I will admit, checking out birds has started to become a bit of an addiction. At best, I was probably what you would call a casual birder. I can tell a few of the common species from each other, recognize the occasional call. Certainly not an expert, but it’s fun to know what’s flying around you.
The stay at home thing got me checking out the backyard in a bit more detail. I have a dozen on my backyard list that I have spotted since March. I know I have seen others in the past, so I keep looking, knowing there are more species close by. As for calls, it’s hard not to recognize a cardinal once you figure it out. They are loud. And fairly distinctive. Recognizing cardinal calls wasn’t really new either. I figured that out a few years ago. In fact, the last couple years while watching the Master’s golf tournament on TV I would recognize them. Augusta National seems to have a lot of cardinals hanging around in April. Or maybe they are just trying for a little TV time.
Tomorrow is the Global Big Day. While I might be new to this, it’s not a new thing. They’ve been holding it for a while.
It’s pretty easy. You spend 5 or 10 minutes or more… since we tend to have a little time on our hands these days… watching for birds. You note the number and the species of birds, and you report them online on Cornell University’s eBird app. They even have an app that can help you figure out which bird is which. Although I have discovered I have no shortage of bird books around, it’s not always easy to figure out which is which. Like sparrows. I admit my lack of sparrow identification ability. I think the little guys should have to wear name tags. There are too many different types of sparrows with too few differences.
So now I’m thinking of trying this tomorrow. So it would seem the addiction is growing. These days, when I walk out into my back yard, I tend to look up. This isn’t always a good idea when you happen to own a dog, but that’s a story for a different day.
So tomorrow, I’ll look up. In the rain, apparently, according to the forecast. First I have to figure out how to open an eBird account. Nature and I tend to get along fairly well. Technology and I are not always the best of friends.
