Credit: Susan McTigue
“So What Did You See Today”
That is how the conversation usually starts as birders pass each other on the trail. “What did you see? Anything good?” The discussion continues over the shoulder as they slowly drift in opposite directions which ends with a nod of the head, a faint good luck and a distant have a great day as we are off to the next birding adventure. But despite what noteworthy birds you may have seen or not seen that day we all know that we saw much more and that there is a deeper and personal story that we could all tell about that morning.
While we more than likely shared a list of the birds with that fellow birder as we passed like ships in the night, what we didn’t share or could not share was what we really saw that day.
Maybe it was the Northern Cardinal we spotted perched on a nearby Birch Tree that reminded us of mom and how much she loved seeing that red bird. It could have been the Junco that brought us back to the snowy morning many years ago holding our child’s hand as we explained to them how far the little bird had traveled to get here. Or perhaps it was the Chickadee hanging upside down on an oak branch as we remembered the how we smiled the day when one landed in our hand and we could feel its tiny gentle feet on our fingertip.
Birding is much more than just a list. More important than being the first to spot a rare bird is something much more complex and personal than maybe even we like to consider. The real list is of our list of memories, experiences, friend and the nature that is all around us that really makes our bird life list complete.
I can’t imagine what it would be like not to have birds in my life. The birds keep our demons at bay, heal an otherwise damaged day and make our nights that much easier to get through.
Birds show us that there is more to our lives than the evening news. They provide the framework to our journey and bind our life story together in a natural world of intertwined memories never ever to be forgotten.
As we venture out to find that wonderful rare bird, the one we need for our life list, don’t forget to stop and take it all in, for that special time will be unique in your life and never will happen exactly the same way again. Then you will realize how lucky you really are to have birds as part of your life’s journey
See you in the Meadowlands
Don
