I wanted to start this blog with the story of how I became interested in bird watching and what finally got me hooked. It is an epic tale of intrigue, adventure, and betrayal that takes place in the harsh Texas countryside … well, not really but have a listen anyhow.
Most of my life, I had never given any thought to the creatures of the sky. When I was little, I was curious about bugs and small animals, like most little boys, but never really paid any attention to the birds. However, my parents told me a story about the time I was pecked in the face by a goose while trying to hand him a tasty handful of Mrs. Baird’s bread. Fortunately, that experience didn’t leave me jaded and my mind was still open about the feathered ones. I used to go exploring the woods with my middle school companions and we always had a great time, which usually involved lots of stains and parental scolding afterword. Then I moved onto high school and my focus shifted to cars, girls, and popularity. There wasn’t much time for bushwhacking any more … until I reached my early twenties.
Around age 21, I met Julie, my girlfriend, and she had an intense love for nature, especially the birds. She enjoyed reading about the different kinds of birds, their habits, and their magnificent migrations. Julie wasn’t very skilled in locating or identifying birds, but she could tell you quite a bit about them. The more I listened to her talk about the White-eyed Vireos and Yellow-Rumped Warblers, the more intrigued I became. I had no idea how many different species of birds there were and how unique each one of them was. So after almost a year, she convinced me to go to a local park with her.
We went to a nature preserve called Arbor Hills in Plano, Texas, which was about 15 minutes from our apartment. The place is fairly large for an urban park, about 200 acres, and it is known to be a favourite among the local and migrating birds. I remember being able to identify the cardinals, mockingbirds, and blue jays with pinpoint accuracy, but had no idea what any of those other things flying around were. We stayed out for a few hours before I started feeling totally inept and incapable of using my ears or eyes, then we went home. Before this experience, I had this idea that I could see and hear things that most other people couldn’t, and I’m not talking about my imaginary friends, but I quickly learned that I had a long way to go. Needless to say, we had a great time and I was determined to find those sneaky birds and call them out by name. Julie gave me my very first field guide, the Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, and I read as much as I could. They wouldn’t evade me for long…
About 10 trips later, I was able to locate and identify the Chickadees, House Sparrows, and Robins. My excitement couldn’t be contained in a well-sealed Ball jar with honey stuck around the lid. I was more determined than ever to find all those warblers, buntings, vireos, and hawks that I had been reading about. So I came up with a plan. Since we were sharing Julie’s pair of binoculars, I decided to take my DSLR camera out with me and take pictures of the birds to identify when I got home. This way I could compare the pictures I took with the pictures and descriptions in my field guide. After this revelation, I was on my way to becoming a real birdwatcher.
Thanks to my ingenious new method, I was getting familiar with many of the local birds and even a few migrants. My ears and eyes were serving me well and I could finally locate the birds behind all of those otherworldly noises I had been hearing in the trees. Also, several internet forums provided some much needed help with the tough identifications. So now I was ready to find some less-common birds. Julie suggested that we visit a state park to find some more interesting trails and, hopefully, some more interesting birds. She had gone on a birding trip with the local Audubon society to Lake Tawakoni State Park some time ago, so she pitched me the idea and I thought it was brilliant. We gathered our maps, bird lists, and bug repellent and headed for the wide-open spaces. One thing I failed to mention earlier is that I had never gone camping, been to a state park, or gone hiking before so I was filled with anticipation on many different levels.
It was mid-April and the weather was gorgeous. We arrived a little later than we would have liked, but neither of us was very concerned after we pulled into the parking lot. While stepping out of the car, we spotted a stunning Scissor-tailed Flycatcher going after a meal and a beautiful Eastern Bluebird, who had taken-up residence on a handicapped parking sign. I readied my camera and snapped off a few shots.
His flying skills and incredibly long tail made him such a pleasure to watch… not to mention his beautiful colors.
He eventually flew away when I came too close to him, but I was so spellbound that I didn’t mind.
He was such a striking fellow, but I wish he hadn’t picked that sign to sit on!
