What brought you to birding?

So how did everyone start out with the insanity/obsession that is birding?

I've always thought birds were fascinating, but felt that birding was too 'out there' a hobby. I held out from birding up until I saw an osprey for the first time about two years ago, and then I was hooked. It's pretty funny to see the looks on my fellow Marines' faces when I tell them I can't go partying with them on Friday night because I'm planning on hitting the water in my kayak at 0630 Saturday morning to try and spot waterfowl!

Badger: Here's an article about how U.S. Marines in Hawaii are restoring the habitat of an endangered bird:

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=6123002

Other than having admired and appreciated common birds that I grew up with in the north woods of Canada, I really didn't know anything about birding until I was introduced to it by one of my husband's work associates. He got me started by helping me identify shore birds and wading birds at the Oregon coast, using a powerful scope. It was Spring - and the birds were in breeding plumage. I was hooked.

I had a Peterson's Guide as a kid but thought that birds on those plates were only seen by ornithologists. I remember on vacation seeing a first Black-crowned Night Heron at Lake Champlain and thinking that was the rarest bird I'll ever see!

15 years passed. I was checking the mudflats in New Haven Harbor and mis-identifying every shorebird. An old gentleman saw my binoculars, came up and introduced himself, and told me about the local hawkwatch. I showed up the next Saturday. Brian Wheeler was there signing his 1st Hawk Book (so this was like 1985 or 1986). The Point had stiff late September NW winds. Hawking weather. The Sharpies and Coops were coming in at waist level. The most remarkable thing to me was that there was a 10-year old boy pointing, saying, "There's a Coop! That's a Sharpy"

I was hooked. Again.

Such lovely stories! Perhaps because I grew up in rural southern US or perhaps other reasons, I seem to have been paying attention to birds (or at least, their vocalizations) from as early as I can remember. It used to surprise me when out in the woods with someone, completely surrounded with a lively world of birds, to have that person describe the place as quiet. Some bird calls can evoke in me instant emotional flashbacks as musical bits seem to do for others.

But alas I was brought up by a biologist and was dragged along on one too many bird censes, so my impression of bird watching was of having to wake up in the middle of the night to drive somewhere, dutifully walking straight paths while, like the kid Sandydog1 observed, calling out the species as sighted. It was cold and dull and killed all the joy in it.

Lately, however, I have recovered, choosing to listen and look for birds out of pure pleasure, not caring too much about the ornithological details. I'm sure some biologists look askance at such amateurism, but as a professional librarian, I do not expect people who love books to care about cataloging either.

>4 Nycticebus:, Oh, but that kid I described at Lighthouse Park was enthusiastic, thrilled, and proud in his abilities. I was a newbie and was awed at his apparent skills.

Jack Connor in The Complete Birder describes a childhood experience more similar to yours (and that of my son). Tagging along with a birding Mom as a child, by the time Connor was a teenager, he would turn his back when a bird was pointed out. Birding for some teenagers, is just not cool. How's that for an understatement.

My young son quickly realized that his Dad's interest in birds is apparently, socially, culturally, a bit odd. It's great when kids, teenagers, adults, anyone, can develop a passion for nature and not worry about stereotypes.

I live an hour north of Cape May, one of the finest birding spots for migratory bird-watching. My interest developed in simply having a high regard for all wildlife, and a true love and respect for the beauty of creation. I have been trying to attract birds to my new home in South Jersey but I am not having nearly as much success as I would have liked. I have a great garden with many of the right bushes and plants for attracting birds and bugs but I think my Bengal cat and his natural hunting drive has caused the birds to be very tentative about comin' round. I actually found several bird carcasses in various stages of decay and since then the birds have not been seen much. I don't want them to feel drawn to the spot by food and water only to be hunted so I am so envious of some friends who are able to feed the birds that come to their home. The thing is they too have cats, more than one in fact. What gives? At any rate I am willing to go to Cape May for some of their bird-watching events, and just driving around this area and sitting quietly at one of several spots that the towns have provided for bird watchers is rewarding. Any ideas on how to attract the birds and provide safe feeding platforms?I had done that, I thought, I really don't know how the cat got them. One was very big, also. We have some hawks that cruise the area and one grabbed a baby bunny from my backyard and...well, you know the rest. That made me cry. Nature can be very hard to experience, sometimes. If I am not mistaken, Jack Connor was a professor at the college I attended. I might be wrong about that though, will do some further research.

