Full Circle, Perhaps
“Look at those red eyes!”
No, Gini was not referring to me. A handsome (that immediately disqualifies yours truly) brown and white bird ran, stopped, cocked its head, ran a few more steps, stopped, grabbed a grasshopper, gulped it down and – wash, rinse, repeat.
The behavior, plumage and beautiful dark red eyes belonged to the Killdeer, a member of the Plover family. Although a “shorebird”, it is more often encountered inland, running about on recently cut lawns and fields with short grass.
We are both native Floridians and had similar childhood experiences. She went fishing often and mostly in the salt waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I went fishing often and mostly in the fresh water lakes of the peninsula’s interior. Both our families loved and respected nature and we have nurtured that love throughout our relationship. Hopefully, we have passed the gene to our children.
During our early married life, we were drawn to explore nature (surprise!). One way we accomplished that was camping. A tent, sleeping bag, camp stove – heaven. It was inevitable that we would find another couple who had similar ambitions. Our first camping trip together in the pine woods of east Texas sparked a hobby which grew into an inferno and has now settled into a warm glow of infinite satisfaction.
As I crawled from the tent and prepared to get a campfire going, I spotted Butch in the distance. He was looking straight up with a pair of binoculars. I wandered over and asked what he was doing. “Pine Warbler”.
The rest is history.
From the pine woods of east Texas, to the arid landscape of the western Lone Star state, to northeastern Germany, to the eastern shore of Maryland, the hills of West Virginia, the Danube River valley, the Texas Hill Country and, at last, back to our Florida home – our explorations of nature have included a love of birds.
For many years, we were “bird watchers”. We were always excited about seeing a new species and trying to identify it. The hobby was incorporated into our camping trips and regular drives in the countryside. When we returned to Florida following a 20+ year military career, I encountered a couple of guys who asked if I wanted to go birding in a newly developing wetlands. “Sure.”
They introduced me to something called “eBird”. That moment began my transition from “bird watcher” to “birder”. No longer content to wander around in the great outdoors and be happy to see a bird, now I meticulously planned trips for the sole purpose of locating specific bird species. Sightings were digitally listed and whisked instantly to vast data banks at Cornell University. This information is used by scientists to study all aspects of ornithology and how best to manage natural resources in order to improve the lives of our planet’s birds.
For a small insight into what constitutes a modern “birder”, I highly recommend the comedy movie “The Big Year”. As a fellow-birder described his motivation for our mutual obsession: “I found out that not only could I strive to be the best birder around, but with eBird – I could keep score!“. That statement stuck with me for quite awhile.
Within the last couple of years, I have had an epiphany of sorts. Was I happy “keeping score”? Not. So. Much.
Gini and I began bird-watching as a result of our enjoyment in experiencing nature. My focus changed as I became more and more immersed in the “keeping score” culture of birding. As I began to concentrate on achieving better quality photographs of birds, I started to include images of the birds’ habitat, instead of just a “mug shot”.
“Birding” trips now began to evolve into “nature” trips. Exploring different habitats, discovering insect life, plants and flowers – our new mantra became “Birds, Blooms, Bugs”. We still make an eBird entry occasionally if we encounter something different. But the emphasis has changed from “keeping score” to “loving nature”.
It is winter in Florida. Now that I have preached at length on why we no longer focus on just birds, today’s images are: just birds. All of these are from a couple of hours on a recent morning and provide a small window through which, perhaps, you can understand why we became addicted to “bird watching”.
(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.)
Gini and I began watching birds early in our marriage as a natural part of our mutual love of exploring nature. We (okay – it was ME) became absorbed in seeking new and larger numbers of birds and keeping score of those efforts via eBird. Our excursions to natural places have returned to encompassing everything we encounter. Full circle? Time will tell.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Our Natural Places 
Oh, my, that chipping sparrow! That someone would miss the opportunity for that image because “they already had that species on their list” saddens me.
