"Baby I'm from New York! Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do, Now you're in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you... "
And New York did inspire me but it wasn't due to the big lights but the birders with their passion for wildlife in Central Park. Last night I watched a wonderful documentary, that followed a few birders throughout four seasons of the year. Starr Sophir was one of the birders that starred in the documentary and she made a living from taking New Yorkers and tourists around the park showing them the migrates and common birds. In one of the interviews Sophir said that:
“I am enormously lucky in that I absolutely love what I do everyday that I do it. It doesn't mean that sometimes it’s not tedious for moments or for hours or the day when you have to come up with 38 birds, and the birds are not cooperating, and you end up with 37. And doing the lists, you’re sometimes really tired by the time you get home after maybe a six-hour walk or something. I still have to sit down and do my list. There, it’s work, but I could keep this up, I think, for hundreds of years. Nobody gets a chance to find that out, but I love what I do.”
The documentary also followed birder Chris Cooper who only said he went birding in the Spring season because this is when you likely to see more birds. He said that a lot of his friends teased him for being a birder, so he came up with the seven pleasure of why people enjoy bird watching! And if you have also wondered why? maybe these will enlighten you a little:
The Seven Pleasures Of Birding
1. The beauty of the birds
2. The beauty of being in a natural setting
3. The joys of hunting, without the bloodshed
4. The joy of collecting (in that the practice of keeping lists -- life lists, day lists, etc.-- appeals to the same impulse as, say, stamp collecting)
5. The joy of puzzle-solving (in making those tough identifications)
6. The pleasure of scientific discovery (new observations about behavior, etc.)
7. The Unicorn Effect--After you've been birding for even a little while, there are birds you've heard of or seen in books that capture your imagination, but you've never seen for yourself...and then one day, there it is in front of you, as if some mythical creature has stepped out of a storybook and come to life. There's no thrill quite like it.
And being a natural history photographer number seven couldn't be more true because its like seeing a celebrity. Seeing the creature you studied for a long time and finding out it does exist an isn't just a picture/painting in your field guide, its
one of the greatest joys in the world.
The reason why the DVD is called the central park effect is because that in the middle of the concrete jungle there is a lovely forest full of birds and other wildlife. An due to there being so much human interaction in New York, the birds land in the only bit of green they can see from the skies and they call this the central park effect. I was also surprised to find out that this wildlife haven wasn't in fact wild but man made...is this our future? Who knows...
Overall I believe the film is completely worth watching for birders an even no birders because Birders will want to visit New York and non birders may want to pick up a pair of binoculars them self's or just simply understand why we do it. As I have only mention who people stories from the documentary the film does follow some wonderful people, that I hope I may bump into if I ever go birding in central park one day. I was also sad to find out after watching the DVD that Starr Sophir passed away in 2013, which I found very sad because it would have been a pleasure to have met you person. So I rate this documentary:
Rating: *****
More information on Starr Saphir below:
There's nothing you can't do, Now you're in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you... "
And New York did inspire me but it wasn't due to the big lights but the birders with their passion for wildlife in Central Park. Last night I watched a wonderful documentary, that followed a few birders throughout four seasons of the year. Starr Sophir was one of the birders that starred in the documentary and she made a living from taking New Yorkers and tourists around the park showing them the migrates and common birds. In one of the interviews Sophir said that:
“I am enormously lucky in that I absolutely love what I do everyday that I do it. It doesn't mean that sometimes it’s not tedious for moments or for hours or the day when you have to come up with 38 birds, and the birds are not cooperating, and you end up with 37. And doing the lists, you’re sometimes really tired by the time you get home after maybe a six-hour walk or something. I still have to sit down and do my list. There, it’s work, but I could keep this up, I think, for hundreds of years. Nobody gets a chance to find that out, but I love what I do.”
The documentary also followed birder Chris Cooper who only said he went birding in the Spring season because this is when you likely to see more birds. He said that a lot of his friends teased him for being a birder, so he came up with the seven pleasure of why people enjoy bird watching! And if you have also wondered why? maybe these will enlighten you a little:
The Seven Pleasures Of Birding
1. The beauty of the birds
2. The beauty of being in a natural setting
3. The joys of hunting, without the bloodshed
4. The joy of collecting (in that the practice of keeping lists -- life lists, day lists, etc.-- appeals to the same impulse as, say, stamp collecting)
5. The joy of puzzle-solving (in making those tough identifications)
6. The pleasure of scientific discovery (new observations about behavior, etc.)
7. The Unicorn Effect--After you've been birding for even a little while, there are birds you've heard of or seen in books that capture your imagination, but you've never seen for yourself...and then one day, there it is in front of you, as if some mythical creature has stepped out of a storybook and come to life. There's no thrill quite like it.
And being a natural history photographer number seven couldn't be more true because its like seeing a celebrity. Seeing the creature you studied for a long time and finding out it does exist an isn't just a picture/painting in your field guide, its
one of the greatest joys in the world.
The reason why the DVD is called the central park effect is because that in the middle of the concrete jungle there is a lovely forest full of birds and other wildlife. An due to there being so much human interaction in New York, the birds land in the only bit of green they can see from the skies and they call this the central park effect. I was also surprised to find out that this wildlife haven wasn't in fact wild but man made...is this our future? Who knows...
Overall I believe the film is completely worth watching for birders an even no birders because Birders will want to visit New York and non birders may want to pick up a pair of binoculars them self's or just simply understand why we do it. As I have only mention who people stories from the documentary the film does follow some wonderful people, that I hope I may bump into if I ever go birding in central park one day. I was also sad to find out after watching the DVD that Starr Sophir passed away in 2013, which I found very sad because it would have been a pleasure to have met you person. So I rate this documentary:
Rating: *****
More information on Starr Saphir below:
Starr Saphir died on February 5, 2013, at Calvary Hospice in New York after an eleven-year battle with breast cancer.Her skills as a birder were legendary. For nearly forty years she gave birding walks in Central Park and around the world that were noted for their unusual sightings. She was a friend, teacher, mentor, and inspiration to many. Her daughters Shawna and Lara loved her very much. Starr began birding in 1946 gave birding tours across the world for nearly 40 years. She kept written logs of all the birding she did since the day she began. She had 259 bird species in Central Park alone. She has compiled some extraordinary birding records locally, nationally, and overseas.