Becoming a Birder


 

Becoming a Birder

Honestly, by accident.

Imagine with me.... you wake up. Start the slow stretch in preparation for getting up. Then, you hear it. A drip. A very loud drip. Wait, where is that coming from? It didn’t rain. No faucets are running. What the heck? Then, it changes. A whistle? You continue with your morning and venture outside with a cup of coffee. Drip. Drip. Drip. You start looking around for this mystery drip. Pinpoint the sound, only to see a bird. Then the bird whistles. Out comes the handy, dandy search engine and let’s see what we have. A Brown Headed Cowbird.

This is a moment of realization. You’ve spotted the bird. Looked it up to identify it. Find yourself researching it. (Fun fact, Brown Headed Cowbirds don’t build their own nests. They find somebody else’s nest, lay their egg in it, then leave. Absent parents, they are.) Then tell your husband about it.

Or when you’re on the phone with your grown kid and mention this cool hawk you saw the other day. They laugh and say, “wow, when did you guys become birders?” This is how it starts, folks.

 

And It Continues....

When you find yourself on the road, admiring all that nature offers, you tend to have questions about things you see. “Look at that bird! It’s a duck. Maybe. A goose? Nah, the wing flap was wrong for a goose.”

Did you know that the American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America? (Now you do. You’re welcome.) They can have a 9 foot wingspan. It’s an impressive looking bird.

And the Cheeseburger bird! You know the one. They sound like they’re yelling “cheeseburger”. It’s actually called a Black-Capped Chickadee. I think these little birds bring more smiles than seeing your first Robin of the year. I know they make me smile.

There are many apps that can help you name the different birds that you see. Merlin is a popular one. It can help ID a bird by sound or by a picture. Or you can answer a couple questions and it gives you possible matches.

So, next time you find yourself outside, or near an open window, pause to listen. Do you hear any chirps, tweets, or bird song? How many different birds do you notice flying around? You just might find that you, by happy accident, have also become a Birder. Congratulations!

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