After we finished with the parking lot, we made our way to the trail. We spotted a Brown Thrasher doing what he does best… thrashing. He was tossing leaves to the left and to the right. Julie and I watched him for a few minutes and wondered to ourselves why he didn’t move the leaves more gracefully, so he could conserve his energy. His intense thrashing was starting to tire us out so we started walking again and came across a Downy Woodpecker perched vertically on the lower part of a trunk. We were fairly used to his kind so we didn’t stick around too long for the drumming show. I wasn’t hearing much and Julie wasn’t seeing much, so we accelerated our pace a bit until we reached a sandy shoreline.
The tiny beach was home to hundreds of sandpipers, none of which we were equipped to identify yet, several Forster’s Terns and a couple Greater Yellowlegs. Because of my new-found self-confidence, I thought we could identify the terns and yellowlegs quickly and without much headache, but I was wrong. We watched for about 15 minutes before deciding they were Forster’s and I had to settle with a picture of the yellowlegs, as well as a few bruises on my ego. Here was the shot that the friendly people on the internet used to help me identify the yellowlegs
We kept following the shoreline and eventually ran across a few Neotropic Cormorants. They were way too far away for a decent picture, so I had to concede to the limitations of my equipment and move on. After a few hours of walking, Julie and I were getting tired. The sun was having its way with us and we decided it was time to find the trail. Our route back to the car seemed to drag along, because most of the birds were through feeding for the day and all was quiet. Eventually we made it back to the parking lot, and not a minute too soon. I started the engine, shifted to first gear, and we ended our adventure with sunburns, stories, and pictures to remind us of the wonderful time. Ironically, the birds weren’t through with us yet…
With the park in the rear-view mirror, we made our way back the same way we had come in. Of course we were not staring straight ahead as we rolled down the road, no self-respecting birders do, so we were privileged to have seen a large vulture-looking bird sitting on an old wooden fence-post. I was so beat that I nearly didn’t see him. It was a Crested Caracara! Alas, my adrenaline was flowing again and my vitality was renewed. I pulled over and started slowly walking toward the large bird. With my camera raised to my face, I snapped a few photos every 10 paces or so and kept making my way closer. Finally, I came too close, so he hopped off of the post and beat his giant wings until he was too far away to see. It was incredible.
He was very majestic looking. I couldn’t believe he let me get so close!
This was the first large bird that I had seen up-close… I was in awe.
The caracara encouraged us to search for a few more birds, but we weren’t brave enough to get out in the sun again. Julie said, “Why don’t we drive down a little dirt road for awhile?” I thought that was an excellent idea. We found a one-lane dirt road just a mile or so from the caracara and took it. About a mile down the road we encountered a family and their donkey. This was another first for me. A couple of guys were moving the donkey onto a different part of their land and he was standing in the middle of the road for a few minutes before they convinced him to move. There were dogs running around, little kids playing outside, and mom looked to be coaching the operation. Julie and I were more than happy to wait and watch this take place. After a 5 minute interlude, we were on the move again. It was so pleasant out there that I didn’t care if we didn’t see any more birds, but we did! A little sparrow was perched on a barbedwire fence and I immediately jumped out of the car to investigate. My method was the same as before. I walked a few steps and took some photos, then got a little closer. It turned out to be a Savannah Sparrow and he was a beauty. We didn’t identify him until we got home, we actually thought he was a warbler. He sat very nicely for me while I got some pictures and we were both just tickled to death (I’m talking about Julie and I, not the sparrow.)
He looks like a warbler to you too doesn’t he?
The last bird we saw was several miles before the nearest town and my pictures didn’t come out very well. We had almost stopped looking at the telephone wires when, all of the sudden, we spotted a Red-Shouldered Hawk perched on a telephone pole. There were a few houses about 20 yards behind the pole, so taking pictures wasn’t as easy as it had been the rest of the day. I managed to snap a dark photo before we officially ended our adventure. The hawk was much less tolerant of me than the caracara.
So there you have it. This trip solidified my love for bird watching and I have been hooked ever since. I hope you enjoyed my post!
I’d love to hear what got you started as a birder, so leave a comment and tell everyone your story. Happy birding everyone!
The Broke College Birder 