Boletin Audubon
June 2008
Newsletter Archives

The Newsletter of Sociedad Audubon de México, A.C.

June Events

BIG FIVE COME TO AUDUBON EVENT

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BIG FIVE COME TO AUDUBON EVENT

Thanks to Audubon, San Miguelians will have the chance to see Africa come alive on Tuesday, June 24, at 3 pm, at the Santa Ana Theater at the Biblioteca. Al Kokourek, a professional photographer and a San Miguelian himself, will be showing over 200 photographs of wildlife, people and, of course, exotic birds, that he took on his recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania. The event is sponsored by Sociedad Audubon de México.

The African Big Five--elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, and rhinoceros--are well-represented in the show, which is accompanied by Al's commentary and African music. Al and his wife took the trip last July, which is apparently the best time to see the animals. "The grass is shorter then; it's been trampled down by the animals, and there's less rain and less mud," he said, recalling one spot where the grass was unusually high and they were on the edge of a field that seemed empty. "Suddenly, 50 feet in front of us we see an ear and in ten seconds six lions appear." If they hadn't seen the ear, they might have started walking in that direction, probably not the best idea.

A balloon trip was one of the highlights of his visit; they flew over a huge migration of wildebeests and zebra across the Serengheti. "It's remarkable, the land is dark with them," he said, remembering too the herds of flamingoes he saw, "so thick you could walk on them."

Prior to his African trip, Al's motto had been, "If it breathes, don't shoot it." He was exclusively a landscape photographer (his third career, which he took up after technology and financial services stints). But on the Dark Continent, he changed his mind. The people, the birds and the animals were just so fascinating. There were times when he could not use his telephoto lens, when "the cheetahs were close enough to touch," for instance.

Al, who traveled with three cameras, is happy to share photography tips, too. "You just need to use a fast shutter speed," he says, which is a little complicated to arrange with a point-and-shoot. But not impossible, he says-- he could probably help you figure it out.

In order to see this fabulous show, which Susan Sexton helped put together, just show up at 3 on Tuesday, June 24th at the Santa Ana. Audubon members pay nothing to get in; for others admission is 50 pesos. But you can join Audubon at the door for 300 pesos and never pay for an Audubon presentation again.

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AT LAST! A BIRD BOOK WILL SOON TAKE FLIGHT

As a bird watcher, an environmentalist or just an appreciator of nature, you wouldn’t be the first person to wish there were a field guide to the birds of San Miguel—and to be disappointed when you found it didn’t exist. Your time is coming! Audubon is at work right now on a field guide to our abundant, beautiful local birds. The guide will follow the style of Flores Silvestres de San Miguel de Allende, the wonderfully successful and useful field guide to our local wildflowers that appeared in 2006—sized to fit in a pocket, with full-color pictures and brief descriptions of each bird (and a ruler on the back). We’re hoping to have it available some time this year.