I started birdwatching very late in life, so a great number of the birds I see are new and lovely and interesting, and even the ones I’ve seen before nearly always have something new to show me. I’m hoping I can stretch this feeling to the end of my days! I am curious about how many I’ve seen… but not curious enough yet to start a spreadsheet. Maybe I’ll just skip that step 🙂
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No matter how many times we may see the same species of bird (or any living thing), it seems we find something new to enjoy about it.
Every trip is an adventure. Might see the same ole stuff, but, hey, Nature’s residents probably think the same thing when they spot the two of us! 🙂
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Glad that you are more focused on loving nature (vs. keeping score). It’s obvious to me you have a deep seated love of nature just looking at your beautiful photos!
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Thank you, Peter.
We keep loving our explorations and attempt to share a bit of the joy. Sort of like you do in the wide-open desert.
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I laughed and laughed at the chipping sparrow with attitude. It reminds me of the ubiquitous ‘angry bluebird’ that was everywhere years ago. My mother had a stained glass sun catcher of the thing hanging in her window. One of your swamp sparrows seems to be sharing the chipping sparrow’s irritation, albeit not so obviously.
I especially enjoyed the photo of the palm warbler in flight, and that of the cattle egret. There are times when an unfocused foreground can really work, and this is one of them.
As for your larger point about ‘birders,’ ‘bird watching,’ and turning nature into a pile of statistics, let me just say that it took me some time to get over my first encounters with serious ‘birders.’ When I first began wandering around in nature with a camera in hand, it was common for me to be ‘shushed’ or receive disapproving glares if I had the temerity to keep walking down a boardwalk when a group was focused on finding some leaf-colored ‘something’ hidden among the branches. Pretty quickly, I learned to stop if I came upon a binocular-bearing group. Now, I know which spots the birders favor, and I just avoid them, especially during migration.
On the other hand, a similar approach sometimes characterizes the ‘flower people,’ at least when it comes to counting species and the competitive spirit. When a sighting of a rare something-or-other shows up on Facebook, there can be quite a rush to go-see. There’s nothing wrong with that at all; everyone enjoys seeing something rare or especially beautiful. But there’s clearly a tendency to celebrate people who see the most species, or who ‘win’ various challenges.
OK. I’ll stop. Suffice it to say that I sometimes describe myself as akin to the bear who went over the mountain. I go out just to see what I can see.
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It’s tempting to overdo anthropomorphism, but sometimes – that sparrow could easily have been my Aunt Pauline giving me that stare when I giggled during the blessing at the family reunion.
My birder epiphany occurred during a wetland survey as I stooped to photograph a butterfly. The new guy in the group huffed (yes, actually huffed): “I thought we were here to look for birds!”. My bad self stood up, got in his face and whispered gently: “You go ahead. I’ll catch up.”. He’s avoided me since, but it’s only been 12 years.
I totally agree with the concept of citizen scientists gathering data and reporting that information so it can be used for research. It is important work. We humans have a strong tendency to compete and strive to be the best at whatever we attempt. Unfortunately, on rare occasions, that trait becomes an obsession and not all personalities are able to negotiate their competitive nature in a healthy manner.
Nature offers us all a chance to enjoy our own personal relationship with the planet’s life forms. If I intrude on your enjoyment, gently let me know and I’ll retreat gracefully.
No mountains in sight. This bear and his mate shall therefore fade into the swamp.
(Full disclosure: I still provide sightings of birds using the eBird system. I don’t do so on every trip but will report unusual birds, behavior or habitat and a comprehensive report if visiting an area which has no history of reporting. The concept is a good one and most certainly should not be discarded due to a few abusers.)
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Wally, I’d say you focused just fine on all these birds. Great photos and such a wide selection!
And I agree with you about Big Year. I think Steve Martin’s character got it right. I hope to take my grandson on an outing with me soon. He just turned 6.
Ed
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Thank you, Ed.
As you well know, getting a good photo is icing on the cake. Being there is the actual cake.
