High above me, and right next to me on the ground, various birds make their living, living their best bird life. Looking into the trees, I spotted the chinspot batis (Batis molitor), or I think it is it. Looking up into the heavens, or the trees, you spot these beautiful birds. They sing their songs, and they look down on you like you are the alien ape creature.
But we are used to this. So many shots of birds' butts in my gallery, but we find this amusing as their antics always entertain. Or at least, I read human behaviour into theirs. And I love it.
Whilst running after the small songbird, I stumbled upon this dove just doing its thing in the bit of sun between the various trees. It is also living its best bird life. Sometimes I envy them, just to be able to sit and relax like that would be heaven. Forget all about human problems and the accompanying ethical and existential issues, and just bird around.
And then I saw the white-crested helmetshrike (Prionops plumatus). First, just the back. The black stripe, the dark back feathers, the yellow legs. I have seen them flock around me without my camera in my hand. But this time I brought it with me. Surely, I could manage to get one nice photograph of this stunning-looking bird?
Their yellow eyes look at you from the side. They look like old philosophers trying to think about the meaning of bird life.
To live or to fly?
To question thy flight!
Virtue is in the air, my friend.
To fly is to live and to stay is to die.
Prepare thy wings, prepare to die.
Escape from the clutches of the unexamined flight.
I can already imagine the bird library full of knowledge and bird wisdom. The Platonic and Socratic Fly-alogues, the Aristotelian Flight-virtues (the Golden-Seed), Hereclitian one can never fly the same flight meandering, the Nietzschean Will to Seed, Albert Camus' Smiling Seediphus pushing the seed ball up the tree for it only to roll down again. I can carry on, but the bird philosopher might not like me to carry on.
Sitting on a stump, akin to Rodin's The Thinker, the little helmetedshrike contemplates the bird life for all his fellow bird friends living their unexamined lives.
Contrasted against the birds sitting in the top of the trees, hiding from me, these little philosopher friends scour the ground, in search of little bugs or sweet treats to munch on.
And so my little philosophy meandering betwixt the little philosophy bird friends end as they decide to scour another patch of ground far away from me. But I thank them for spending some time with me, this alien ape thing running behind them with my clicking and clacking camera. They inspired me to philosophise about their seed.
I hope you enjoyed this post, if only for the funny philosophy rebrandings. Or the photographs of these stunning friends! They are surely living their best bird lives, contemplating the philosophical questions we all struggle with!
Happy birding, and keep well.
The musings are my own, albeit inspired by my little philosopher bird friends. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300 and 300mm Tamron zoom lens.