20 Rice Today April-June 20 13 T o the untrained eye, the research farm at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines may look like nothing more than a verdant sea of rice plants. But , through t he eyes of bird enthusiasts and the lens of bird photograph ers, it is a habitat for many spectacular bird species. In Feathers in the elds: The birds of IRRI , bird photograp hers Tirso Paris, Jr . and Segfredo Serrano ex hibit a bevy of bird species (see centerfol d) they have captured via their cameras over the years, representing a portion of their por tfolios of what Dr. Paris described as their “ addiction. ” “Bird photography is a passion,” Dr. Paris said. “You need to be a lile bit crazy to go into it. It takes a lot of money , time, a nd patience to captur e beautiful images of birds. Bu t it is very addictive.” Bird photography also requires special skills that go beyond being very ecien t with a camera, according to Dr. Serrano. “You need to be a good bird watcher and know the habits and forms of birds so that you can easily identify the species on the run,” he said. “And, you have to have a genuine aection for your subject. If you don’t have a genuine aection for our avian friends as part of our environment and their role in our environment, it will be very dicult to have the required patience to document your subject.” The rewards of their patience and eorts are stunning photographs that reveal the avian world behind the green curtain of rice that will no doubt surprise many. “The fascinating feathered creatures featured in th is exhibition, some native to the area while others use IRRI as a stopover site on their migration, provide a glimpse of birds that are ra rely seen by most people—even those who work in the elds every day, ” said Paul Hilar io, curator of the Riceworld Museum by Alaric Francis Santiaguel Migrant snipe A human-eye view of birds Feathers in the felds showcases the many bird species that frequent IRRI’s research farm with compelling images, videos, and sounds to create an engaging educational exhibit © S e g f r e d o S e r r a n o