😀
Thanks to a colleague, I found out that NatGeo’s office is in Washington. So I made a schedule to visit. I checked their website and learned they have exhibits in their main building.
If it weren’t for those tarpaulins, I wouldn’t have found out that was already the National Geographic Society building.
The exhibit then was “Birds of Paradise: Amazing Avian Evolution.”
I learned from their website their Birds of Paradise exhibit prior to going. I’m not much of a birdies fan, so I said I wouldn’t go there to save money. I changed my mind the soonest I saw the building. LOL Entrance to the Birds of Paradise exhibit is $11 as it states here. But I think we paid only $8…? I forgot. I have to find my tickets again. Anyway, the exhibit was worth it because the other couple of exhibits were sort of ‘meh’ compared to it. I took a bunch of photos inside the exhibit (I took pictures of pictures LOLOLOL). There were no actual birds, sadly.
This is an amazing shot. I think I would cry if I was the one who took this. T_T
Black Sicklebill – How the male bird impresses a female
Superb Bird-of-Paradise; dances and impresses the female with a “smiley”
Photographer Tim Laman and ornithologist Ed Scholes took 8 years for the Birds of Paradise research and documentation in New Guinea.
Riflebird Bird of Paradise
Do I need this kind of gear to take pictures of birdies?
This is where I tripped and fell on all fours. AHAHHAAH~
My camera was the first thing I protected.
Create your own Birds of Paradise species
BoP 101
Snozzelnosium chickmagneteum
The video explains why Birds of Paradise do not look like those common birds we know of and why they look pretty and/or funny. 😛 Simply put, from what I understand, is their primary concern is to find a mate or to impress females. If I was a Bird of Paradise, I wanna be a male. Gyahahaha~
Contemporary symbols in New Guinea
Huli Ceremonial Headdress
Birds-of-Paradise are woven into the cultural fabric of New Guinea. Their gorgeous feathers are desired for ceremonial costumes, mostly for headdresses. This modern example is from the Huli tribe of the Tari area of the Southern Highlands Province. The base is compacted dyed human hair, which represents strength and vitality. The blue breast shied of a Superb Bird-of-Paradise, the long black feathers of astrapia, and nearly the entire body of a Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise with its fluffy red plumes are the central decorative elements. Shells, feathers from other birds including parrots, and synthetic neon feathers further adorn the headdress.The headdress is worn by a Huli Wigman for performance in a sing-sing, a traditional cultural gathering. Dancing beside similarly costumed men, his movements cause the feathers to sway and bounce. Many sing-sing dances are based on the courtship behavior of birds-of-paradise.
The End. Whew! And here’s the NatGeo store where I got a water tumbler. I would have scored one of their camera bags, but it was _beyond_ my budget of extra shopping expenses. ^^;;;
A proof that I was really there. XD
I have pictures in another building of theirs. Since I’m in all of them, I’m not sharing except in Instagram. Haha~ Anyway, I look forward to working in National Geographic. I shall update you guys what I will be doing there. XDDD I think Kat will be working there too. 😀
All pictures are uploaded here.