Caution: Birder on Board

As my first contribution to this blog, I think a good place to start is to tell you a bit about where I bird…the Ottawa Valley, and anywhere else I happen to be. Why I bird…it’s become a way of seeing that is now second nature. And when I bird… anytime I look around me.

The Ottawa Valley , in eastern Ontario and Western Quebec,is nestled along the Ottawa River and is a rolling mosaic of forests, farms and fields about 100 km northwest of Canada’s capital, Ottawa.

If you’re a birder, you know exactly what I mean. What started as a passing interest slowly over time grew to a passionate hobby, and graduated to a lifestyle that defines my daily routine, sending me madly off in all directions, and teaching me all sorts of things about Nature and it’s care that I never guessed I would give a hoot about.

Birding teaches you to look for unusual shapes while you drive past the bush at 80 Km per hour. See the football trying to hide behind a branch?

Barred Owl that was kind enough to pose quietly while I pulled my car over, rolled down the window, fumbled with the camera, stuck my head out, and finally, took his picture.

You know you’re a birder when friends and acquaintances start asking about birds that they have seen, and they expect that you can tell them what kind of bird it is. And you can. Usually.

Is that a Wild Turkey , er, several Wild Turkeys, sitting up in that tree? Why yes, it is!

You know you’re a birder when your idea of a good time is grabbing a hot mug of coffee,  jumping into the car, bird books, binocs and camera on the seat beside you, and driving for five hours over the same small geographical section of a small island, and counting every single bird of every single species  that you see, within that same delineated area.

There is a trick to counting 100′s of birds in a flock, but in this case, I just said there were so many Buntings it looked like Snow!

And you find yourself yelling to a Pileated Woodpecker, “Hey, Woody! Get over here!! Now! Flap it!” so you can count it as part of your area for the Christmas Bird Count.

A loopy, lazy flight path leading straight up and tight to the tree makes it easy to identify the Pileated Woodpecker. That and its bright red crest and hahahahaa call!

You wouldn’t dream of counting a bird you saw across the road from your defined area, because that would be cheating, and that’s just, well, wrong! And the flock wouldn’t like it either.

And somehow, all of the birdy behaviour, all of the little jokes, all of the chirps, feathers, foul fowl weather, and  fabulous discoveries make it all worthwhile. It’s a way of seeing the world that uplifts, rewards, teaches, and humbles. It’s a way of seeing  that slowly became mine.

A second look is worth the time it takes. That’s when the magic appears!

You know you’re a birder when you think you should have a  bumper sticker that says “Caution! Birder on Board. Swerves without Warning, and Stops Suddenly. Stay Back and Keep Quiet. Please.” And you know your true friends will understand.