the great egret

UCLA

This hand-bound book is a collection of photographs taken at the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve highlighting the relationship between the natural environment and surrounding urban developments. These images are featured alongside an essay explaining how someone like myself, who actually hates birds, had to create an interspecies relationship with one for the University of California Los Angeles’ Land and Environment course. Over the course of ten weeks I had to observe, document, and enter into an interspecies communication to perceive the stories my chosen totem bird has to tell, the lessons it teaches and the wisdom it shares through word and image.

“When selecting my migratory wetland bird to closely study, I initially chose the Great Egret for its peaceful demeanor and graceful movements. However, the more I researched and witnessed its behavior, it became evident to me that the Great Egret is far more than a generic symbol of patience and purity. It represents stillness and determination. The Great Egret is most often found wading through shallow waters and thick reeds, independent from a flock, silently stalking and waiting upon the perfect moment to meticulously strike its prey. It is far from silent and submissive—in Egyptian mythology, the heron’s cry signaled the beginning of creation. The Great Egret resembles a shift from the stagnant familiar. Its presence triggers an elegant disruption, a nod to a change that’s yet to become. This moment of transition directly mirrors the process that I had to take in order to successfully foster an inter species friendship with a bird. It is not necessarily a completely functional relationship, but then again, what affiliation with any sort of non-human species would be?”