Keep your cat indoors- it is healthier for both cat and birds. Domestic cats are a hugely significant predator for birds, as you have seen. The hawk and bunny is Nature. You bringing a healthy, well-fed cat into the environment where it will prey on birds is not. Birds do not always visit only the feeders- if you bring them into the area, they will be on the ground, on low branches, etc.

Our three indoor cats very much enjoy sitting in the window near the bird feeders watching "kitty TV" - but they do not get to go out hunting their entertainment. Since we also have a busy street, they stay in for their own safety too- but having made the switch from outdoor to indoor cats about 18 years ago, I'll not go back.

Thanks for the advice but unfortunately that's not going to happen. First of all, my cat is only just reaching a year old. He has always gone out as we moved to a very secluded area when my daughter brought him home to us. (She left, she returned, and then there were two!) He loves his yard and lazes about on the walls and on the driveway. If we had stayed in the neighborhood we came from I would have made the effort to keep him in to save his life but the fact that we live in such a car-free zone is one of my joys in having a cat. So, I guess my love for birds will have to be kept to a minimum and I will just have to cringe in jealousy every time I watch the birds fluttering to and fro in my friends garden. I truly love all animals and would never want to see the birds harmed with my knowledge, but I have to disagree with your feelings about keeping my cat inside. I feel that my cat is entitled to roam freely as long as he is safe and his hunting is just as much a part of nature as that of the hawks and even those pesky seagulls. We have an incredible amount of shrews and mice and the cat surely keeps their population down to a minimum. I can barely walk through my yard without breaking an ankle due to all the burrows that have been dug there. I will stop trying to encourage birds to my garden and confine my birdwatching to spots that are known for it, Cape May being so accessible is a plus. So cawcaw and thank you for your help and advice. Happy birdwatching! Is that a picture of your cat on your page? What a cute kitty! I will try to get some pics downloaded of the "Stalker" Miles is my only boy and I am a bit partial to him.

It is a good thing the world has room for lots of styles- I'm envious of your car-free zone. I do remember as a kid, enjoying having the cats join us when we walked the dog, and seeing them take dust baths in the garden. I was less enthusiastic about the partial rabbits left on the doorstep. But our traffic situation governs the decision here, even if I wanted to have them out, so they stay in.

The photo is of now-deceased Zuby- our large economy sized cat. She was 16 or 17 when she passed on a few years ago.

Hello mmignano11! As a cat lover and ex cat owner myself, I can relate to your feelings for your cat, but unfortunately, as Helenoel pointed out, through detailed studies we now realise that it is not a good idea to have all those cats outdoors. My concern is mainly about the conservation aspects: in the US alone, the 90 million or so domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and other small animals per year and are one of the main causes of mortality. A study for Wisconsin calculated that cats killed 7.8 - 217 million birds per year in that state alone. And of course, being Egyptian in origin, cats AREN'T a "natural" part of your ecosystem - in fact, they are competing with your native predators, like hawks.

Apart from that, with several fairly nasty bird-trasmitted diseases having made an appearance in the US in recent years, for you and your cat's sake it's probably worth trying to prevent it predating wild birds.

I am sure there must be a book on this subject that would sum up the facts a lot better than I can.

Happy birding!

#8

I love my kitty very much, and that's why I keep her inside.

Outside there are dogs, black widow spiders, coyotes, other cats, and cars. When I lived in Arizona there were also scorpions, snakes, and tarantulas -- no way would I let her outside! The average lifespan of an indoor-only cat is many years longer than an outdoor cat.

Also, you're sadly misinformed about your pet's hunting being "part of nature" -- for one thing, he's an introduced species and as such can be tremendously harmful to the ecosystem. For another, you're not going to let him starve if he doesn't eat birds -- so you have a healthy, well-fed predator let loose in an environment that doesn't expect it.

