“A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked.” Anais Nin
Snowy egret at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Travels With Maggie
The landscape around the Texas Gulf Coast home of my son, Lewis, is always full of birds. It is why my binoculars are always sitting beside me when my RV, Gypsy Lee, is parked in his driveway.
Wrens, woodpeckers, warblers, hawks and ducks all visit or pass through his yard.
This morning, Carolina wrens inspected the gutters over his garage, a pair of cardinals sat on the utility wires attached to his roof and a flock of black-bellied whistling ducks flew overhead, alerting me to their presence with their high-pitched chorus as they winged past in V-formation.
Is this a photographer taking picture of birds, or a birdwatcher photographing birds? -- Photo by Pat Bean
The park directly across the street from my son’s home offers even more entertainment for this passionate birder: Logger-head shrikes hang out in the trees, mockingbirds frequently chase away a red-tailed hawk when it comes around and goldfinches hang around the feeders in the yard next to the park.
I sometimes think I might be mistaken for a peeping Tom, or in my case a Jane, because I might appear to be looking in someone’s window when I’m simply watching a ruby-throated hummingbird flitting around the flowers.
If you really want to know how crazy we avid birders are, you should go see the movie, “The Big Year.” It’s about competitive bird watching. Or you can read the book, “The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession,” written by Mark Obmascik. It’s actually a true story and I couldn’t put it down once I started reading.
Great-tailed grackles near Surfside, Texas. -- Photo by Pat Bean
Recently, when I was down at the beach – to watch birds of course – I watched another bird watcher as he tried to take a picture of some skimmers. Watching him was almost as much fun as watching the skimmers myself. I wondered if he was more photographer than birder, or more birder than photographer, like me.
We birders are actually a funny, but much blessed lot. The day I realized I had joined the craziness was the day I took a 440-mile, one-day, round-trip drive just to see nesting ospreys.
In fact, many of the 122,000 miles I’ve put on Gypsy Lee the past seven years have been in pursuit of birds – from the elegant trogons in Southeast Arizona, to the marbled murrelets on the Oregon Coast, to the Atlantic puffins in Maine, and the Florida scrub jays in the Everglades.
It’s been one great feathered adventure after feathered adventure.
Perhaps that’s why, at least for a little while, I’m content to simply watch birds from the comfort of my RV that is parked in the driveway of my son.
Pat Bean's blog 
Thanks for turning me on to this book. It will make a great X-mas gift for bro-in-law this year. I always get them books, and of course, being a man, he’s hard to buy for. 🙂 I think he is a photographer who shoots birds rather than the other way around. Love the pics!
You’re welcome. It’s a great read even if you aren’t a birder.
You have given me a better glimpse into the world of birders. My parents have a place down on Fort Myers Beach and there is an area called “The Bird Sanctuary” always filled with birders (your photograph looks strangely familiar!) This was a fascinating read. Thank you. And keep an eye out for “our” hummingbirds. They will probably be your way soon. 🙂
I spent a month on Pine Island just across the water from Ft. Myers just to bird the area. I visite Corkscrew Sanctuary and Ding Darling wildlife refuge while I was there. Fun names don’t you think? Then I went on to the easter side of the state to do the everglades. Good birding. Where do you live so I’ll know which hummingbird species to watch for.
Mountains or birds, it is always a pleasure to be out and about. I do enjoy reading about your travels Pat, I do enjoy looking at the bird life, but my identification tends to be off the line – a little brown one, a big brown one with teeth. You get the picture 🙂
thanks for your pictures,
Jim
Thanks Jim. Sounds like you just got from a nice trip. Up until 1999, I was right there with you on red bird, blue bird, brown bird, etc. Then I got hooked and spent hundreds of hours watching the little critters until I learned how to identify them. It’s sort of like reading a mystery book, looking at all the clues — size of bill, color of legs, eye ring or not, etc., to solve the mystery. People who know me were amazed at my patience for these featured creatures, seeing how patience in other contexts is what I consider the excuse for being a couch potato.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com