Migration season is upon us! Our old friends are returning from parts down south, either passing through on the way to their breeding grounds or opting to stay for the summer. If you aren't a birdwatcher, or "birder" as we like to call ourselves, I encourage you to give it a try! Contrary to popular belief, there aren't just a few types out there. Yes, we have blackbirds, and bluebirds, and "redbirds" (ahem, we call those cardinals); we have sparrows and hawks and finches (but do you know there are dozens of kinds of each of those?); we have "buzzards" (correction - vultures, and you may think they're gross, but wouldn't you rather have them than be walking around in corpses and poop up to your neck?) and "seagulls" (although they do live near the sea - usually - there's really no such thing as a SEAgull, but rather Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls and Laughing Gulls and... well, you get the point).
Did you know that there are over 10,000 bird species in the world?!? And here in the US (and Canada) at least 925 species have been documented. Birds are beautiful, birds are endearing, birds are fun to watch, birds are everywhere! The fun thing about being a birder is that no matter where you find yourself, you can ALWAYS find a bird nearby to observe! Stuck in a parking lot waiting for your wife to pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store? Roll down your window and check out the maple in the median of the lot, I bet there's a bird to watch while you pass the time! Plus, we like to keep "life lists". That is, all of the species of birds you've seen thus far in your life. So, it becomes somewhat of a game... as you start to get better at identifying them, you become more obsessed with finding more birds for your life list, and before you know it... you're a birder! My dad was a birder long before I came along. Now we share that passion. We're having a contest to see which sees the most birds in 2009. FYI Dad- as of today I have 101, you? Mom has even started keeping a life list now. I'm telling you, it's addictive!
Bad news - our bird species are in decline, and face caboodles of threats every day of their life. Can you imagine, in a single month, traveling 2,175 miles non-stop (that's the Blackpoll Warbler), mostly at night, finally arriving at your destination, narrowly escaping being eaten by a creature easily over ten times your size with sharp teeth and menacing claws (that's a house cat), then ultimately slamming into a glass window (you didn't see it, it appeared transparent), making traveling all those miles futile? It happens every day, thousands of times over.
According to
NewScientist, "By 2050, up to 900 species of land birds could be threatened by climate change and habitat destruction through activities such as logging. By 2100, the number of bird species on the World Conservation Union's Red List of threatened species may more than double." Check out
my article to see what you can do to help!
Oh, and... if you're interested in birding? I suggest getting a pair of binoculars (more expensive really does equal better quality, but for beginning, go with what you can afford) and a Sibley's Field Guide (choose eastern or western depending on where you live), and... have fun! I'd be interested to hear about your experiences!
