The Beagle, a 2008 Toyota LC on a drift across Africa, piloted by Jim (FitzRoy) and Ann Colleen.
The Beagle, a 2008 Toyota LC on a drift across Africa, piloted by Jim (FitzRoy) and Ann Colleen.
Have you ever dreamed of a bird so astonishing? One that makes you drop your binoculars and gasp out loud – or worse, drive off the road in amazement. Luckily I wasn’t driving when this Southern Bald Ibis appeared. They are as spectacular as the stars and planets, although not nearly as numerous. SB Ibis roosts in communes on cliffs overlooking the Crocodile River at the Lowveld Botani
cal Garden. Unlike many of the remarkable birds I stalk, this species is pretty much always in the same place and easily photographed once you get over the shock of seeing it for the first time. They are (of course) on the vulnerable list – habitat loss, poisoning, and other human-caused fatalities are taking their toll. As you can see, some of these SB Ibis are banded and are being studied. We can hope for them.
Of the more difficult species to shoot (and I mean with a camera) are the Purple Tu
raco. Large and flashy, they spend their time high in the trees eating fruit. How does such a big bird whip through the branches so fast? And how do they know to hide behind a stick or stem when they see me coming? Purple Turaco possess a feature that no other bird on earth has. Besides the ubiquitous carotenoid and melanin feather pigments that are responsible for feather color in all birds, the Purple Turaco have two other pigments. So special are these pi
gments, they are named after the Turaco, “turacin” is a red pigment and “turacovedin” is a green pigment. Together the pigments give the bird an extraordinary and unmistakeable magenta color on their flight primary feathers. Should I be lucky enough to capture an image of this
color I will consider it a lifetime achievement. Patience + persistence + proximity = luck
And on it goes. The elephant/baboon standoff at the water tank. The thousands of buffalo stirring the dust in the mopane. The lioness’ stalking prey in broad daylight amidst the cars. Hennie and Miempie, a couple we met back on the Wild Coast, and who invited
us to visit them – a special afternoon. They remind me that there are so many people I would like to see again, and likely won’t. As with some birds that I would fall to my knees to glimpse just one more time, some people will have to remain a fond memory.
What do we do with all the time we have? The long hours between the warm sunrise and cool darkness are ours to command and while daily chores consume a bit (not really, who wants to do chores?) plenty of time is available. So why not try something new? Something never tried before, something so different you may have thought, “I can’t do that.”
My sister Marlene encouraged me to try drawing birds. She sent with me a handful of Prisma pens which until a week ago I was afraid to use; “I can’t do that” rings in my head. Jim provided dozens of colored pencils and a nice drawing pencil – I’m not afraid of those. And then something wonderful happened when drawing birds became my daily focus. Looking for birds, looking at birds, looking at pictures of birds isn’t always SEEING the birds. The look in their eyes, their open beaks, the depth of their feathers – these things and more sprang into view as I drew. I thought I’d been observing birds reasonably enough. Finding them, recognizing more and mo
re of them, learning their habits, making a co
rrect identification – all good skills to have. Once the drawing started, the results surprised and amazed me. Birds, people, scenery, animals – once I started to draw, I felt like my eyes woke up. There is so much to see.
John Muir Laws (JML) in his handbook “The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds” says that once 
you start to draw them, birds will reveal their secrets. At first I skimmed over that line, thinking it a generalization. Turns out, JML is on to it. By drawing what you really see the birding passion changes completely. JML’s book delivers pages of drawing techniques, instructions and lessons, along with stern encouragement – the chapter on field drawing begins with “Go outside and draw”. Yes, apt advice; the only way to become 
proficient at drawing birds in the field is to go into the field and 
draw. Bit tricky with that screaming equatorial sun blasting down, but I’m finding ways.
At first, though, it is helpful to have the basic bird drawing techniques well-practiced; mastering them will take years. Unlike, say, learning to play the violin, practicing drawing birds is as much fun as birding itself. Average copy paper is readily available and while it is nothing special I fill all of the paper space with drawings in 
various stages of completion. JML’s advice on completion? “Stop before you finish”. Easier said than done but still good advice. So with the ultimate goal of becoming adept at sketching in the field, I’ve filled two notebooks. – I will need to find some more paper.
The box of colored pencils, crayons,
wax pencils and nice Prismacolor pens are tucked neatly behind the seat, along with JML’s handbook and my sketching paper, all within reach. There is one very well-used kneaded eraser and an equally 
well-used pencil sharpener. A note from my brother William said to study the masters. The master’s works aren’t easy to come by here in the countryside but what I did find in the library at Cool Runnings was a 1977 hard-bound edition of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. Exquisite illustrations of birds fill the pages, humbling and inspiring to peruse. Now it is time to sit down for a couple of hours and draw. Then we can play bao or whatever. Just no chores, thanks.
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