I recently had the privilege of having my grandson with me on a nice outing over Christmas. He just turned 31. (Can that be right??)
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I can relate to your ‘full circle’ experience, Wally, although I came to bird-watching much later in life, and didn’t achieve the pinnacle of being an ardent twitcher or lister, but I have been through a period when I frequently went places at some distance to find specific birds. I am now, like you, more of a nature observer and photographer, although not to your level or depth of expertise. I guess this, coupled with your skill as a wordsmith, is why I get so much enjoyment from your blog posts. Thank you for another uplifting experience – and that header image is amazing!
Lindsay continues to make good progress – she has her clips and stitches out tomorrow.
My very best wishes to you and Gini – – – Richard
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Once again, Richard, I am overwhelmed by your kind remarks. Thank you.
I suppose we had to reach our “Golden Years” to fully appreciate how much nature has to offer the curious wanderer. Trying to chronicle the adventures with photos is challenging and fun, even when the results may be less spectacular than hoped.
We are heartened by Lindsay’s progress and continue to hold you both in our thoughts.
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I think when one pays attention to birds, their behavior, habitat, and food, one can’t help but get interested in all of nature and how everything is connected. It’s much more satisfying to learn to be a birder/naturalist rather than someone who only wants to “collect” as many bird species as possible.
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Exactly.
Turns out, we love ALL of Nature. It’s just so interesting!
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Amen to that!
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A wonderful post full of astounding captures, Wally, and I love yours/Gini’s full circle story. I can most definitely relate to your bird-watching to birder that’s overtaken me for the past few years. A year ago, I was told to my face I cannot be a birder and bird photographer. (No, I didn’t take that lightly lol) I am perfectly happy and love doing my own thing, enjoying nature through adventure and photography, my way. 😊 Quite frankly, it keeps me sane too!!
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Thank you, Donna.
If we’re not doing our own thing, we’re doing someone else’s. Where’s the fun in that?
Nature + Photography + Discovery = Sanity
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If “handsome” precludes you, so also does grabbing and gulping down a grasshopper—unless you have gustatory habits we wouldn’t suspect.
Leaving behind the Better Business Bureau, and the business of keeping score, you’ve flown the coop and migrated to the BBB of Birds, Blooms, and Bugs. Improving your photography sounds like a fine path to have taken.
Given your avian affinity, you’d likely enjoy checking out fellow birder Tanja Britton’s posts, assuming you’re not already aware of them (https://tanjabrittonwriter.com).
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Grasshopper roasted and included with a tossed salad are — never mind.
Although it sounds like a find path, it has been filled with twists, turns and potholes. Sigh. Hopefully, the improvement part will be just around the next bend.
Thank you for the excellent recommendation. I’ve had the privilege of keeping up with her exploits for a little while and have always been amazed.
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Very interesting read Wally and it was just like a narrative of my own life (except I didn’t marry Gini, serve in the military or actually live in America!). I get where you are coming from (and going).
Listing birds can become obsessive. Some people carry on others suffer burnout, me I got royally Pi**ed off with some peoples attitudes I gave up, shut up and did my own thing. Tina was never keen though the Lemming enjoyed the days out.
Now if there’s a rarity around I might wander off to see it but am not that bothered. If it’s a lifer I will add it to my list (if I can find it).
Like you two it’s now down to a sense of place, being somewhere special and enjoying what’s about.
Oh, the photos are pretty good by the way, the Vireo is quite a striking bird I would twitch that!
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You totally understand, Brian.
You described it perfectly: “… being somewhere special and enjoying what’s about.”
Maybe this is an age related feeling? Nah, not a chance.
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Age related? Could be. It takes a few years to come to our senses though we think we knew it all when we were young!
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Gini continually tells our 30-something Grandson that he is not yet old enough to have achieved wisdom. She may be right.
If only we could have been this smart when we got our first car or had that first date! Of course, probably would have been way too smart to have fun, so – never mind.
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