyes if there are any obstructions in your frame. Many times I end my day without a single press of a shutter but every single minute in the field is unparalled moment that is full of surprises and leaves me with some hopes. So with it comes constant readiness, which makes me pull and clean that tripod foot before i can pull my own legs off a mud.
(In photo: A male barred buttonquail teaches a juvenile to pick some seeds. In this species, the female bird builds the nest but it is the male bird that incubates and tends the young until maturity)
CAS 09- 01-16
