It begs the question; did your *observing* change the outcome? What would be the meaning of that in the overall analysis?
Reminds me of Farley Mowat's "Never Cry Wolf". In the movie version he turned away at the end. Haunting. We had a pair of nesting Eagles at the top if a large Eucalyptus a few years back. We are rural and at the end of 3 miles of dirt road. My neighbor kept bringing people out to *see* them. Only one of the pair of chicks survived. I know this because I found the body under the tree. The pair of eagles did not return the following cycle.
I love this. Attention truly is the quality of life. I watched an episode of MeatEater last night, and Bryan Callen of all people was talking about the aspect of hunting he enjoyed the most was the constant focus and active observation it required (they were hunting white-tailed deer) which one does not typically engage with in the city. It struck me as precisely the reason being out in nature is so rewarding and peaceful. As one's focus and attention is drawn to the environment around them, the brain noise inevitably fades away, and one finds oneself meditating in nature without even realizing it.
I would like to share my own story of an extraordinary observation. Me and two friends were on a wildlife photography trip one winter to the far northern reaches of Alberta in search of Lynx. We had spent the first day of our trip scouring back roads in search of these elusive cats with no luck. As the sun began to set late in the afternoon, we began to reckon with the mild disappointment that our first day of the trip was not a success. We rounded a blind corner on the last small gravel road before getting back on the highway, before we noticed something on the road in front of us. It looked like a cardboard box in the dull dusky light. Until one friend shouted "holy f***! It's two lynx f***ing!!" (we can't all be graceful in a moment like this — we had a good laugh about it later). We pulled the truck over, slowly stepped out, cameras in hand, to lay down on the road for a better angle. To our surprise, not only did the cats not run off, but they continued to frolic undeterred for several minutes while the three of us lay prone snapping away. It was a magical experience to watch these two wild animals delicately fondle and tease one another — not a part of copulation one normally witnesses in the wild. We had just enough light to each get some incredible photographs, which, it would later turn out, were the first of their kind. To my knowledge, we remain the only people to have photographed this event in the wild. and it is a memory that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
I am nineteen. I live in India. I'm the definition of a helicoptered kid, but I'm only just learning to have the courage to break free and experience life for myself. Nature and all things green, blue and that breathe have always called to me. I think I'm finally listening. Thank you for teaching me to think. Thank you for keeping me company this last year with your podcast, Thank you for encouraging me to be an independent thinker, and for showing me that it is possible to live a wholesome life. That it is okay to love the outdoors more than tiktok and be a girl and want to play sport and love math and travel and explore ideas. I appreciate it more than you know. I'm waiting on a copy of your book with baited breath. Thank you for existing in my world, a million miles and a large ocean away.
As someone who is an observer of human behaviour as a writer, I completely understand the way in which watching people can be so fascinating. The amount you can learn about people and individuals in particular from simply watching them is immeasurable. It's made me very willing to give people the benefit of a doubt in almost every situations. Even those which create problems for me.
It's always a treat to be seeing something and not know what the hell you are looking at. Kind of like being a baby again. You, and it—whatever it is—just ARE. Really special.
Tayras v. Sloth. I'm not going to lie, I was rooting for the sloth. Another great article. I keep thinking about how we observe the world mostly through our preconceived notions, instead of patiently observing the world without interpreting what we are seeing. Isn’t that the cause of much of our troubles?
Wow. I was riveted. My grandson wants to learn on his own thru observation so I love your writing, he is 6 and so it reinforces his natural style. As a computer science/ math teacher I am learning tons from your writing and love it!!!
What would someone biased have seen? How can anyone see anything but a tayra attacking a sloth? There's a line beyond which what you're seeing is so obvious that bias cannot confuse observation.
It begs the question; did your *observing* change the outcome? What would be the meaning of that in the overall analysis?
Reminds me of Farley Mowat's "Never Cry Wolf". In the movie version he turned away at the end. Haunting. We had a pair of nesting Eagles at the top if a large Eucalyptus a few years back. We are rural and at the end of 3 miles of dirt road. My neighbor kept bringing people out to *see* them. Only one of the pair of chicks survived. I know this because I found the body under the tree. The pair of eagles did not return the following cycle.
I love this. Attention truly is the quality of life. I watched an episode of MeatEater last night, and Bryan Callen of all people was talking about the aspect of hunting he enjoyed the most was the constant focus and active observation it required (they were hunting white-tailed deer) which one does not typically engage with in the city. It struck me as precisely the reason being out in nature is so rewarding and peaceful. As one's focus and attention is drawn to the environment around them, the brain noise inevitably fades away, and one finds oneself meditating in nature without even realizing it.
I would like to share my own story of an extraordinary observation. Me and two friends were on a wildlife photography trip one winter to the far northern reaches of Alberta in search of Lynx. We had spent the first day of our trip scouring back roads in search of these elusive cats with no luck. As the sun began to set late in the afternoon, we began to reckon with the mild disappointment that our first day of the trip was not a success. We rounded a blind corner on the last small gravel road before getting back on the highway, before we noticed something on the road in front of us. It looked like a cardboard box in the dull dusky light. Until one friend shouted "holy f***! It's two lynx f***ing!!" (we can't all be graceful in a moment like this — we had a good laugh about it later). We pulled the truck over, slowly stepped out, cameras in hand, to lay down on the road for a better angle. To our surprise, not only did the cats not run off, but they continued to frolic undeterred for several minutes while the three of us lay prone snapping away. It was a magical experience to watch these two wild animals delicately fondle and tease one another — not a part of copulation one normally witnesses in the wild. We had just enough light to each get some incredible photographs, which, it would later turn out, were the first of their kind. To my knowledge, we remain the only people to have photographed this event in the wild. and it is a memory that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
I am nineteen. I live in India. I'm the definition of a helicoptered kid, but I'm only just learning to have the courage to break free and experience life for myself. Nature and all things green, blue and that breathe have always called to me. I think I'm finally listening. Thank you for teaching me to think. Thank you for keeping me company this last year with your podcast, Thank you for encouraging me to be an independent thinker, and for showing me that it is possible to live a wholesome life. That it is okay to love the outdoors more than tiktok and be a girl and want to play sport and love math and travel and explore ideas. I appreciate it more than you know. I'm waiting on a copy of your book with baited breath. Thank you for existing in my world, a million miles and a large ocean away.
As someone who is an observer of human behaviour as a writer, I completely understand the way in which watching people can be so fascinating. The amount you can learn about people and individuals in particular from simply watching them is immeasurable. It's made me very willing to give people the benefit of a doubt in almost every situations. Even those which create problems for me.
It's always a treat to be seeing something and not know what the hell you are looking at. Kind of like being a baby again. You, and it—whatever it is—just ARE. Really special.
Tayras v. Sloth. I'm not going to lie, I was rooting for the sloth. Another great article. I keep thinking about how we observe the world mostly through our preconceived notions, instead of patiently observing the world without interpreting what we are seeing. Isn’t that the cause of much of our troubles?
Wow. I was riveted. My grandson wants to learn on his own thru observation so I love your writing, he is 6 and so it reinforces his natural style. As a computer science/ math teacher I am learning tons from your writing and love it!!!
Thank you! Love your storytelling!
What would someone biased have seen? How can anyone see anything but a tayra attacking a sloth? There's a line beyond which what you're seeing is so obvious that bias cannot confuse observation.