“Buzzard Day” from the “Sheltered Passions” portfolio by Richard S. McWherter.
The legend of the annual return of the buzzards (turkey vultures) to Buzzard Roost in the Cleveland Metroparks goes back nearly a century in the history Hinckley, Ohio. Each year on March 15, according to local folklore, the buzzards return like clockwork to this township in Medina County. Casual observers and serious bird spotters from far and wide come each year to watch and celebrate these migratory birds as they arrive home inside the Hinckley Reservation to mark the beginning of Spring. (Editor's note: Unfortunately, the Hinckley Buzzard Day community celebration has been cancelled again this year because of Covid-19, but hopes to return next year. However, I don't know if anyone has told the buzzards that yet.)
Sheltered Passions is a pictorial collection of black and white photographs of American rituals. In this theme, rituals are defined as any solemn practice or custom, religious or otherwise. These are the things that people do that utilize significant amounts of their time, resources, personal sacrifices, and money, yet are considered inspiring or worthy by the participants, even if they remain intangible in the moment. And whether it is a lottery line or a communion line (both secular and sacred), these rituals are our beliefs in action that reflect our common, and unifying, sheltered passions.
"My work champions some of the hidden and temporal natural treasures on this planet and hopefully challenges everyone to be actively engaged in protecting our surroundings. Promoting this understanding of our world, and our place in it, will help us make sure it is here for generations to come."
-RS McWherter