Birdwatching is pretty popular. You might see lots of people walking around with binoculars or cameras, looking at birds. Some put up feeders in their backyards. People can even become professional bird scientists! Have you ever wondered why people watch birds? Here are 5 reasons to birdwatch: 1. Birds are beautiful. With their smooth and colorful feathers, birds stand out from the rest of nature. Some are graceful, some look funny. Birds are so varied. If you think all birds are brown or gray, think again! Birds are all the colors of the rainbow, from a brown sparrow to a rainbow-colored painted bunting. And you can see them almost any time you want! Look out your window the next time you are bored, and see if you can spot a bright red cardinal or a blue jay. 2. Birds have interesting behavior. Have you ever seen a chicken pecking at the dirt, or a sparrow taking a dust bath? What about a vulture ripping up a carcass? All birds do something, or nobody would care about them. If you look, you can see birds being weird or funny, graceful or creepy. It just takes a step out of the house to catch a glimpse of them. A flock of birds having a pool party in your backyard birdbath could make your day. 3. Birdwatching is a fun challenge. Did you know you can make a list of all the birds you have seen? It’s called a life list. You can also try to see all the types of birds that live in your state! It’s a fun challenge. Or just keep a notebook of the birds you see and draw or write about them. 4. You can study them closely. If you like learning new things, you can learn a ton of stuff about birds by observing them and learning more about them online and in books. You could write down the tiniest details about birds in your backyard, or find out fun facts on a website. You could even become a ornithologist, or bird scientist, when you grow up. It’s up to you! 5. It’s something to do besides play video games all day. Does your mom tell you to stop watching TV and do something else? Well, why not birdwatch? It just takes a look out the window. If you want to pick it up a level, make a bird feeder or start a birdwatching notebook. As you can see, there are some great reasons to birdwatch. If you start birdwatching, you can discover more reasons! In my next post I will tell you how to get started watching birds.
Nature
Nature in Fiji: an Awe-Filling Experience
Map of Fiji. Image by Globe-trotter [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.In November of 2016, my family and I traveled to the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji. We stayed at a place called Koro Sun Resort. Each day the resort had certain events going on that one could sign up for, for no extra charge. Whether it was snorkeling, hiking through the rainforest, or kayaking to a small island, there was no end to the fun. On one particular day, my family and I decided to sign up for a trip to a waterfall. At first we thought it wouldn’t be as good as everyone made it to be, but when our guide stopped the van at a local store and said, “We need to get a root as an offering to the village folk,” we began to realize that the descriptions might be serious. We drove away from the store, past a beach, and finally we arrived in a very small gravel parking lot, off a dirt road leading away from most of civilization. At least we thought so at first. Our guide showed us the trail we would be hiking, and eager to go see the waterfall, my sister and I ran towards the trail. But our guide, Romano, told us, “No. Not yet. You forget that we must give the roots to the village chief.” So we began walking down another path, somewhat wider, and in a matter of about a minute, found ourselves on the edge of a very small village. The metal houses were built upon green lawns that were inhabited by barefoot, running children playing with chickens, puppies, and full grown dogs. The houses were ramshackle and most consisted of only one room, but still, the people were happy. You see, when one travels to Vanua Levu, you think when you walk through the villages, “These people seem like they shouldn’t be happy at all.” But the people are some of the happiest and kindest you will ever get to know. They are not bothered by their small houses. They are simply happy. This is one of the reasons I love Fiji. Romano asked the chief respectfully if he may present his gift, and she obliged. Around her there were other women, all with handmade jewelry, woven reed tapestries, and all sorts of cool rainforest-made items. After the chief accepted the gift, she told my family, who were the only tourists, “It is good that you have asked my permission to see the waterfall. Once some people went to our waterfall without asking, and bad things fell upon them. At the waterfall they got hurt and had to be brought to the hospital. Nobody who has asked permission has ever gotten hurt.” My family and I looked through the trinkets, jewelry, and woven tapestries, for they were all for sale. My sister bought a nice wood turtle necklace, and