Barred Owl in Huntley Meadows Park VA

I will give credit where credit is due. Tom, an old friend from high school, was into birding and his enthusiasm got be interested. Hard as it may be to believe now, back in the 1970s there were hardly any Osprey left on the Connecticut shoreline. I recall the day I got an excited phone call from Tom about an Osprey nest he had found that wanted me to see.

Tom and I were classmates with the Sibleys–Steven, David, and Anne. David went on to author several bird guides and books on bird behavior. Even back in high school, David was way more “focused” on birding than the rest of us. On night, Tom, Steven, David, and I went searching for owls. Steven had taped owl recordings to try and call in some owls. We got owls to answer, but didn’t actually see any. After the woods, we went to a marshy area and waited for sunrise. Once the sun came up, we were ready for breakfast, but not David, who was standing in the marsh just watching Red Winged Blackbirds. I didn’t have that much patience.

Fast forward about 35 years. The kids are grown and I’m working down in DC while Karen is still up in Vermont. When not working and not in Vermont, I had few chores and lots of unstructured time. Around this time I watched the movie The Big Year with Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black. The movie chronicles the adventures of three guys trying to see more North American birds than anyone else ever had. While it didn’t earn any Oscar nominations, it was fun to watch. That got me thinking again about birding. One thing led to another and I started birding on the weekends–around DC, occasionally in Cape May, New Jersey, and, of course, when back in Vermont.

It was also around this time that I contacted Tom to see if he was interested in having our own annual little Big Year competition–the most birds in the contiguous U.S., from January 1 through December 31 of each year. Game on.

Actual Big Year birding allows you to identify birds by sound. However, since most of my guy friends can’t hear their own wife in the next room. I’m not willing to let them vouch for the fact he heard a Gray Catbird and not a Northern Mockingbird? I don’t think so.

Purple Gallinule in the Everglades

Our rules are that you must see and identify the live bird in the lower 48 states and surrounding waters. Zoos and pet birds don’t count. To be counted, all bird sightings need to be entered on Cornell University’s eBird site. (Registration is free and the information is used by scientists in tracking bird species distributions and migration information.)

The eBird site has an unbelievable amount of information. For example, I’m interested in seeing a Snowy Owl, a bird I have never seen. I can go to eBird, look under explore data tab, then species maps. I enter the species I’m interested in and the location (in this case a ZIP code). The result is a map with sighting locations identified. Note that on this map (below) there was a sighting near Lang Farm in Essex, Vermont on December 16. Postings go up real time and give you a chance to try to catch something unique in your area.

On the off chance you spot some interesting bird, you can add it to the eBird sightings (after setting up a free account). Then when someone hovers the cursor over your map pin they will see your name and sighting.

eBird screen shot of Snowy Owl sightings near Jericho, Vermont

eBird is a great aid to help locate birds. However, it is no guarantee that the bird will be there when you arrive. That is where the hunting comes in to play. You will usually need to spend some time in the field or woods to spot the particular bird you are stalking. It is a great excuse to get outside and observe.

While I started birding back in high school, it became much more of a hobby in middle age. I have always enjoyed being outside and observing wildlife. I enjoy the hunt of birding, looking for birds you have never seen (“lifers”) or even birds you haven’t yet seen in a particular year. Business trips are a little more interesting when you may pick up a new bird or two.

I like the flexibility that birding provides. You can look for new birds at your feeder, in your town, in your state, etc. eBird lets you create separate lists to track and manage all your observations. Because of this flexibility, I also know that I can keep doing this for a long time. There is also the intellectual challenge of learning about new bird species, their habitat, their ranges, and their migratory paths.

For me, the birding has also encouraged me to travel more and has also led to an interest in photography. You can get into the hobby for as little or as much as you like. That said, it’s better not to skimp too much on the optics. It is a lot more fun being able to see what you are trying to identify. Life became more complicated when all those ducks became separately identifiable once I got some good optics.

As always, please feel to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments. Also, my little Big Year with Tom is not an exclusive event. Just contact me if you are interested in participating. Tom is tough to beat. I know since I most recently lost to him after he went through a double knee replacement.