Hanging up what’s both beautiful and informative

By N. Dilshath Banu

A nature lover and bird watcher for many years, Gordon Poulier has produced a colourful wall hanging featuring some of Sri Lanka’s endemic birds.

“These birds are endemic to Sri Lanka but many do not know about them. I thought of creating something interesting like a wall hanging which will not only be a decorative object but also informative,” Mr. Poulier said.

His interest in nature began as a child when he visited different parts of the country with his father. “My father was a station master and he was transferred to different stations and we went with him,” he said.
“This generation knows little about our inheritance. Nowadays, children learn about nature from picture books. It’s unfortunate that they don’t visit places and see the wonder of nature through their own eyes,” he said.

Describing his interest in nature, he said while working at Elephant House, he explored his hobbies with a group of others who shared the same interests.

“After bird watching for some time I was even able to imitate their calls. Some birds would respond to my calls and come close to me. This gave me the idea of recording different bird calls on the gramophone,” he recalled.

Mr. Poulier became the first person in Sri Lanka to record bird sounds on the gramophone in 1978. He also went on to make table mats and address books with pictures of birds.

Currently he is busy printing his wall hanging which will be available at his residence No.2, Sirigal Avenue, Kohuwala, Nugegoda.