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I have always considered myself to be a fan of birds. I keep a bird feeder and a bird bath in my yard, I am delighted if I happen to see a nest when I’m out for a walk, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never grumbled about the sounds of chirping birds waking me up in the morning. However, I have never really done any “birding” until very recently. I’m still very much a novice birder with so much to learn, but I can already see the appeal.
I have learned that early morning is a good time to go birding and since I’m a bit of an early riser anyhow, it hasn’t been too difficult to head out for a birding walk before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. There is something really peaceful about going for a walk at that time of day, and the possibility of spotting bird activity is an added bonus.
Paying attention to the birds has taught me to slow down and to see things in a different way. Before I used to walk for walking’s sake, for exercise. When we head out on a birding walk, we go a lot slower. Sometimes it takes hours to cover a path that we’d normally cover in 30 minutes. I’m not normally a patient person (once during a yoga class I actually thought “we could speed things up if we didn’t hold these poses for so damn long.” Clearly I have a lot to learn about yoga too.), but the slow pace we’ve adopted on birding walks has a wonderfully soothing quality to it.
I’m on Vancouver Island this week, taking part in the ASLE conference (affectionately known as the “Friendly Greens” by some of my blogging friends). Before the conference began we spent some time outside of Victoria. Our adventures have included some birding, and it has been so much fun! At Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo we saw several American Wood Ducks, a few Spotted Towhees and an Osprey. We saw a Kingfisher on Gabriola Island, many Stellar’s Jays during our jaunt to the Pacific Rim National Park and some California Quails just outside of Nanaimo. While I was sunbathing on the beach on Newcastle Island, Laurie went for a walk and saw a Black Oystercatcher. I’m sorry I missed that one, although I did enjoy my snooze in the sun.
I’ve also discovered that birds generally don’t hold still and pose for pictures and, since I’m still figuring out all the bells and whistles on my new camera, I’m not the quickest photographer in the world. Still, I did manage to get a few shots of some of the birds we’ve encountered on this trip.
UPDATED: I finally did see a Black Oystercatcher! Yeah!
I’m currently on Vancouver Island, taking a most scenic route to the ASLE conference. I love this place!
My little point-and-shoot digital camera is on its last legs. My mom gave it to me when she upgraded about 3 years ago, so it is about 6 years old. I have taken thousands of snapshots with it, but when it was becoming apparent that it wasn’t going to last much longer I started shopping around for a new one. I’d read some good things about Canon’s PowerShot SX1 IS and it seemed like a good fit for my needs. If I were still shooting professionally I would have gone for something like this little beauty, but that isn’t really necessary for the kind of photography I do now. I wanted something lightweight and compact enough that I can bring it on hikes, but I also wanted something that would allow me to take some decent pictures while on those hikes (especially since I’m gaining new appreciation for birding). Anyhow, I finally went to Future Shop and picked up a new camera today! So exciting!! I’m dashing off to my writing group meeting now and can’t spend much time playing with it tonight (so much to learn, so many settings!), but here are some early results.
Interested in Photography? Want to know more about the History of Visual Culture?
Join us for “A brief history of the Camera Obscura, the Pinhole Camera and the
Photobased Work of Dianne Bos.” This is a public lecture by Dianne Bos, presented by the Department of Visual Arts, Brock University
Friday, November 7th
Noon – 1pm (Bring your lunch!)
GLN 162
All are welcome!
I can tell it is nearing the end of May as I’m starting to feel more energetic and inspired. The May blahs happen every year and I don’t know why. You’d think it would be the most exciting of months — spring flowers are blooming, the promise of new beginnings in terms of research projects and travel, etc. But instead I usually spend the entire month feeling wrung out, tired and guilty for not being able to jump head first into my research. On an intellectual level I know that the transition from teaching days to research days takes time (and, yes, I know that good pedagogy involves one’s research, but I’m talking about what the day-to-day pattern looks like — am I prepping for class or am I at my desk writing a draft of an article?), yet each May I struggle with this. And, just as regularly, towards the end of May I start feeling energetic and excited about research projects I’m working on.
I’ve spent this week in the archives doing research on a really interesting woman who I first learned about 13 years ago. I’d sort of forgotten all about her in recent years, but she popped into my mind the other day and, on a whim, I decided to spend some time digging about in the archives this week in an attempt to piece together more of her story. It is fascinating. I’m still processing all that I’m reading, so I am not ready to post it here yet, but I will one day. I spent the entire day today reading letters, wonderful handwritten letters that are so tender and intimate. I fell in love with the story being told through these letters and was completely mesmerized. I slipped into that weird state of mind that only happens to me when I’m doing archival research — I zone out and ignore all else but the documents I’m working with. The hours just fly by and sometimes I even forget to eat! When I’m doing this kind of work I’m struck by the play between the very personal stories and the way those stories fit within the broader framework and context of visual culture studies. With each of the letters I read today I learned more about the day-to-day reality of being a photographer prior to WWII. I also saw a side of a woman who was much more than a “historical figure,” and this became especially evident as I read about her fears, her loves, her dreams and her ideas. I can’t wait to go back and read more tomorrow. I’m most certainly going to run out of days on this research trip!
