Julie Ibarra Rossow and Elizabeth Pérez Alemán present their book at El Siglo de Torreón

They set up shop in a setting filled with cacti and plants, surrounded by photographs of birds. These images were their own, a record of their observations; they captured them in a wastewater wetland located on the Nazas River bed, right on the border of Torreón and Gómez Palacio, 500 meters from the highway to Santa Rita.

In front of a packed auditorium at El Siglo in Torreón, Julie Ibarra Rossow and Elizabeth Pérez Alemán presented their book entitled Las reinas del charco on the evening of Tuesday, April 29th. , where through texts and photographs they reveal the experiences they have had while observing the life that struggles in that green and strange place, hidden in an area where nature is stubborn to give in to the rubble.

The event was moderated by journalist and contributor to Siglo Nuevo magazine, Marcela Pámanes, in addition to the presence of Diana Susana Estens de la Garza, head of the Secretariat of the Environment of the Government of the State of Coahuila (the institution sponsoring this book), and Mayra Lucila Valdés González, head of the Secretariat of Women of the Government of Coahuila.

Just after 7:30 p.m., Julie and Elizabeth's words spread their wings . They fluttered around the room, dominating the air and gliding to share their story. First, a video was shown in which the frames themselves explained the work of both women; a voiceover narrated their work in the "pond," as they have dubbed this eight-hectare wetland; pixels constructed images where they appeared carrying cameras and tripods, trying to capture the flight of a bird with the swipe of their lenses.

Applause was immediate. Marcela Pámanes took the microphone and, after reading a passage about the book, asked questions of her own volition: " What does it mean to be an observer at this stage of your lives?" Nothing better to start the conversation than a few sentences eager for answers.

“ Birdwatching opened up a whole new world for me. First, I saw it as a hobby, and then I saw that this hobby has a civic purpose. It also filled me with peace and moments of introspection. It also gave me the opportunity to inspire my grandchildren with stories ,” Elizabeth shared.

Then Pámanes added a second question: “ Can you enjoy bird watching in an eight-hectare, smelly puddle? ”

“ But of course it can. In the theater world, it's said that life is a theater, and sometimes we don't get the chance to rehearse. The Pope (Francis I) said that our planet is our common home. And I compare our planet to a large amusement park. The puddle, our puddle, is a corner of the large amusement park. Our curious, inquisitive spirit drives us, compels us to go, to see how this ecosystem can succeed. Can we enjoy it? Of course we can. I enjoy observing the struggling life that's there, ” Julie explained.

“ What I see goes beyond the smell and the trash; I overlook that. The excitement I get from watching birds hop from tree to tree, the peaceful swimming of ducks, are beautiful moments that even the mosquito bites make you overlook ,” Elizabeth added.

In his photographs there are American nuns resting on the water, cormorants, eagles, cardinals, ducks, herons, hawks on the branches, and even woodpeckers boring into tree trunks.

After exploring emotions that even moved the authors, sharing anecdotes like the time they found a snake devouring a rabbit, and highlighting the importance of biodiversity in this wetland, despite its treated water, Julie and Elizabeth's flight landed on the top of a collective achievement: a publication produced as a flock that has brought life to light in this strange wetland.

“ The queens of the puddle have a noble connotation. We are the queens of the puddle because, at that time, when we were planning to write the book, Bety and I went there very frequently and had the largest number of observations of that place on a platform. But the other connotation is that the two eaglets on the cover of the book, Swainson's and the red-and-black, are also the queens of the puddle.”

They arrive and everyone hides, because otherwise it ends up as lunch ,” Julie concluded.

At the end of the event, the Coahuila State Government's Environment Secretariat gave away books to attendees.