Lesson One: How to Identify a Bird

by **Syveris** on November 2nd, 2013, 2:42 pm

51st of Fall, 513 AV

Syveris fumbled with her waistbelt, eager to finish dressing and run to the Enclave. The Avora wasn't exactly eager to read, as she preferred to be outside, doing something, instead of turning pages and reading words. The only books that she actually made an effort to read were related to glass work, but even then it would be more of a chore than a pleasure. After all, she believed the best way to improve was through practice, not theory.

Yet, after the lesson with Lavira the previous day, Syveris was eager to learn more about raptors, maybe try to handle them a little. It wasn't related to glassworking, that was true, but if she did it on her free time, and it didn't interfere with her job, then she didn't saw how it could be a problem.

So she had waken up early to go to the Enclave read about the birds, gather a little information. It wouldn't be nearly as effective as actually handling one, on an exercise similar to the ones she had done with Lavira. However, she wouldn't just go and try to control a bird without knowing nothing about them first. So she would study a little, and then she would see if it was possible to try handling some bird from the Aviary.

When she closed the door of her room behind her, she began to hum a tone, something she had been doing frequently, but not sure on why or when she started doing it. Not that it mattered.

Syveris walked on a fast pace, but not going any faster than the normal. She had been anxious to get to the Enclave soon, but the perspective of all those books and reading through them slowed her down. She was eager to learn, but not so eager to read.

x Poppy

by **Syveris** on November 2nd, 2013, 3:59 pm

Syveris entered the Enclave, reaching the huge desk at the reception. She knew what she wanted, and she knew in which section she would find it. But it would also be much easier to just ask one of the helpers for a book. They would find it faster than she, and thus it would save a lot of time. Decided, Syveris got one of the helper's attention.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find books with falconry information?" the helper had been scrabbling something on a paper, and returned to this activity as soon as she finished her question, pointing to a section inside the Enclave. Syveris followed the direction with her eyes, and then walked towards it. It was probably something many people came searching for, since the helper's gesture had been almost mechanic.

When she looked at the huge shelf, filled with books, Syveris felt a little faint. Books had always been a promise of long and boring lectures for her, and, had she not already set her mind in learning more, she would have left immediately.

With a sigh, she began searching, looking at titles and more titles. The Diseases of the Feathers, Falconry for Begginners, Falcons: the Inarta's Best Friends... Syveris chuckled at the last title. Maybe she would borrow some of this books later. It certainly sounded more fun than The Techniques for Spinning the Blow Pipe at Different Velocities. She still wasn't sure how someone could write an entire book about that, since she had become so bored in the first chapter that she had just given up. The Avora still thought that Virat had recommended her this book as a prank.

She was getting distracted again. Returning her focus to the books, a title caught her eyes. Biology & Behavior: Guide to Identifying and Understanding Birds. The book was huge, and it had actually many volumes. Syveris sighed. It was exactly what she was looking for, but it was way too big and probably too complex for her to understand right now. However, on the side of the last of the volumes, there was a smaller book, titled Biology & Behavior: A Quick Summary. She grabbed it, flipping the pages and scanning the words. The book was filled with figures, and it looked like it only described the looks of the types of birds, not the species, but it was enough for now. Syveris doubted she would remember all the species of raptors, even if she managed to understand what the bigger books were saying.

Satisfied, she took the book with her, searching for a free table. Finding one, she walked there, placing the book on top of it and sitting on the chair. She was ready to begin.

x Poppy

by **Syveris** on November 3rd, 2013, 2:44 pm

Opening to the first page, Syveris began to read. It was a paragraph talking about what this book was, and saying that more experienced falconers and birdkeepers would learn more if they chose to read the full volumes and that the book they had in hands were only a quick guide if they could consult if they had forgotten anything. Well, she wasn't an experienced falconer, so she supposed she would learn much more with this book.

The first chapter was about the different types of birds of prey and how to identify them as such, as well as the features that distinguished a raptor from other birds of prey. Lavira had told her that already, and she still remembered it. Strong beaks, strong and sharp talons and very good eyesighs. Satisfied with herself, Syveris skipped to the section where the book started listing the different kinds of bird of prey.

