How I Got Into Birding

How I Got Into Birding

I wasn't always someone who would go out of their way to visit natural areas, state parks, or wildlife refuges. Honestly, I wasn't always interested in ecology, environmental science, and biology. In fact, my best subjects back in high school were English and Chemistry. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I became interested in these natural sciences, and the reason for that was my introduction into birding.

My two best friends had visited Green Cay Wetlands, which was an anthropogenic wetland - AKA -man-made wetland restored from previous farmland. That's how they got into birding; they would try to identify all the species of birds they would see along the boardwalk. One day, they asked if I wanted to go to Marco Island with them for a day trip on the weekend. I said yes, not knowing that birding was going to be on the to do list. When we arrived at Marco Island, they brought out their binoculars and started identifying all of the shorebirds on the beach (one I specifically remember was a Snowy Plover). They were so excited to see the Snowy Plover, and I was still apathetic to the whole thing. They asked if I found any interest in what they were doing, and I told them I was still unconvinced. I just didn't see the big deal about seeing a bird!

In order to win me over, they brought me to Green Cay Wetlands. They started teaching me how to identify birds starting with Herons and Egrets, which were the most prevalent group of birds at the site. I kinda got the hang of it, with mistakes of calling a birds "Great Heron" or "Blue Egret." The one bird I could identify without question was the Roseate Spoonbill. When I was little, my dad would read me these animal books, and one of the animals I remember was the Roseate Spoonbill because it was pink and the bill was the shape of a spoon. My friends and I would visit Green Cay on the weekends pretty regularly, and I found it to be a fun way to spend time with my friends.

What solidified me as a "bird nerd" was when my friends and I took another trip back to Marco Island. On the car ride there, I would read my Smithsonian Bird Guide of North America to study up on the birds we would see at the time. While we were birding the mudflats, I remember seeing a photographer taking pictures of Roseate Spoonbills foraging. The photographer was waste deep in the water with a huge lens on his camera, which was attached to a tripod. That image will always be in my head whenever I think about my first experiences birding because I found it so interesting that someone would think to walk out in the middle of the water  to take photos of birds. As we continued along through the mudflats, we all agreed that we would want to see a cool shorebird, like a Greater Yellowlegs. All of a sudden, we all hear "tututu" flying in right in front of us. Immediately we all see the bright yellow legs on the medium sized shorebird. It was a Greater Yellowlegs! We had confirmed it due to its call and not just by its yellow legs (which is also seen on Lesser Yellowlegs). 

That trip and that moment sharing an experience of a "lifer" with friends is what cemented me in the birding life. I started becoming more interested in environmental sciences, biology, and ecology due me spending most of my free time outdoors watching birds. I encourage anyone who hasn't tried birding to go to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, or their local natural area, with friends and try to identify some birds. Birding is a healthy and productive hobby that everyone can enjoy!

-Brian, Research Intern