Visions of joy

Jacqueline L. Scott (Photo courtesy of Briann A. Roye)

While researching how to make the outdoors a more welcoming and inviting space for Black people, PhD student and writer Jacqueline L. Scott extends her vision with binoculars

My spirits soar watching birds fly. These creatures of air, land and water  are spectacular. This is why I carry binoculars in my backpack. Birds don’t stand still waiting to be identified. It’s a flap of wings in the breeze, a melody heard in the trees, a slosh and a splash that pleases.

My binoculars extend my vision, bringing beauty closer to my eyes, feeding my wish to spy the prettiest birds on Earth. Through the lens I spot the cormorant’s  blue eyes, a red-tailed hawk’s stripes and a glimmering diving duck. And once every decade, another Black birder.

Spring and autumn are bird-filled days of tracking the avian migration. Who will I see this year on my hikes or in my birding patch? It might be a new flash of joy to add to my life list. My binoculars sharpen my eyes to the splendour and mystery of birds

This story originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of the Nature Conservancy of Canada Magazine. To learn more about how you can receive the magazine click here.