I got a tapestry for my grandmother. Soon it was time to leave the village. My sister wanted to play with the puppies first though, so we had to wait a little while longer. But then, it was time to see the true aim of our trip to this remote place. We came back to the trail, and began walking. Romano showed the way, but I was hardly paying attention to him. All around us trees, vines, and flowers of all sorts were to be seen. It was a like a huge painting, only better. On one side of the trail there were wild peppers, very spicy, Romano informed us. On the other, papayas grew, wild as well, with elephant-ear plants boasting their huge leaves beside them. Wild coconut and banana trees grew around us too. There was simply no end to the wildlife and plants. Birds flitted around above us, bugs and small animals could be heard in the underbrush. All in all, it was beautiful. Finally, the moment of anticipation came as we began to hear the roaring, rushing cascade we knew was the waterfall. When it finally came into sight, my sister Lena and I ran the rest of the trail, hearts pounding with excitement. And then we arrived. Clear, cool water fell down an outcropping of rock about forty feet high. It collected in a pool that eventually went on to continue the river that flowed before it turned into the waterfall. Romano called it a “natural swimming pool”. My parents and Romano arrived, my father and Romano immediately ripped off their shirts and dove in. I was quick to follow, and after me, Lena. My mother refrained from going for a swim. She thought the water was too cold, for cold it was, but not cold enough to deter me. Romano climbed the waterfall and jumped in, making a huge splash. I must say, he was at least thirty feet up. My father tried to climb as high, but couldn’t. He ended up jumping off at around twenty feet. I climbed the waterfall, but only to about ten feet high. It was an exhilarating jump into the water. We finally returned to Koro Sun Resort. We thanked Romano, and headed to our villa for a rest. Leaving Vanua Levu was very hard and sad for my family and I. It is a sacred place in my heart, for it is one of the places where nature truly rules. I want to protect this place, for future tourism and simply its beauty. I am determined to keep it the way it is. Who will join me?
A Desert Wonder
Walker River (photo credit: wikicommons) So there I was, atop a mountain in the Nevada High Desert, near Walker River. I had climbed up there just a few minutes before, and just as soon as I got there, I was in wonder. Most seem to think that the desert is a dry, barren place devoid of life and beauty of any sort, besides dead plants that dotted the hills. As I looked across the vast expanse of sand and rocks below me, I realized this was not true. My surroundings were, as many people like to think, quite dry and sandy, but still, when looked at with more depth than an assumption, quite alive as well. The scrub bushes, leafed and thorned alike, all swayed in the wind as if they were not brittle, but instead, alive. There was still a dark green tint of color about them as well. If I listened, birds sung just as much as in a more vegetated area, and I could hear the hum of flies and bees as they went about on their business. I could feel the wind tousle my hair, a nice, calming feeling. So there was life, I just had to look for it, I thought. I sighed as I began to climb down the mountain, for I had experienced something great. A deep silence seemed to ensue, for the wind had stopped. The only sound was the faint gurgling of Walker River in the distance. When I reached the foot of the hill, my father called me for supper. That night, as my family and I sat around a campfire, warming our hands, I decided to look beyond the light of the fire. I looked first towards the mountain I had scaled earlier that day, and then up at the sky. What I saw astounded me. Stars, millions upon millions of them dotted the dark atmosphere above me. They seemed clearer and twinkled with more light than I had ever seen in stars near a town or city before. To put it simply, there were more stars here in an unpopulated area than anywhere else I had ever been. I spotted the Big Dipper on the right, Orion’s Belt on the left, and everywhere else some sort of constellation seemed to appear. The next day I went for a walk along the bank of Walker River. To my surprise, lizards began popping up every few minutes. There were animals in the desert then, too, I thought. Later that day a snake crossed my path. It was a gopher snake, about four feet long. Then again, a couple minutes later, I saw a smaller gopher snake. And then again, another one, however this one was a corn snake. Even nature’s desert is beautiful. Walker River is one of my favorite places to go, and if I could, I would protect it from construction. It is simply that beautiful. The thing is, I can protect it. I am working on that now. Who will help me protect Earth from destruction? I will, and there is no changing that.
