Birds of a Feather
Today my thoughts wandered to a friend whom I met during my first time visiting Brazil. He’s the kind of guy who loves to categorize and document things wherever he goes–a lot like me! He even keeps a digital library of the information he collects. We’re talking terabytes of information like books, music, movies, pictures, text messages, emails, memes, you name it! His eyes are keen for the vast potential of information he encounters in his travels. I’ve even been so fortunate as to have the pleasure of browsing his library for myself.
It shouldn’t surprise you then that much of the information he’s collected is also stored in his noggin! Sitting at breakfast one day, he began to point out the birds that flew by and sat in trees nearby. He could tell me the names, diets and migration habits of each of the feathered creatures loitering a safe distance from our breakfast table. You could say he’s like a human Pokédex! I always admired his extensive knowledge of ornithology, but being very honest, though I do share his enthusiasm for cataloging, I never held much interest in our egg-laying friends, let alone felt inclined to study them in my free time. That said, something changed in me today.
Traveling through a tropical country, I’ve had the fortune of coming face-to-face with some of the world’s most beautiful birds. We’re talking toucans, parrots, owls, hawks, eagles, cranes, and other strange and exotic birds. I’ve encountered birds with feathers of every color, birds too big to fly and birds which favor the ground to the sky. Surely just one day spent in the Brazilian countryside is enough to spark at least some interest in birds in the hearts of anyone with eyes to behold their beauty.
Birds aren’t the only beautiful creatures I’ve encountered in staggering variety during my stay here in Brazil. I’ve also had the pleasure of being surrounded by thousands upon thousands of species of insects. Their symphony of buzzing and chirping can be heard throughout the day and all through the night. Enchanting as their songs may be, they’re also quite invasive. Living this far out into the forest, you can hide away indoors and shut all the doors and windows you want, they will find you. Even as I’m writing this, I’m interrupted by something large and fast moving in my peripherals–a wolf spider has come through the open window to say hello. Encouraging him to leave was not so easy. Though I’m quite wary of anything with more than six legs, I’m still able to appreciate the beauty of nature, whether it crawls around on eight legs or soars through the sky.
Gotcha!
Today, while I was working in the field, I happened upon the largest grasshopper I’d ever seen in my life. I decided to snap a photo. Proud of my shot of the giant grasshopper, I continued working, keeping an eye out for any other interesting insects to photograph. It wasn’t long until I found something else to capture via my phone’s camera: a large beetle stomping it’s way across my newly planted garden bed. Though his impressive size was something you could only truly appreciate in person, I had to get him on camera. After nabbing a few more shots with my smartphone’s camera, I began to feel an excitement that carried with it nostalgia…
Each time I found a new, bizarre-looking insect to take a photo of, I felt like I had just encountered a new Pokémon. Immediately I felt challenged to capture it, even if just on camera. This feeling goes way back for me, as Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition was the first video game I had ever played. That game played such a crucial role in my own development as a human being. To this day, though it may not have aged especially well (yeah I said it), Pokemon Yellow Version holds a dear place in my heart. It’s difficult for me to describe the feeling exactly, but each time I’ve successfully added another creature to my ever-growing catalogue of photos, an enthralling sense of accomplishment washes over me, leaving me wanting more. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri, was inspired to create the original Red and Blue versions of Pokémon (originally released in 1996) by his fond memories of catching insects in his home town of Machida, Tokyo. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’ve started a new hobby–I really can’t imagine spending my free-time photographing insects or birds for fun. That said, it is undoubtedly satisfying to nab a great shot like the one below of such a strange-looking creature!
Though many people probably wouldn’t be able to relate, the success of the Pokémon video game series certainly attests to the validity of my enjoyment in collecting photos of the numerous interesting creatures I encounter day-to-day.
Bringing it to Life
True, taking photos of creatures isn’t exactly the same as collecting them and storing them in a digital box. A better comparison of this activity would be to Pokémon Snap on the Nintendo 64 (released in 1999), a game in which you really do just take photos of Pokémon instead of throwing Poké Balls at them. In real life however, I’m not limited to rails. I’m free to walk about and interact with the creatures in a much more direct and physical way. Yes, they all just tend to run, jump or fly away when I get too close, but that just adds to the challenge and satisfaction of getting a great shot.
Caterpie? Is that you? 
I couldn’t snap a photo of a real butterfly, so here are some Butterfree I found the other day!
What’s more, there are literally hundreds of thousands of species for me to document, known and unknown. Sure, the task is a bit more daunting than the few hundred Pokédex entries to register in your traditional Pokémon game. I never said I’d dedicate my life to truly capturing them all, though there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing that I really could if I wanted to dedicate my life to it.
Another game series that comes to mind while frolicking amongst the trees and bushes is Animal Crossing. Perhaps it’s a little obvious, since the Animal Crossing games are truly what you would call a life simulation game. Regardless, I feel I have to mention it since the last time I was this excited to find bugs was when I was trying to complete my museum collection in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It’s a shame it took me this long to enjoy the wildlife in front of my own eyes, but that’s not to say I’ve turned away from my in-game museum collection. Still, it’s encouraging to know that the fun doesn’t have to end even after I’ve turned in every last last fossil, bug, painting and fish to Blathers.
The Collection So Far…
The biodiversity you’ll find in any forest of the world is unfathomable!–at least to me. Here are some of the creatures I’ve successfully captured on camera. Keep in mind, these pictures are taken on a smartphone camera as my phone was the device most easily accessible to me while I was working in the fields. The quality and focus is lacking in quite a few photos, but can you blame me? I found it extremely difficult to find a bird who would sit still long enough to have its photo taken.
Have you ever felt the urge to create your own catalogue of creepy crawlers, majestic flyers and cute little hoppers? What’s the biggest insect you’ve ever seen? Did these pictures make your skin crawl or what?? Feel free to comment below and tell me about your own encounters with the amazing wildlife where you live!
