6 Ways To Re-Ignite The Birding Fire

My interest in birding never disappears but the intensity of interest wanes from time to time. I had an enjoyable outing yesterday as I explored the landscape surrounding the old Middletown landfill area which now has short walking trails.

The view from the top of the hill which was formerly a mound of trash is now topped with solar panels but also has a nice view of the boggy meadows below. I think that an enjoyable outing when it comes to birdwatching, like many things, is all in your state of mind. There are scores of ways that can help that re-spark your birding interest but here are 5 that came to mind yesterday.

1) Treat The Surrounding Landscape As If It were A Painting: Instead of targeting birds like you're on mission, just stop and absorb the landscape. Treat it as though it is a rare work of art in a museum. Nature, after all, is a work of art that deserves to be savored. By taking this approach you may look for birds in places you may not have thought of, be more alert to their presence, and it will help slow you down so that you become a more patient observer. 

2) Clean Up Your Laptop Or Replace It If Needed: Many birders also take photographs, keep records, post on social media sites, blog etc. I personally find that it helps to do basic things like delete unwanted photos or update things. In my case I bought a laptop about 6 years ago that was a lemon from practically day one. Tring to do get anything done on it was like trying to walk through a foot of snow wearing cement shoes. It was so slow that it kind of put a damper on things. I don't know why I waited so long to replace it except that I was determined to get my money's worth out of it first. If your time on the computer doing bird related things are more pleasant it may inspire you to get back out in the field as well.

3) If A Bird Is Putting On A Show Just Stand Still: If a bird or birds are showing off for you just stand still and observe. It sounds simple enough but many of have a tendency to take a quick look and just move on.

4) Clean Your Binocular And Camera Lenses Properly: I don't do this often enough because overcleaning can lead to scratches. Usually, I'll just breathe on a smudge and spot clean it with a microfiber cloth. I took out the old kit the other day and gave it the works-dust-blower, camera brush, lens spray cleaner, and finished off with a lens cloth. It may be partly psychological but everything seemed to be a little sharper.

This serves more than one purpose. For one, you get to enjoy the behavioral observation aspect of birding but this patient observing can also lead to other species that may emerge from the shadows. 

As in this case when Yellow-rumped Warblers and various sparrows  came into view as I was focused on observing the Carolina Wren 

(above). To round things off here are 4 and 5. 

5) Wear Warm Clothes And Boots In The Winter: You would think this one would be common sense but I grew up in a time when guys would use phrases like "tough it out" and we'd around in short sleeves in the winter. The most common heating source while you were out fishing or in the woods was a shot of blackberry brandy. It might taste good but on a scientific level it doesn't work. Those days are long gone. Now I dress as warmly as possible in the winter and this simple concept can turn a nearly intolerable outing into a very comfortable one.

6) Go To Places That Other Birders Aren't Going: This is one I try to remind myself to follow as much as possible. While it's nice to know that you can see certain species that others have already reported it can also take some of the magic out of it. You might be focused on trying to find birds others have already seen and even if you find what you're looking for it takes away the element of surprise and the excitement of discovering something new while exploring an area that hasn't been on the radar. 

More Birders And Technology Changed Birding

When I first became interested in birding I was able to reach out to birding clubs and other birders to get advice on how to go about becoming a birder. At that time I would hear about things like making sketches of rare birds so that you would have evidence of what you've seen. If you wanted to photograph them you needed and SLR camera with a long lens which was outside of the price range of most new birders. Then they started manufacturing superzoom cameras for just a few hundred bucks. They don't usually produce the results you can get with the SLR but sketching birds became the art of the few as cameras are a lot easier. 

I was finally able to find my first Black-backed Woodpecker by calling the head of an Audubon chapter in Vermont who was kind enough to give me great advice on where to look for them. They like partially burned forests of a certain type of tree and eat specific types of beetles. That was a lot of fun to finally track them down.

A good old fashioned book told me where to look for Gray Jays. They call them Canada Jays now. These birds were known to be super tolerant of humans. That was a long time ago though. Maybe they've grown tired of us by now?

I think I found out about this Fork-tailed Flycatcher through a list server. I don't believe eBird was around at that time or at least I wasn't aware of it.

Between eBird and Merlin you can get instant alerts about where rare birds are, have your phone identify them by sound, and send photos  for instant verification. It also records bird songs for you so that you can gather evidence of your sighting. This has supercharged the birding game, helping birders quickly accumulate large lists of species in a short amount of time. Of course, you still have to be out there and active to do this. I think these advances in technology has made the sport/hobby/science of birding more popular than ever. People being stuck home during covid further increased the number of new people interested in birding. 

The newer technology has helped draw in a lot of new younger birders as younger generations were practically born with a cell phone in their hands.Back in the "old days" birders will tell you about how they had telephone chain calls to get the word out about a rare bird sighting. You tell a birding friend then they call a birding friend and so on. You had to rely on things like field guides and tape recorders to identify birds. Some of the old timers still do it that way. I'm stuck somewhere in between. I use some technology but I miss some of those old ways. The Black-necked Stilt and Roseate Spoonbill in photos 4 and 5 reported to me by phone by a fellow birder (although it was actually a text). Seeing rare birds is nice but find them through pure serendipity might be the most rewarding way. I found my first Sandhill Cranes strictly by chance while out on a walk. This American White Pelican flew right over my backyard while I was cutting the grass! In most cases rare bird is a relative term. The birds I posted here are rare to me but may be common in other places.

Lost In An Ocean Of Birding

I haven't gotten out that much this month and have been kind of aimless when I did. I was hoping to find a particular species when I visited Hammonasset but it was one of those-"You should have been here yesterday" scenarios. In other news: Hammonasset means "where we dig holes in the ground" in the Algonquian language. 
I was actually looking for winter ducks at a pond when this Belted Kingfisher got in my way so I took his photo gave him a bit of a haircut while I was at it. There was well over 100 Ruddy Ducks in the pond that day.

Next big thing to look forward to will be the Audubon Christmas counts in December. Until then, I just plan to stick to the basics.

Sneaky Sparrow And A Touch Of Foliage

I managed to spend a little time looking for migrating sparrows in October. The top one is a Vesper Sparrow. It has some similarities to a Savannah Sparrow but is distinguished by that bold eye ring. It doesn't have that yellow on the side of the face like Savannahs often do. These are less commonly seen and seem a little more shy than some of its cousins.

Here's a Savannah Sparrow. they have fine streaking on the breast and often show yellow on the side of their face. Not always though. They also like to perch on top of things like fences. I appreciate that. it makes life a little easier.

I don't know what happened to foliage mania this year. I didn't hear much about it and didn't see a lot of it. I did find a touch of color while out on an early morning walk in Maromas village. November is already here! This month will be a good time to continue looking for interesting migrating waterfowl.