De Pajareo, an initiative that highlights the value of birds in Puerto Rico through Instagram y Facebook, In addition, they highlighted some of the practices and tools they use when birdwatching, in order to educate others about the practice.
Marrero studied photography, and began teaching Morales, who works as an administrative assistant looking for healthy ways to share. Together, they began working on this hobby, which became a project focused on fostering a connection with birds and nature.
“With photography you capture a unique moment forever. You see through the lens a unique moment that you may never see again. In our case, a bird, which may not be there in the future. That's the beauty of photography, capturing something that will be there forever,” Morales said. “And to create that connection with people and educate them through images about our diversity of birds,“ Marrero added.
Birds are indispensable to the environment. Among their functions is to serve as an environmental meter. Through them we can understand the quality of the water and air where they are. They feed on fruits, travel, make their needs and disperse the seeds to produce new plants. They pollinate flowers and also feed on insects, controlling pests.
“Many times, we live busy lives and the beauty of nature, in this case birds, goes unnoticed,” said Marrero. The members of De Pajareo say that since they started birding, they have observed more than 43 species in their backyard.
At the moment, they are working on bird censuses, collaborations with other non-profit organizations and mostly growing their community. Their mission is primarily to educate, to use their website to get the message out, to let people know the importance of birds and reforestation, planting trees. They want to encourage the love of the earth, nature and reforestation in children, they believe that by implementing this from an early age they can encourage a positive change in society and the environment.
When photographing wildlife, they stress that it is very important to be respectful and patient. They use zoom lenses to keep away from the wildlife. They try not to alter their natural behavior, use a comfortable distance margin and wear camouflage clothing. In addition to respecting the animals“ habitat as much as possible, they are very patient. ”Patience is a virtue and even more so in photography, as sometimes the perfect shot will not be the first one. If you have a bird in front of you, which you may never see again, and you move abruptly or disturb it, you may miss the opportunity." Morales recounted.
“We were recently at Finca Higuaca in Cabo Rojo, portraying the Mariquita, ... Beautiful, black in color, with yellow shoulders and is in danger of extinction.” According to Marrero, the Mariquita (Agelaius xanthomus) is a bird endemic to Puerto Rico. Endemic means, it is only found in Puerto Rico, it is not found anywhere else in the world. At the moment, we have 19 species of endemic birds. They can be identified using their sound, flight, and physical qualities. There are also several applications through which we can identify birds.
The De Pajareo group is passionate about what they do, they love taking pictures of birds and see it as a therapy. They recommend going birdwatching, getting away from the hectic daily life, disconnecting and connecting with nature. They share photos on social networks for free, because their mission is to involve more people in birdwatching and encourage contact with nature. They seek to educate, even the youngest. Through the photo, they show other people the visible qualities of birds, so that they are easier to identify.
“Definitely, we have to follow these things that move us and make us feel. When things are done from the heart, they go far,” Mario Marrero told us.
For more information related to the subject:
From Pajareo Naranjito | Facebook | Instagram
Written by: Carolina S. Colón