Telling A Story Through Birds

Birds are generally positive creatures. They symbolize things such as the connection between the sky and the land, the heaven and the earth, offering a spiritual explanation for the bird’s presence. When their wings are spread and they are soaring through the air, they also symbolize eternal life and freedom. 

But could they be used to symbolize something much more specific? Could film directors use birds as another outlet for expression? 

The answer is yes.

And I'll explain how.     

Let's refer to this symbolism through birds as "Birdolism." There are two films that stick out to me indefinitely when it comes to Birdolism. The first:

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda has to be one of my favorite movies in which the protagonist is a panda. There are plenty of animals that are personified throughout the movie but one in particular sticks out to me, and that is of course, the antagonist, Lord Shen

Lord Shen is white peacock that believes he is an unstoppable force. The peacock represents divinity, rank and power, while the color white symbolizes death in Chinese culture, making him a very intimating bad guy in my opinion.

Another childhood classic:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

A great film that reaches out to the deepest parts of every kid's imagination. A place with magic, adventure, risks and rewards. But we can't forget about one of Harry's strongest friendships while at Hogwarts, and of course I'm talking about Hedwig:

The wise owl. Nothing embodies freedom better than the owl. A wise and majestic creature that can turn its head almost 360 degrees (270 to be exact). Although the owl seems like a bird that could never be tamed, Hedwig decides to pledge his allegiance to Harry, thus creating one of the strongest friendships Harry makes while at Hogwarts.

So I'm thinking that I would like to take some of this Birdolism and sprinkle it into The Birdwatcherwatcher. Ithaca is a great location to spot all kinds of birds.

For instance:

The Hooded Merganser, a beautiful duck. Although this is a very small species of duck. Its darkened fur on its head and back almost look like a mask, giving off a mischievous vibe maybe? Or even evil?

Or maybe we could put a Red Winged Blackbird in:

His bright red epaulettes are used to attract females and to keep his territory free of other males. Their red blotched wings could possibly birdolize aggression or perhaps even danger.

Ithaca has a great resource of birds that can definitely be utilized to our advantage.