My obsession with Brazilian birds has definitely been growing over the last year and a half. My husband actually introduced me to the iconic Sabiá-laranjeira (Rufous-bellied Thrush) in the few weeks after we first met, but since I was in the UK for most of our relationship, and then living in favelas after we got … Continue reading Birds, bins and Brazil
Category: Nature writing
Carrapateiros and capybaras
The gavião carrapateiro is an astounding bird. It goes by the name 'Yellow-headed caracara' in English but I much prefer the literal translation 'tick hawk'. Gavião carrapateiro - @juliano.fabricante Brazil being extremely large, and the gavião carrapateiro appearing everywhere, it has a long list of aliases: caracará-branco, caracaraí, caracaratinga, carapinhé, gavião-pinhé, pinhé, pinhém, papa-bicheira, chimango, … Continue reading Carrapateiros and capybaras
Squirrels, toucans and confessions
Having once openly ridiculed a Brazilian friend who went nuts when she saw a squirrel in the Rio de Janeiro botanical gardens when I was still fresh off the boat and clinging jealously to a brief glimpse of a toucan as my only brush with tropical wildlife, I have a confession to make. I've harboured … Continue reading Squirrels, toucans and confessions
Seeing nature writing in a new light
This week I had the pleasure of listening to the In Conservation With... series for the first time. These are conversations hosted by David Lindo (The Urban Birder) and the latest featured Melissa Harrison (writer and podcaster). At one point Melissa commented that although she wouldn't describe herself first and foremost as a nature writer, … Continue reading Seeing nature writing in a new light
Beauty and utility (or form and function)
In my post where I wrote about a recent crisis of confidence and some corrective thoughts on creativity, I mentioned the wider topic of beauty and creativity pointing to God. I think sometimes as Christians we hear so often that when we interact with those around us we need to present the good news about … Continue reading Beauty and utility (or form and function)
Questioning and creative combinations
A few days ago I read a message that stopped me in my tracks and made me start questioning myself. It was a very simple message - "If possible, when it's ready I would be interested in reading your poem. Thanks in advance". The message was from a Brazilian photographer in response to my request … Continue reading Questioning and creative combinations
Brazilian bird poem mini-series 7-8
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. I have written a little more about them in this post... Brazilian bird poem no. 7 Below is the audio version of the poem which plays straight from my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/qGeN58V2e98 Brazilian bird poem no. 7 - English translation … Continue reading Brazilian bird poem mini-series 7-8
Brazilian bird poem mini-series 5-6
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. I have written a little more about them in this post... Brazilian bird poem no. 5 Below is the audio version of the poem which will play straight from my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/M5EJhnfAdh0 Brazilian bird poem no. 5 - English … Continue reading Brazilian bird poem mini-series 5-6
Brazilian bird poems mini-series 3-4
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. I have written a little more about them in this post... Brazilian bird poem no. 3 Below is the audio version of the poem which will play straight from my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/sogYBXjyXVQ Brazilian bird poem no. 3 - English … Continue reading Brazilian bird poems mini-series 3-4
Brazilian bird poems mini-series 1-2
I'm very excited to bring my mini-series of Brazilian bird poems to the wider world. Writing these has brought me much joy. I wanted the experience to be as accessible as possible so I've recorded an audio version of each poem so that non-Portuguese speakers will be able to follow along (this will be the … Continue reading Brazilian bird poems mini-series 1-2
Brazil from the outside in 