To see them as symbols in art and society, one only has to look back to the Egyptians and their portrayal of falcons, herons and geese in gold and stone carvings many centuries ago. Birds have long appealed to humans and today they are a significant part of our iconography, emblazoned as they are on the flags of various nations, coins and paper currency, national crests, corporate logos and more. It is to the artistic depictions of birds that I am drawn.
My own interest in painting birds was influenced by the work, style and execution of Chinese artists from the 10th century. Their depictions were not intended just for the benefit of science, but rather to convey respect and recognition of birds for a number reasons – symbolism, fertility, freedom, faithfulness, bravery – as encouraged by various emperors. The artists did, however, know exactly what bird species they were painting, and the oriental style of pen and ink and watercolour on rice paper is breathtaking in its economy of line, which has had a great influence on my own style.
It was not until the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries that we were able to fully appreciate the depiction of birds as an art form, thanks largely to the use of steam-driven printing presses that enabled a broad section of the public to access and enjoy books and large monographs about the birds of the world.
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EXPLORING NEW HORIZONS
Keith Barnes, co-author of the new Field Guide to Birds of Greater Southern Africa, chats about the long-neglected birding regions just north of the Kunene and Zambezi, getting back to watching birds and the vulture that changed his life.
footloose IN FYNBOS
The Walker Bay Diversity Trail is a leisurely hike with a multitude of flowers, feathers and flavours along the way.
Living forwards
How photographing birds helps me face adversity
CAPE crusade
The Cape Bird Club/City of Cape Town Birding Big Year Challenge
water & WINGS
WATER IS LIFE. As wildlife photographer Greg du Toit knows better than most.
winter wanderer
as summer becomes a memory in the south, the skies are a little quieter as the migrants have returned to the warming north. But one bird endemic to the southern African region takes its own little winter journey.
when perfect isn't enough
Egg signatures and forgeries in the cuckoo-drongo arms race
Southern SIGHTINGS
The late summer period naturally started quietening down after the midsummer excitement, but there were still some classy rarities on offer for birders all over the subregion. As always, none of the records included here have been adjudicated by any of the subregion's Rarities Committees.
flood impact on wetland birds
One of the features of a warming planet is increasingly erratic rainfall; years of drought followed by devastating floods. Fortunately, many waterbirds are pre-adapted to cope with such extremes, especially in southern Africa where they have evolved to exploit episodic rainfall events in semi-arid and arid regions. But how do waterbirds respond to floods in areas where rainfall - and access to water - is more predictable? Peter Ryan explores the consequences of recent floods on the birds of the Western Cape's Olifants River valley.
a star is born
It’s every producer’s dream to plan a wildlife television series and pick the right characters before filming.