If you have an open mind, then please take a look at the American Bird Conservancy's "Cats Indoors" program:

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/

I'd suggest starting with this page, which details the dangers to cats (there are a lot more than just cars -- I know people in rural-ish areas who have lost cats to snakes, bobcats, and just plain disappeared, never to be seen again):

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/hazards.pdf

Even if you don't have bird attractants in YOUR yard, cats wander, and an outdoor kitty will certainly roam beyond your "bird-free" area.

Duly noted, bird lovers! Now that I have had every bit of any enjoyment I could possibly have experienced through my cat squeezed out of me per wildlife studies, expert opinion, potential diseases and the considerable inconvenience and cost of providing an addition to my home to house my cat, I will begin by removing all my bird-feeders. Then, I will apply for a equity line of credit to fence my home and defray the cost of building a shelter onto my home so as winter approaches I can accustom my cat to viewing the world through a screened in enclosure. I will never again consider myself a conscientious pet owner, despite my contributions, letters to my congressmen, measures taken at home and elsewhere to preserve the environment for the animals who we as a society constantly displace through construction of malls, homes, etc. Who would have thought that falling in love with a cat after 20 years of owning dogs would have turned me into the equivalent of a Bambi killer. I'm thinking of joining the NRA, perhaps a course in taxidermy?

Hmmm... I think the easy answer is simply to keep your exotic predator indoors, thus helping wildlife, your cat and (potentially) you. That's what I did at least. No need to sacrifice your enjoyment of either birds or cats!

Hmmm... I think the easy answer is simply to keep your exotic predator indoors, thus helping wildlife, your cat and (potentially) you. That's what I did, at least. No need to sacrifice your enjoyment of either birds or cats!

In my opinion WE are the exotic predators and there is no easy solution for getting us out of their environment. It begs the question, "Did cats ask to be brought from Egypt, did dogs ask to be brought from Africa...? While not questioning any statistics regarding predation, are we really going to try to point to the domestication of animals as far back as the Stone Age to qualify them for the right to do what comes naturally to them? I don't think my cat will understand that he is not entitled to certain species of birds because the Hawk that is eyeing him wants it. Lots of valid points to be made there, but let's not call names, and with that, thanks for the advice, I guess bird lovers and cat lovers will never really see eye to eye. So, here's hoping my cat doesn't get hit by a car, eaten by a snake, poisoned by antifreeze, torn up by a coyote, contract rabies, hookworm, feline leukemia or pass on deadly parasites or bacteria to my family. I will continue to delight in birds that despite the invading hordes always show up when there's a scrap of food to be stolen from the table or nearest trashcan. Not the most natural food source but what we've subjected them to since we have taken so very much of the land that they once nested in. Too bad humans can't be kept in enclosures. There surely isn't a worse predator to be found for all species.

It's hard to balance all the things we love to do, need to do, ought to do, etc., not to mention all the things we just can't do anything about. The fact is, it's quite possible to love birds and cats. We each figure out our own solutions. Ours, when we had a cat, was to give him a snug little collar with two bells. Cat got used to it pretty quick, and it gave the birds a sporting chance (also of course neuter. and some people recommend declawing too, but that has drawbacks). Now there's the problem of the giant killer poodle (not kidding), who has taken two fawns this season. Deer need culling, true, but I think of all the birds he's killed or harassed in between mammalian slaughters. So that guy is limited to leashed runs for the near future.

mmignano11, please feel welcomed!

I became interested in birding because it is almost impossible to live in Africa and not be aware of the beautiful and varied wildlife all around. Birds which seem very exotic but are actually common locally are frequently seen in my back garden.

At some point not too many years ago I decided to start identifying birds rather than just looking at them. I started learning from people who can identify them, as initially just looking them up myself in a book was very frustrating and unproductive. One good piece of advice I received was to look at the geographical location maps in the bird books, as that narrowed down the possibilities of what I might expect to see. However the caveat to that is that in many parts of Africa there has been little systematic observation of birds so the records are often incomplete. I eventually bought a decent pair of binoculars.

Now on my travels I make a point of looking out for birds rather than just noticing them by accident, and I have done some excursions purely for the birds (and other wildlife - the two go together). Mind you, just noticing them by accident has also proved fruitful, perhaps most obviously in several sightings of the rare African shoebill long before I started getting serious about birds.

