Be a Bird Watcher and be proud

Anyone who is a bird watcher belongs to a passionate group of people. Filled with a unique sense of wonder about the natural world, they also possess an element of perseverance and patience that might drive many in our busy society to the brink of insanity. Those who bird watch are a different breed, and the world has a lot to learn from them.

The passion and pleasure that a bird watcher finds in that hobby is inspirational. Those who bird watch are unique group of people. Bird watchers have a great sense of awareness as to what is going on around them and a degree of patience that is rare in our society.

The average bird watcher makes up a valuable quadrant of modern society. Through their passion, these people help to make the rest of us aware of conservation needs and of just how much beauty the world holds. The perseverance that a bird watcher displays is inspirational to every portion of our culture.

A bird watcher will find as much delight in telling you about how they got to the place where they saw a particular species as they will about the bird itself. There is something satisfying about trotting up a hill, climbing an old barbed wire fence, and then sliding down a muddy ravine just to catch a glimpse of a warbler family flitting amongst some remote treetops. Western society has made people quite content to drive up to a window, order, and then be on the way without ever getting out of the car. If only birding were that easy. Bird watchers can teach the busy world around them about what it means to deliberate, and to spend all day working towards a goal that may not even come to fruition. After all, not every outing is a successful one.

A disciplined bird watcher has lessons to teach about being still. Deeply ingrained within the professional worlds that most people inhabit is an innate need to be productive. The idea of doing nothing and simply waiting quietly for something to happen is appalling. Most people believe that the way to get ahead is to be accomplishing something, anything, while your competition is resting. Bird watching in lion country provides a tremendous opportunity to shake off that mind set and to find joy in simply waiting and watching.

The ability to be quiet and observe is one of a bird watcher's greatest attributes. Many folks in this culture spend all of their time rushing and being proactive and frowning upon idle moments. Bird watching however, teaches that there is something gained by being still. It teaches that, when one allows a sense of quiet to settle in, an amazing number of intricate details can be observed about the world.

Society can learn from the patience of a bird watcher. A business mindset causes many to think that times of inactivity are wasted. Successful people in this world capitalize on every available moment and use those moments to be proactive. The bird watchers demonstrate first hand that this in not necessarily true. These people show the world that sometimes, the best and most rewarding things are the ones that you waited patiently, quietly, and for a long time to get.

To be a bird watcher is to do a great service to society by being passionate about conservation. Building processes and roads continue to destroy acres of forested ground and prime avian habitat. Various voices of the bird watching community are speaking loudly and clearly about the importance of preserving these habitats. Bird watching enthusiasts know that progress is inevitable, but that we must work diligently to find a balance with the natural world. This passion for conservation is often born out of the time that a birder spends in the field, marveling over the complexity of not only the birds, but the entire eco-system that they call home as well.

A bird watcher cannot wear the mantel of responsibility lightly as he or she tries to share the passion and joy found within their hobby. The next generation of bird watchers will be vitally important in all aspects of conservation. A veteran bird watcher can also take pride in passing along the passion, and instill a sense of patience, adventure and discipline in future generations of bird watchers.

It is critical that the bird watcher realizes the importance of sharing the excitement and teaching new people to bird watch. Without a veteran bird watcher to spread the word, the next generation may never come to know the thrill of a day spent in the field. The knowledge that has been built up over a lifetime of note keeping and observation could be lost.

A veteran bird watcher must understand the responsibility he or she has to the bird watching community. An experienced bird watcher needs to be proactive about bringing new enthusiasts along and teaching the proper methods and ethics of birding. As long as every generation is willing to take the time to pass along their knowledge, then the movement to conserve habitat will continue to thrive.

So develop a broader sense of birding. Bring birds around more often and dance to the tune of their music while you get and keep them in your area longer with bird feeders.

Learn a lot more: The “Everything You Want to Know About Birdfeeders” Guide