The first type was the Eagle, and Syveris looked closely at the page, interested. There was a very beautiful and detailed drawing of the bird, as well as the silhouette of its form, with wings wide open. Syveris wished she could draw. It would certainly come in hand if she could copy the figures. With a sigh, she decided she would just copy the words. It would be less work, and at least it was something she could do.

And then she remembered she hadn't brought paper nor did she had a quill. Groaning at her own forgetfulness, she wondered why she didn't seem to be able to focus enough to plan an activity. No, she always had to go unplanned. She was glad that the tools for glassworking were kept on the Reverie, as she was sure that she would sure forget to bring them almost everytime.

Well, she could always borrow the book from the library and copy the words at her own room. The Avora sighed. She would read the book now, and then she would borrow it to copy the parts she found useful or interesting. Not exactly time-saving, but it was better than going back all the way to the Commonrooms and then back at the Enclave.

x Poppy

by **Syveris** on November 3rd, 2013, 8:41 pm

Eagles are raptors with broad and long wings, made for direct and fast flight. They use their powerful talons to catch their prey, and use their powerful and large beaks to tear the flesh out of the kill.

Mount Skyinarta is home to one unique species of eagle: the Wind Eagles. These powerful birds of prey are incredible intelligent and can be considered the top predator in the area. Their dire nature makes them easy to identify, with plumage varying according to age.

The thought of tearing flesh made Syveris shudder a little, but she was once again impressed by how powerful the eagles were. Although she doubted any animal could ever compare to the Wind Eagles, the others species also shared some impressive traits. She remembered the Eagle that had been with Lavira the day before, while the Endal had been teaching her. When she had opened her wings, Syveris had felt really impressed by their size.

Syveris flipped the page, going to the next type of raptor. It was about falcons, but Lavira had already taught her about how to identify one. Each entry was a small one, and so, the Avora supposed she could always read about them again, but she didn't see the point in doing that. Deciding to just skip it, she began to read about hawks.

Hawks are designed to glide effortless. They have rounded, broad wings and wide, fanned tails that allow them to soar for long periods, without flapping their wings. The female is bigger and heavier than the male in most species, but both genders have a robust body.

Hawks hunt for prey by soaring over an area and eat mostly smaller ground animals, although some species may also hunt another smaller birds.

So hawks were made for soaring and falcons for diving. She already knew about the rounded wings, but she hadn't know why they were shaped like that. Syveris remembered the peregrine striking the meat, and the amazement she had felt the day before returned. She wished she could also see a hawk hunting someday. It was undoubtedly just as wonderful as the falcon had been.

Owls are probably the easiest bird of prey to identify, due to their very characteristic face format. Although there are some exceptions, most are nocturnal, which makes them even easier to identify. Their feathers allows them to fly silently, and their eyes are huge compared to the size of their heads.

The eyesight and the excellent hearing allows the owl to easily identify their prey, which they kill by crushing their skulls with their talons. These birds eat mostly insects and small rodents, although some are known to hunt for fish.

Owls. Syveris had never seen one before, but the drawing, if it was as faithful to reality as the others, would certainly allow her to identify one when she saw it. The eyes were huge, and Syveris couldn't decide if she found the bird cute or just plain weird. She supposed she could always visit the aviary and see if they had some owl to show her.

Syveris stretched her body. Sitting was getting uncomfortable. Flipping the page, she saw that the next birds were the crow and the raven. She didn't even knew they were different. But she didn't know much about birds anyway, so it wasn't very strange. However, she was getting tired of sitting in the Enclave.

Getting up, she decided to take the book with her. She would be able to read about few more birds until she set off to do something else. Better yet, the book had been fun to read. Maybe reading wasn't that much of a shore after all... She could even ask Virat for some book about glass that wasn't boring, as she was sure her mentor knew a few. If he wasn't in the mood for a prank, maybe he would indicate one that was actually interesting this time.

x Poppy

by **Skerry** on December 3rd, 2013, 9:07 am

Grades

Syveris

Skill	XP
Research	4XP
Falconry	4XP
Observation	2XP

LORES :

Notes:
Short and sweet, Syveris. I only gave you 2 points in observation because I didn't think that you described a lot.

Remember if you have any questions about or problems with your grade then feel free to PM me.

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Completed Lesson One: How to Identify a Bird