The OP is not a question I've ever thought of before, and I'm quite surprised to find that I don't really know the answer. I just can't remember a time when I wasn't interested.

My earliest memory of birds seems to be this one: when I was a child, my father had an allotment garden surrounded by hedges (here in the UK, that's a piece of land divided into plots which are rented out, one each, to amateur gardeners). I vividly remember the surprise of a greenfinch (chloris chloris) starting out of the hedge close to me and back in further along. It looked so pretty and exotic I thought it an escaped cage bird. It's one of the most vivid memories of my childhood, so I suspect it was a defining moment.

Funny to find familiar names here. As with alaudocorax, earliest memories include birds without really realizing it, the timeframe or the impact.

Dad made me carry his binoculars on every walk we ever took, but a finite moment was loading in the car every year to drive an hour to see swans in Stratford, Ontario. Mum loved the pristine gardens, which now sadly have been flattened for a soccer field, and Dad recorded everything we saw, of feather fur and fin. My sons were much more into bugs and crawling critters (herpetology).

A favourite experience was rolling under a barbed wire fence with my grade 13 creative writing homework, to await inspiration from Kingfishers I saw on the Thames River backing onto our own 3 acre yard. This is in Southwestern Ontario, not England. My love of the poetry by Wendell Berry is very deeply rooted in that memory from 1982/83.

I also remember seeing my first real peacock in all its brilliant plumage at Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario. That was in the 1960s. The shrieks were shocking.

An interesting piece from Science: The Wire.

How Birds Rescued Me From the Birders

Bird watching was my first real inlet to the world of wildlife...

The first time I visited a field site with a group of ‘wildlifers’ I was excited about being among like-minded travellers. I imagined we’d gawk at the life around us in unison and, for once, I wouldn’t be thought of as crazy. While this certainly was the case, and we spent hours being fascinated and at home in a rainforest together, something took me by surprise. From the start of our trip and after the very first walk around our field base, I seemed to have been informally labelled as a ‘non-birder’ in the minds of the ‘birders’. My love for birds was promptly dismissed, simply because I couldn’t rattle off names of forest species from their calls or fleeting appearances...

In retrospect, I ardently wish that I had spoken up about this swift (and mistaken) categorisation of my otherwise unfettered joy. I wish I had walked up to this bunch of knowledgeable chaps saying, “Hey buddies, I’m a bit late to the party, but I love these colourful and song-filled critters. Let me in and I promise I’ll learn silently. I’ll peek through my new binoculars at the same creatures that come through your well-weathered ones. I won’t slow you down, I’ll simply share your joys and make little notes and diagrams in my notebook here. I’ll ask you what terms like ‘twitch’ or ‘dip’ or ‘lifer’ mean, but only when you’re not busy. Don’t mind me! I’m just birding in my own way back here! Carry on, lads.” But… I didn’t...

Fortunately, birding (much like cycling) is something you can’t really unlearn. About two years ago, this knowledge began to catch up with me in little wafts...

When I was about five or six years old my father told me that if I put salt on a bird’s tail, it would stand still. I had been having no luck before that getting them to stop so I could watch them, so I tried the salt. No joy there, either.

So, still trying to solve the problem so I could get a good luck at them, I got a piece of lumber from our garage and nailed a small square of plywood to one end, grabbed some tent stakes and twine and borrowed my mom’s old Brownie box camera. I tied down the camera on its makeshift platform, spent almost a whole day trying to get the post and camera stable in front of a birdbath, ran the twine from the lever that one pulled to take a picture through a screw eye on the platform and all the way to me, hiding behind a nearby tree.

Through that summer I snapped a lot of pictures, mostly without pulling the contraption over. That single summer satisfied my desire to study birds for maybe 60 years; by then my interest in wildlife photography had become much more encompassing. I even considered it as a post-retirement profession. Let’s just say that life intervened and I had to limit myself to easy, relatively short civilized hikes, not the kind where one is likely to find fabulous wildlife worthy of Nat Geo! But there were birds, hanging out in my backyard, lazing in the park, stealing from outdoor diners, arguing in the alleys, and the more I paid attention to them, the more interesting they became.

Now I draw them more often than photographing them. They’ve taught me that they have very individual and distinct personalities in addition to being beautiful. I guess I’m hooked.