Elis with some of the children |
We used to meet the group on a Saturday morning, and one such morning we were walking along a muddy track where there were a few puddles from the previous night's rain, when the kids suddenly got very excited. Looking over I saw that they were watching a Pectoral Sandpiper that had dropped in right in front of them.
Some of the group watching the Pectoral Sandpiper © Elis Simpson |
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Pectoral Sandpiper, Ubatuba. |
It is this wonderment that I hope to re-install in the minds of those of us who are already aware and accustomed to the concept of migration, I want us all to think of it not as a species making these journeys, but of millions of tiny, fragile lives, battling against much adversity and for us to think again in awe about the incredible phenomenon that is migration and how we can make the journey easier instead of harder and harder for these battling birds.
So, why the nick-name? Well on seeing the bird it struck one of the group how pot-bellied it was, and another said,
"Just like Rick!" at which point the group descended into laughter (what was I saying about respect?) and henceforth I was known as Maçarico. It may not have been for the best of reasons, but I was mightily proud of my new name!
'Pot-bellied Maçarico' © Elis Simpson |
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