No List for Me

   

Marbled Godwit

   Many of my posts over the last four years have had two things in common: lists and stats. Every end of the year review has a paragraph about how many species I've seen and how I compare to other birders. This year will be different, I will not be doing a year list.

   I spent the past three weeks soul searching about what I want most out of a hobby I am obsessed with. I broke down birding into categories. They are listing (trying to see as many species as you can), photography, socializing, and chasing rare species. Breaking it down made me realize what is most important to me. What I realized, if I did not list this year, I could enjoy everything else more.

  Many of the best listers in the state are approaching 125 species of birds already for the new year. If I spent every weekend chasing all the birds around, I would probably get very close to 125. That is the exact number that I got in January 2020. But I realized, it is too much of a cost. Instead of enjoying birds, birding with friends, and patiently waiting for nice photo ops, I'd be rushing to the next bird.  I just don't want to do that this year. 

   Not doing a year list in Rhode Island will allow me to go look for rare birds in MA. If I feel like going to the Cape Cod Canal or Plum Island, I won't feel guilty that I'm not in Rhode Island. I have already proven to myself that this is a good decision. On Sunday I went to Westport, MA to look for a Ross's Goose. I didn't get it, but I was happy to try.

   A bunch of my friends go birding together every Saturday. We/they are known as the Saturday group. I can not keep up with them if I bird with them. To get "my birds" I need to go find birds they already have. This happened on Saturday. I had it off from work. Instead of birding with them, I went to East Bay and tried to get some winter specialties there. I had a rough day dipping on most of them. Meanwhile, they found some good birds and I could have been having fun with them laughing and chatting. It really has to be one or the other, I don't have time to catch up and socialize. 

   Not keeping a year list means I won't have to feel rushed when I'm getting pictures of a good bird. For example, Pintails are my favorite freshwater duck. I don't have any pictures of them I'd classify as very good. So, next time I see them, if I have good light, I may stay and watch them for an hour. There won't be any pressure to move on and find other birds I haven't seen yet this year. 

   Lastly, not keeping a year list will take the pressure off. When there is an alert of a good bird that I haven't seen this year but have seen for the last ten, I won't need to go get it. An example species is Marbled Godwit. Godwits are a really cool shorebird. I missed it in 2020, but usually see them every year. I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time despite putting  in a lot of time at places they hang out. The truth is, I probably can't improve my photos of them. I had one day in 2019 where they came very close to me feeding. I'd love to see them if they show up while I'm birding anyway. But if there is a report while I'm working, I won't get anxiety that I'll miss it. Yes, I and other listers do take it that seriously!

Summer Tanager

 I really will not keep a year list so I won't know my overall number in December. I have accepted that. I'll still chase birds that would be lifers and state birds. I'll still go birding with the hopes of seeing the 'good birds". I'll spend more time looking at birds I want to see than I will looking for birds just to see them. There are two huge different philosophies in that last sentence. Also, if I don't keep a year list, instead of chasing a Summer Tanager at the end of April, I'll be fly-fishing a local trout pond instead of making the one hundred and ten mile round trip to Trustom. And when the text comes in that the Tanager is there, I can relax knowing I don't need to chase it.