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| "Crow Stories" by Martha C. Slavin |
Our views are so different from the lush greenery of our former suburban neighborhood. As I look out the window, half of the view is the roof of the building below with all of its machinery securely positioned and some of it steaming. Occasionally workers congregate around a mechanism, adjust pieces, and walk the ramp that leads to the exit. Crows like to cling to the edges of the roof and preen themselves. In a strong wind, they seem to be holding on to the roof edge for dear life. I often see them and the seagulls flying by at my nose level. They land on the deck above us, but mostly they glide in free flight. Once in a while, a hummingbird hovers at the window looking at me as intently as I watch it. Those moments with another being remind me of our need for empathy in this tumultuous world.
The view from our windows will never see the flocks of billions of birds that used to fill the skies. Bird populations have been decimated in the last centuries because of hunting, pollution, habitat destruction, and our lack of empathy for other living beings. I have been appalled at the news of migratory birds being killed when they fly into buildings at night. They can't see the glass and hit at full-flight force. The birds get confused by the glass and the artificial lights and thousands hit the glass and fall down to the ground to die. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that in the United States alone upwards of a billion birds are killed this way each year. Yes, a billion. It is hard to visualize that many birds.The deaths are not just by flying into skyscrapers. Single-family homes create traps for birds too. We can protect birds by adhering film with random patterns or dots onto the house windows, by keeping window coverings closed at night, and by turning off lights between 11 pm and 6 am. Making these attempts can be a way to develop empathy and to understand the effect our actions have on others.
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| Canadian geese arrive at Mission Creek while migrating in the Spring |
Watching the birds in the morning reminds me of taking John Muir Laws' drawing classes at the Lafayette Library with two good friends. Laws offered free classes about drawing animals. The three of us would spread our papers, pencils, waterbrushes, and colored pencils on the table so we could share our supplies. We watched as Laws demonstrated drawing techniques.
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Drawing the class members as well as a hummingbird
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I am good at drawing people in motion. I know how bones and muscles move in a human body so I can make a quick gesture drawing. In the class, we attempted drawing the animals that moved in the video that Laws projected on the screen. I discovered, that even though animals have similar bones and muscle structures, doing a gesture drawing of one was not so easy. I needed to fully understand what was underneath the skin and spend time observing how each animal moved. For instance, have you ever watched a cheetah sneak up on its prey? Their shoulders, unlike humans, rise above their lowered heads and move like two wheels connected together. At home, we watch PBS's Nature series, which has given me more time to study animals in motion. Eventually, if I practice enough, I will master their movements too.
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| Trying to capture how a bird flies |
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