Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Bird by Bird: lyre lyre, home on fire


I can relate to that little boy overwhelmed by the avian world. But pay attention to your assignment, young Master Lamott, and the birds might tell you their secrets.
Birds are funny things. The millions of birdwatchers, birders, twitchers, whatever you want to call them, are even funnier still. Years ago, I had a lecturer who was so passionate about birds, he wore them embroidered on his shirts, stamped on his belt buckles, and etched on his boots. He would start an ecology lecture with, “I knew this bird once…,” and never did I hear a tale about a long-lost love,or a mysterious acquaintance in a faraway land. Instead, I slept through an account of the foraging talents of the treecreeper, the social habits of the babbler, and the parental responsibilities of the emu.
But when the lecture turned to the uncanny ability of the lyre bird to mimic just about anything it hears, I considered this a worthy skill, and I paid attention.

The lyre bird learns the sounds of the forest, quite literally, bird by bird, to add to his repertoire of courting songs. Impressively, the Casanova in the video not only does birds, but camera shutters, car alarms, and chainsaws as well.
See for yourself.

For those thinking, okay, nice post about birds, but what's it got to do with Anne Lamott's book about writing, consider this: treecreepers, babblers, and emus have their own appeal, but sometimes, it takes that one special bird to get people thinking. One bird mimicking chainsaws. One bird singing about his own demise.

And so I tell myself to keep on writing, because you just never know which bird will be the one to touch someone's heart.


P.S. I liked the book.

18 comments:

  1. Great post, Erica. Your next-to-the-last line touched my heart. :)

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    1. Coming from a romance writer, that means a lot. Thanks, Melissa.

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  2. I love birds. I keep two bird books by my back window along with a pair of binoculars so I can track and identify the little feathered visitors at my feeders.

    I also love that your professor personalized his bird stories with, "I knew a bird who...." Such intimacy!

    As for the book. Yes, I've read it several times, always sequestering a few quotes depending on where I am in the writing insecurity process. I too, liked it.

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    1. Aha, I knew it. You wear bird-print Spandex, don't you?

      I haven't read the book for a year, but I'm actually surprised at how often I think of Lamott's advice. Things like, 'work on the emotional acre,' and 'develop the polaroid,' and 'don't worry about what's beyond the headlights,' pop into my head when I least expect it, but probably most need it.

      Okay, you've convinced me that I want it in my library.

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  3. Oh I really enjoyed this post! I like birds well enough but like you, I'd need to find just that right bird to capture my attention/passion. Love your metaphoric cleverness! :D

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    1. Thanks, Lexie. Nobody has accused me of metaphoric cleverness before. Your review was fabulous.

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  4. M.L. told us to be creative. Nice job. I loved the book too. Your right, we have to keep on writing. You never know.

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    1. Thanks, Sydney. Yes, small things can make a big impact.

      You pulled out some great reminders of what it's all about over at your place. I enjoyed reading your take on the book.

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  5. Another great take on the book.

    One thing I'm taking away from all these posts: I need my own copy of the books, so I can highlight passages and look at them when I need a boost. Or an introduction to a bird.

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    1. Cheers, Ninja Librarian (that's such a cool concept that I just had to say it). The book's ideas are certainly a shot in the arm when the big picture gets too daunting. Thanks for dropping in.

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  6. Erica, I absolutely loved your post. LOVED. Seriously. Sorry to get here late, but I've just been down with this cold and I thought you told me that you weren't going to be able to do one. Or maybe I'm delirious.

    I am deliriously happy with your take, though. I didn't want a whole bunch of reviews, and am delighted with the various posts.

    That bird is amazing. And you tied it to BBB (at least to me) in the respect of paying attention and finding your own voice. Yes...finding your own voice—even when it's the cries of those around you. That IS his voice, and he does a fantastic job of it. The Rich Little of birds. I bet the other lyre hens are impressed.

    Speaking of birders..."The Big Year." Good movie. Not great, but I liked it.

    Thanks for a wonderful post.

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    1. (What happened to my comment, stupid computer??)

      True, I mentioned I didn't read the book again, but I can wing it with the best of them. (It's hard to resist a pun.)

      I agree, 'The Big Year' is not bad. How a movie about bird-watching attracted such big names to act the leads, I don't know.

      Well done to you on the PBC launch. I'll get on to STC straight away. Promise.

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    2. You winged it (wung it?) well. Very well. Just wanted to say that again. And that happens to my comments often, too. With this touchpad for a mouse, I sometimes highlight and erase things in one fell swoop as I'm typing. It's erased some masterpieces. :o)

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    3. Yeah, it's annoying. It's lucky you're more than capable of reproducing those masterpieces.:]

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  7. Hey Charmaine, if you happen to drop in again, thanks for your comment. I'm not sure why it's not showing here.

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  8. Erica,

    I loved this post more than I loved the book, but like you, it stays with me.

    "One bird singing about his own demise." Do you mean the chainsaws? If so, nice job at capturing the irony!

    This lyre bird...it's a great metaphor for writing and influence. What did Picasso say about stealing?

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    1. Good to hear from you, Joseph. Yeah, I may have missed the 'loss of habitat' step in the thought process.

      Your doppelganger post actually brought to mind the lyre bird. I wish I could steal so convincingly, (preferably not from someone chasing me with a chainsaw).

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  9. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
    You definitely know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting
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