The beginning.
This text was written by my father, after our first field trip.
Sometimes when we carry out an activity we are not really aware of the mechanisms we use to carry it out.
Occasionally when we talk about bird watching, beyond feathers, shapes, colors, activity and other characteristics, we think of binoculars or that photographic machine that allows us to immortalize "that" moment ..., but we never or very rarely repair in an instrument of ours, the eyes. Sure, who can think of bird watching without them ...
... In a month of January, back to the beginning of the 21st century, with some beautiful days like few others, with high and quite unusual temperatures, we prepared to go out into the field to locate cappuccinos (sporophila spp.) That have problems with conservation.
They would be four unforgettable days in which more than 100 different species would be registered.
One of the members of that "expedition" had never seen any of these species; her expectations, anxiety, and unease were almost uncontrollable.
After covering about 300 km., In which we travel along roads that do not appear on the maps, find some beautiful specimens of "white carpenters", rest on the banks of a stream where the "little black heads" showed no shyness, for Finally we arrive at the planned place, -the experience begins-.
Within a few minutes we already knew one of the searched species and recognized several other more common ones, a little later, the one that had never seen them, helped us locate specimens of various species, including those rare and poorly registered birds.
The ornithological enrichment was incalculable for this person and in a few hours a sophisticated recording equipment - from that time - was operating, obtaining songs with good quality and of various species.
The departure lasted, as we said, four intense days, but there was a member who returned with an experience that few people can count, with their expectations more than fulfilled, with their concerns on the one hand satisfied, but on the other, generated many more questions for another outing, but still continued without having seen any of the species.
Despite his 16 years, he traveled with us, collaborated with our work, entertained us and why not, taught us that: the lack of light also allows us to see.
Juan J. Culasso