Summer Soundtrack

Queltehue

My connection to this bird is purely based in nostalgia, driven by the sound of their song as they fly away, normally distressed by the sight of another animal or the presence of humans, I remember thinking that they were always escaping from something, and doing it in the loudest way possible.

When I first saw and heard them, I was about six years old, and for the first time I was taken on a mini holiday to the countryside. I had never seen so much open greenery, covered with tiny yellow flowers that gave me ‘Little House in the Prairie’ vibes. A plot of land the size of a football stadium where the children could run free, sharing the space with cows who just rumbled around, the house dogs and the millions of different noises made by insects, the running water of the creek and of course, the birds.

There were so many of them, and as we played around, we would scare them and the noise they made was so loud. They were everywhere, hidden in the tall grass, resting around the cows, and they call forever meant ‘summer’ to me… summer and countryside… Melipilla.

It was forbidden to hunt them… they didn’t w=have enough meat, they were too light and skinny, so at least for that reason they were safe, and although in the distance they looked quite simply, after having a closer look I was amazed by the beautiful iridescent colours on their wings.

Dimensions: 25×25 CM