Birding - Not Just a Hobby but a Social Event

  With a lot of the birding slowing down most of my new posts are going to be about some birding insights and personal opinions so prepare to get into the weeds on some of these! Some stuff to expect are bird names, best birding guides, and even clothing to wear birding.  

    To kick off my bout of these new posts let's talk about birding with people. This one isn't weedy at all, trust me when I say I'm easing you in (gotta dip your toe in before you jump in the pool after all) and at some point you'll have to get tick-repellent because we'll be knee deep into the weeds. Be prepared! 

 

     A lot of birders start out by themselves, this is a fact that can't be denied. Yet, as you get older, you find people to bird with even though you're busier now than you have ever been. Be it juggling work, kids, and the gloom of responsibility. So how is it birders tend to stick together rather than soar apart much like the Albatross we all would like to find? 

     Just like Cedar Waxwings, people are social. They need the company of others to really feel at home doing something they love. This is what drives us all to find the people you want to bird with and be around, and it can be the most fulfilling part of birding. There is nothing like celebrating a lifer with a friend around. 

    I have only immersed myself into this type of birding for about a year and even more in the last few months (after COVID-19 restrictions relaxing). In fact you may notice some of my more common guests on the blog Liam Thorne, Laurie Stacey, and Colleen Reilly (you'll be hearing a lot more about these people and more depending on when things are going to go back to normal). Yet, for some reason, I feel the need to get into why I've been doing that. Well, that is the part of birding people (myself included) often overlook, the social side. This is the pinnacle of some peoples' experiences, and sightings. Not only did you get that new bird or see that new behaviour but you were able to witness it with someone who may have never seen that either. No feeling is better than turning around and giving/getting the hugest high five and seeing the excitement in someone's face. This is what has pushed me to get into birding together more. 

    I have led a quite a few walks myself around Haldimand-Norfolk, mostly in Ruthven and Selkirk, and nothing has paralleled the feeling of being there for someone finding their first ever bird of a single species, even seeing one for myself. I have obviously experienced a lot of life birds, both alone and with someone else, and to see a life bird with someone else is a feeling you'll never shake, and any life bird you find alone after, just doesn't feel the same. 

    My own opinion on this matter is displayed above by far. Friends make our experience much better, and it's a story you'll be telling for a long time after. This is what makes those experiences priceless, this is my opinion of what prime birding is like, it might not be everyone's, but it is by far mine. 

    Please stay safe, social distance, and most of all try to bird with others, everyone. I Couldn't have made a better decision in my own birding! 

Male Cedar Waxwing - Norfolk ON