Sunday, May 11, 2014

Reaction Paper: Bird Watching

by Imperio, Etienne Y. 
2012-24205

                What kinds of bird have I seen or maybe do I know of? Eagles, doves, swans, chickens, ducks, and an infinite number of Maya birds are what would probably come to my mind. I may have taken Biology in high school and Bio 1 in college but none of these subjects focus solely on birds that I will be able to recognize them from far away. That is why during the bird-watching activity, all I can ever say was that what I saw were all mayas.

However, as I was recalling the birds I saw and comparing them to what Sir Vallejo, our first ever guest speaker, was flashing and identifying on the screen, they were not the same. Some had white parts, some were completely brown and some even had other colors. It was fascinating for me because I never would have expected to see other kinds of birds in the campus because in my duration in UP Diliman, I don’t recall seeing these birds at all.

Why do birds suddenly appear?

This is where this question becomes very applicable. Do birds really suddenly appear out of nowhere and fly up there in the sky? Do they approach people without even giving any sign? Birds, I believe are always there. It is just that normally, people do not take notice of them because they are too busy or aren’t the type of people who observes their environment very clearly. I remember from the activity that there were some on a ledge then some on top of a building. There were even those flying from one tree to another tree. And then there were many resting in just one tree so all I had to do was look up.

I saw all these birds because I intended to look for them. I was tasked to find them and so I did. As I’ve mentioned, if it was just a normal day, especially in this summer heat, I would perhaps be just sitting around not minding any animal, insect or bird that are just near me except if they make sudden movements or if I feel danger from them. But now, I’ve realized that by being aware of them, I get to truly appreciate the beauty of nature. I guess walking under the sun and gazing up in the sky makes a difference especially if you see for the first time this kind of bird and a yellow bird, for me, is what made that difference.

Birds migrate from one place to another according to their needs. But that doesn’t mean that every single one of these birds will go to another country leaving us with nothing. This means that we can always have the chance to get to see birds. As long as we take care of our environment, birds will never be a rare sight. As long as we try to observe our surroundings, we will be able to see things that we may have not seen before.

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