Hudson Birds Adventures

Hudson Birds Adventures The article examines the notion of “adventure” in Hudson’s work in relation to birds. It distinguishes his experience in Argentina as a child and in his youth, with species dazzling due to their size and colouring, from his experience with the more modest species he came acro...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Binns, Niall
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:Spanish
Published: Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Filoso´fía y Letras. Departamento de Letras 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://erevistas.uca.edu.ar/index.php/LET/article/view/4791
Description
Summary:Hudson Birds Adventures The article examines the notion of “adventure” in Hudson’s work in relation to birds. It distinguishes his experience in Argentina as a child and in his youth, with species dazzling due to their size and colouring, from his experience with the more modest species he came across, as an adult, in an English countryside which was victim to the relentless persecution by collectors and by landowners and gamekeepers’ intent on freeing their hunting grounds from predators. The experiences in rural England were adventures just as intense for Hudson, a field naturalist with exceptional powers of observation, the subtlest of ears for birdsong and an unusual ability to experience wonder. In its principal section, the article centres on the passion with which Hudson speaks in his books of warblers, the most anodine of bird families in their aspect and extremely difficult to spot, to examine his strategies as nature essayist and conservationist. El artículo examina la noción de “aventura” en la obra de Hudson en relación con las aves. Hace una distinción entre la experiencia argentina de su infancia y juventud, con especies aviares deslumbrantes por su tamaño y colorido, y su experiencia con las especies más modestas que conoció, ya como adulto, en un paisaje inglés que era víctima de una persecución implacable por parte de coleccionistas y de terratenientes y guardabosques empeñados en librar sus cotos de caza de depredadores. Las experiencias en la Inglaterra rural eran aventuras igualmente intensas para Hudson, un naturalista de campo con poderes de observación, una sutileza de oído y una capacidad de asombro fuera del común. El artículo se centra, en su sección principal, en la manera apasionada en que Hudson aborda en sus libros la representación de los sílvidos, una familia de pájaros de aspecto generalmente anodino y dificilísima de avistar, para examinar así sus distintas estrategias como ensayista y militante del conservacionismo.