On Wed, 16 Apr 1997 16:24:45 -0700 "Jared Malone" <jaredm at pemail.net>
writes:
>My mom is seeing someone and this person, Bob, is into birding. I knew
>that he liked too look at birds but I don't understand WHY a person
would
>be a birder. After observing this mailing list, I have come to the
>conclusion that the majority of you viewers are serious birders, and I
would be
>interested in hearing your thoughts as to why you look for birds, what
>thrills you about seeing a bird, or any thoughts you have about the
>topic.

Hi Jared -

I'm a birder because I like nature, I like being outdoors, I like
learning new things, and I like solving small mysteries. Also, I like to
travel and meet new people.

Sometimes the unexpected sight of a beautiful bird will make you gasp
with awe. Birds are full of wonder, especially in flight. Some birds
are beautiful and graceful, like the egrets and herons. Some birds are
powerful, like the big hawks and the eagles. Some birds are sort of
ugly, like the vultures. But a vulture is beautiful in flight. An eagle
can be silly when he's sliding on the ice. And reddish egrets can look
really funny when they're doing their dance (they stir up the water with
their feet to flush out their prey-it looks like they're dancing). Some
birds are tiny and jewel-like (the hummingbirds). But the hummingbirds
are also feisty and aggressive, and some fly all the way across the Gulf
of Mexico during migration, so they're tougher than they look. Birds
will always surprise you by what they do.

Some people enjoy the scientific aspects of bird watching, like
identification of sub-species, or bird census counts, or bird banding.
Some people enjoy photographing birds.

I could go on and on, but maybe you get the picture. Birding is
exciting, and fun. You can do it by yourself or with a friend or
relative, or in a group. You can do as much or as little of it as you
like. You can watch birds at your backyard bird feeder, bird in various
places in your state, or travel around the country like I do, or even
around the world. You can sit still and watch birds, or hike and watch
birds, or bike and watch birds. You can tailor your birding to whatever
you want it to be.

Some people have little competitions with themselves (or with others) to
see how many different bird species they can see in the U.S., or their
home state, or in a certain year My challenge to myself is to get my
"life list" of birds up to 500 species before 1997 is over. I have 445
right now, so I'll have to do some more traveling. I love to travel to
new places, so that's part of the fun of birding for me.

After a hard day at work (or school), it's great to head for the woods
with your binoculars and field guide and just hike and relax and look at
the birds. All the hassles of the day seem to float away over the
treetops.

Birding is different things to different people, so you will probably get
many answers. I hope I have answered your question, in part.

I mostly started reading your message because of your name. My
grandson's name is Jared too, and he lives in Tacoma. He's only 5 years
old though (but he already has a pair of kids' binoculars, and a
beginner's bird book). He likes the big birds, like the swans and ducks.

Cathi Pelletier
Waterbury, CT
Heronwing at juno.com