A STAR WARS BIRDWATCHING STORY
/After two sweltering hours of lying on my stomach in the sands of Jakku on the outskirts of Niima Outpost near the Starship Graveyard, I heard the call of the beast that I had traveled so far to see. I was in the shade underneath a large sheet of wreckage propped up against a pile of half-buried space junk. I couldn’t tell from where the call had come, but I knew it was close. I readied my camera and peered through the lens, trying to remain completely still. Suddenly, there was a thud to my left, behind the metal sheet. Something was there. I could hardly contain myself as it emerged.
sourced from lucasfilm
The magnificent and majestic Jakku steelpecker was right before my eyes. It seemed to be looking directly at me when it croaked and scared me so badly that I almost soiled my shorts. I held it together and snapped picture after picture while also filming. Then I hit the goldmine as the beast started pecking at a hunk of scrap metal before snatching it up and devouring it right in front of the camera. After just a few chomps, it tilted its head back and swallowed the rusty piece of scrap of whole. That’s one tough bird!
In fact, Steelpeckers are one of only a few known species on Jakku that have evolved to eat various types of metal. It’s as if the planet has found a way to recycle the fallen starships scattered on its surface. However, it would take an entire flock of steelpeckers thousands of years to polish off an entire Imperial Star Destroyer. Unsurprisingly, the average steelpecker has a fairly short life span of only about seven years.
sourced from lucasfilm
I must’ve moved in all the excitement as the beast suddenly looked right at me and tilted its head to one side. As it moved closer, it fixated on my camera lens, and I realized that it hadn’t yet noticed me. I didn’t want to risk my camera, so I slowly moved my hand back to get up, and that's when it screeched. I jumped up so fast that I hit my head on the metal sheet, and the creature took flight. When I emerged from the shelter, I startled another steelpecker, which also took to the air. I snapped pictures of them as they majestically flew off towards the safety of fallen starships.
I know what you’re thinking. Star Wars and birdwatching!? What a fantastic combination! And thank you for thinking that. I agree!
If you think about it, with all the different types of planets and environments in the Star Wars universe, there must be someone out there who's interested in nature or—more specifically—birds. I want to be on the team that writes the first-ever Star Wars nature documentary. I can imagine the host/birder having a spacecraft specialized for birdwatching with all the latest birdwatching technology and databases, a birdwatching droid, and maybe even a Mandalorian suit built specifically for birdwatching with a telephoto sight, scanners, and various types of built-in feeders. What a great show it would be!
My name is Gregory, and I love all things Star Wars. I have a growing collection of Star Wars figurines and even a Star Wars lunchbox—my niece has the same one. I once almost bought a vintage Attack of the Clones lunch box on Etsy until I noticed it was second-hand. Gross!! I recently attended Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, in London, England, where I became a Star Wars super fan, and I’m already making plans to attend Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 with my fiancé Alexandra (also a Star Wars super fan). I’m not a Star Wars expert, nor do I believe such a thing exists. Like music or art, Star Wars is subjective. I try not to take it too seriously. Enter the geekdom, and may the force be with you!
