Why Birds?

Dunlin

I suspect many of the (very few) followers of this blog would much prefer fishing reports than stories of days out birding. There are other things to do in the winter than go birding. Of course going for walks in the woods, snowshoeing when there is snow, and even open water fishing are possibilities. However, this year at least, on my days off my favorite winter activity is birding. But why?

First off, everyone has different reasons for their hobby. Some people have hobbies to relax, others for competition, to collect things, etc... Birding is no different. There are many reasons to go birding other than the obvious... to see birds. For example, I was talking to a guy last week who only started birding a couple years ago. He is in it for the numbers.  He was disappointed he didn't see anything "new" to add to the year list. He and his daughter told me "when daddy gets something new (a lifebird) we all celebrate. His goal is to see as many species as he can.

Also, it is called birding not bird watching. Bird watching is sitting at your kitchen table looking at birds in your yard. Its a passive past time. Birding is an active sport. You go looking for birds. Chases can mean long drives, hours in the woods or scanning a flock of ducks for an hour looking for "the one" that shouldn't be there. 

For me, the reason I go birding is more complex and a mixture of many reasons all added together. Every birder has a list. Some have many lists. If a birder so chooses, they can have a life list, year list, state list, county list, a town list, and a yard list. They can really keep any list they want, such as birds they have seen in each month through the years. Many birders have all of these. I think they do it to keep themselves interested.

 For me, I have lifelist (which I have never added up) and I keep a year list. Since I keep track of my year birds on a Rhode Island website, when I see a bird in another New England state I write it in a notebook. That's as far as I go. I don't have a county list or anything else that detailed. I find the lists to be a hindrance to enjoying myself. Last week I saw some Ring Necked Ducks at Stony Brook in Norfork, MA. Ring  Necked Ducks are a cool duck that I only see a few times a year. But one of my thoughts was "I wish I saw these in Rhode Island so I could add it to my online RI website list"  It is things like that I try to avoid and just enjoy the beauty of a wild animal.

This does lead to my main reason I go birding. They are wild animals. I think that is really lost on people when they think birding is boring.  Birds are wild animals just the same as bears, wolves, and moose. Birds being small, and most somewhere in the middle of the food chain have much more difficult time surviving than the glamour mammals that people hope to see on vacation. When I think about how difficult their migrations are, how so many other animals (including other birds) want to eat them, it makes it easy to appreciate them as I would a coyote.

My reasons for birding also change throughout the year as does technique. when I go in the winter I am primarily looking at ducks and birds of prey with some small birds mixed in. I usually have "target species at specific spots, for example the Lesser Black Backed Gull at Ninigret. Usually my winter birding hits multiple spots, some just a quick scan of the binoculars. The only places I hike are Sachuest (East Bay) and Trustom (South County).

The spring and fall are completely different. In May, the best month for migration, I will spend hours at one place. Last spring I walked the trails at Hellcat at Parker River NWR multiple times in the same morning. I have no list or targets. I just enjoy the collide-o-scope of colors in the woods. Frankly, seeing a specialty doesn't mean that much to me. I just enjoy being there. Seeing all the Magnolia Warblers and Redstarts is just fun. Of course I like seeing the less common Orchard Orioles and Chestnut Sided Warblers, but not just to add another species to the list but because they are also colorful.

Late Summer and Fall birding for me means shorebirds. I will go to Charlestown Mudflats and Napatree to  see the shorebirds. Again, I have no list and just happy to be there. I do not get bored seeing the very common sandpipers and plovers. If a rarity shows up, then I'm as happy as anyone, but if not,I still enjoy my time on the flats. I have also found that if I sit still many of the shorebirds will come within a few feet of me allowing for some great pictures.

Lastly, part of it is the competitiveness of finding "good birds". The competition (for me) isn't really with others or myself, it's with the birds. Finding some of the less common birds feels like a good accomplishment. I'm not even saying rare, just ones you don't see everyday like the above Ring Necked Duck or a Red Shouldered Hawk. I've seen two Scarlet Tanagers and one Indigo Bunting in my life. Both beautiful birds both somewhat common especially in migration. Seeing them was something I will never forget.

My favorite duck is a Pintail. Whenever I see them, I always take time to enjoy watching them. Just because I have already added them to my list does not change the fact they are a "good" bird for me. I try not to make it about "the next bird" as a lister would but the more important one I'm looking at now.

Birds aren't easy to find compared to big mammals. For instance, there is a little ground hopping warbler called an Ovenbird. They are very common in spring. Some migrate through while others stop here. I see them in multiple places I go. Their song is one that even I recognize. However, I see one at a time. On the other hand, many big animals live in packs. I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty I have seen more bighorn sheep in my life than I have Ovenbirds. I see Ovenbirds every spring multiple places yet I have only seen Bighorn Sheep about ten different days in my whole life. When you put it into that perspective seeing a single uncommon bird has more significance than the big cool mammals that cause roadblocks in national parks. Sometimes seeing a really cool bird such as a Snowy Owl (or any owl), Bald Eagle, or Scarlet Tanager has the same awe inspiring affect of seeing a moose does.

Seeing the Long Tailed Duck in the Charlestown Breachway last month was awesome for every reason I wrote above. They are not uncommon but you have to search them out so it is a feeling of accomplishment. There are places in Mass where they are easy to see year in and year out. Yet in RI, I have gone to Beavertail (the hotspot) a dozen times before seeing a flock. Then a week later, I saw the one in the breachway not 20 feet from me. It was so cool. Then when you see the little guy wearing his winter suit and earmuffs, well, he is downright adorable.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons why I enjoy birding. Bottom line is I love being outside, like fishing, birding is being outside with a goal. I may never convince others that birding is a fun sport. That was not my goal for this post. I just wanted to give a better understanding to those that think it is boring, why I don't.