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Bird-watching as Sport, Science and Sanctuary
By Cathy Elcik
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0in 0in 0pt">There’s a beautiful bird in your shrubbery this morning, but it’s taken flight in a whirlwind of fluttering wings before you can even begin to wonder what it was. If you’re noticing the feathered creatures flying about, you’re not alone. The love of nature, curiosity and even the simple desire for a bit of calm in a hectic schedule are luring birders out in droves. And whether they’ve been birding most of their lives or are curious novices, many midlife adults are enjoying bird-watching.
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“Very often, it’s the sport of trying to see who can see the most different species” that attracts people to bird-watching, says ornithologist Simon Perkins. “To some it’s sport, to others it’s really spiritualistic. To others it’s just entertainment and recreation.”
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Doug Faulkner, director of the Monitoring Division at the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory in
“They’re a generation that always wants to learn,” he says.
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For birdwatcher Bill Marland, birding is a social activity, as well as a chance to get back to nature. “It’s like any hobby,” Marland says. “It’s a chance to get with people who have the same interests as you. It’s really like fishing, where you go out on the lake or into the stream and look around. If you catch a fish that’s great. It’s a big bonus. If not, you’re with your friends looking at nature and there’s no stress.”
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Naturalist Becky Suomala says a childlike wonder is the common denominator among the birders she encounters. “Birds capture people,” she says. “They can fly, they come in colors and they’re very beautiful – very appealing. They each have their own songs. I got interested in birds because I like wildlife, and birds were what I could most easily see and study.”
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