I wanted to finish my experience with an expert birder in TaiPoKau with some further thoughts on wildlife guides.
Birds are a joy to behold and observe, and we can gain a deep appreciation of the wonder of nature and the joys of life, and how we and our world relates to the natural environment. But on our walk we found lots of other species besides birds, including the lovely and rarely seen Owlfly, on the left .Click the pictures for a better view.
To Guide: verb to assist (a person) to travel through, or reach a destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving directions to the person. For me a nature guide is the most amazing and critical part of the experience in the wild, as they are key to the element of “discovery” which makes nature tourism so fulfilling, and leaves us so full of wonder. So, a great wildlife guide is a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom, as well as simply pointing out a creature, and its habits. And I thought I was pretty good at finding animals - and perhaps I am - but when it comes to birds, I realised I am a rank amateur after following David Diskin around for only half a day. Here a male scarlet Minivet flies to find his mate.
