国家地理 特立尼达岛上的独特鸟类

Dawn on the tropical island of Trinidad.

热带岛屿特立尼达岛上，刚刚破晓。

Birds are arousing in the trees, calling, flashing brilliant colors amidst the endless shades of green, and Roger Neckles is arousing too.

鸟儿从树上苏醒过来，欢快的歌唱着，在绿色的树荫里挥动着五彩缤纷的翅膀徜徉着。Roger Neckles也醒来了。

For the last decade, he has been documenting the island's winged inhabitants.

在过去的10年里，他一直记录着岛上这些会飞翔的居民。

"We've just got passed by a hummingbird¹. Did you hear that?"

“我们刚才经过了一只蜂鸟，你有没有听到？”

"Close your eyes and just imagine you died and went to heaven, and you're in the Garden of Eden.

“闭上眼睛，想象一下你已经死了，到了天堂，来到伊甸园。

It's just so incredibly beautiful, flowers everywhere, myriad² variety of brilliantly colored birds,

这里简直美的难以置信，到处都是鲜花，无数的各种各样色彩鲜艳的小鸟，

butterflies zipping all over the place. It's just like paradise. It's fantastic."

蝴蝶轻舞飞扬。这里就像是天堂，美不胜收。”

"This is the best time of the day for me, getting up, you know, 5 o'clock in the morning,

“这是我一天中最快乐的时光。早上5点钟起床，

then heading off into the stakes, you know, up in the mountains.

然后像山上的森林出发。

And the atmosphere or temperature up here is just fantastic, with pure oxygens. It's the typical day in the office for me."

这里的环境和气温都非常怡人，有着充足纯净的氧气。这是我在办公室里有代表性的一天。”

Birds are Roger's passion, and the Asa Wright Nature Center where he works draws amateur

鸟类是Roger的激情，未来一览地球上最耀眼，最独特的鸟类，

and professional ornithologists from many countries, just to catch a glimpse of some of the planet's most dazzling and unique birds.

他工作的阿萨·莱特自然中心（Asa Wright Nature Center）吸引力世界各国业余的和专业的鸟类学家。

"It's so fast you know, you just really got to be quick on the draw, otherwise you'll miss him. Got him.

“他们飞的太快了，你知道，要给他拍照必须动作快一点，否则你就看不到他了。

Here you go. Oh, look at that purple honeycreeper. Whoa. The color is so unique, the fantastic state of purple."

看一下那只紫色的蜜旋木雀。他的颜色太独特了，紫色中的极品。”

There are some 460 species of birds on the island, and Neckles is trying to catch them all on film. It is painstaking³ work.

这个岛上有460多种鸟类，Neckles希望给每一种都拍照。这是一项艰苦的工作。

"But if you're not prepared to, to wait for the shot, you won't get it.”

“但是如果你想一直等着他出现来抓镜头，你不会如愿的。”

Neckles has studied the birds' habits and calls tirelessly.

Neckles毫不厌倦的研究这些鸟的习性和鸣叫声。

"Come on, talk to me. But these birds skillfully with their beaks⁴ and their feet, you know,

“过来跟我聊一下。但是这些鸟都能很灵巧的利用自己的嘴巴和脚，你知道，

stitch and weave these, these, these nests together, and they are really strong.

他们可以造出这么多坚固的鸟巢。

They build them on the edges of, the very edges of the branches, and,

他们把鸟巢建在树枝的边缘，非常靠边缘的位置，

and winds come, hurricanes will come, and you know, gale⁵ will swing them. They wouldn't blow down.”

刮风的时候，甚至飓风来临的时候，狂风摇撼着鸟巢，但是从来不会被吹落。”

Over the years, Neckles has found his own place in these woods.

这么多年来，Neckles在这片树林里找到了自己的位置。

"I came here in 1978, and I was so enchanted⁶ with its topography overland here in Trinidad and Tobago that I thought, 'oh yes, I could do this'."

“我1978年来到这里，我对特立尼达岛的地形着迷了，我想，恩，我可以做这个。”

"Oh, look, check this out, check this out, Look at this. Look at this… Watch this. Watch this...”

“哦，看一下，看看这个，看看这是什么……”

Through his research, Neckles has come to know all the wildlife on the island.

在多年的研究中，Neckles了解了这个岛屿上所有的野生生物。

"Wow, you don't wanna get your fingers in there.”

“你不要把手指放在那上面。”

But time and again, it is the birds that draw him into the woods. This morning he hopes to capture on-film a very tiny elusive⁷ bird.

但是一次又一次，他被那些鸟儿吸引到树林里。今天早上他想给一种非常小，非常难以捉摸的小鸟拍照。

"Oh, look at this. This is the most festive⁸ hummingbird in Trinidad and Tobago,

“看看这个，这是特立尼达和多巴哥最喜庆的蜂鸟，

the smallest hummingbird in Trinidad and Tobago. It's tough to go get. Oh, look at it …"

岛上最小的蜂鸟，很难找到到。看看……”

He's been trying for 6 weeks to get this shot, an agonizing⁹ wait that comes down to a breathless moment.

他为了这个镜头已经等了6个星期，痛苦地的带这个屏息的瞬间。

"I'm very very high right now. Though goose bumps are all on my arms, this is still fantastic.”

“我现在非常非常开心，虽然我胳膊上都是包，这仍然是很奇妙的事情。”

Neckles does not mind waiting for that perfect moment. Like the birds he follows, he lets the morning and its beauty unfold around him.

Neckles为了等待那个完美的瞬间不厌其烦的等待着。就像他追逐的鸟一样，这个奇妙的早上和岛屿的美丽在他周围绽放。

"No plans to give this up at all because, you know I feel I could do this for the rest of my life, and every time I go out, I see something new."

“我从来没有想过要放弃这项活动，因为，我感觉我的余生都可以用来做这件事，每次出去，我都能看到新的东西。”

1 hummingbird   

n.蜂鸟

参考例句：

• The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。

2 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

3 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

4 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

5 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

6 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

7 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

8 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

9 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死