As you may have noticed, things are slow here at the Lonely Birder blog. With a couple of weeks of intense birding coming up, I’ve taken the past few weekends to spend time at home and rest up. At one point I mentioned how some of my birding mentors and friends seem to bird every day, versus my once per week adventures. Mrs. Lonely Birder quickly pointed out, “You do go birding every day.” This caused me some pause, and I realized, she is right.
Although Sunday mornings are usually my “official” birding hike for the week, any time I am out and about, I am watching birds and identifying what I see. On the ride to work I might see a dozen or so species, for example, along the main street between home and work. I drove to my parents’ today, which is mostly highway, and saw 15 while driving (there could have been more, but safety first!).
- Fish Crow
- Ring-billed Gull
- Boat-tailed Grackle
- Palm Warbler
- Fish Crow
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Mourning Dove
- Cattle Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Anhinga
- Turkey Vulture
- European Starling
- Black Vulture
- Osprey
- Sandhill Crane
My point is that birding is not always a suburban safari or hours long hike. I know people who are content to watch birds in their yard from the kitchen window. Any time outside affords one the opportunity to see birds (or dragonflies, butterflies, and even lizards). You don’t need fancy equipment (although that can make it more fun!) or field guides (although that can make it easier). You just need eyes, ears and curiosity.
