May 11, 2007

There are three qualities all serious birders have. The first is optimism. It takes optimism to go out in the field not certain of what you will see. A birder needs optimism because without optimism why not just stay home? The second quality is integrity. A birder must be honest with themselves and with others. Like a golfer who is not honest about their score, a birder who has intentionally lied or stretched a report can never be trusted. The third is the willingness to get up early. Passerines or song birds are active in the morning and in general the morning is the best time to find them. A birder who likes to sleep in will not see as many birds, nor will they be able to make it to a desired field location until after the peak of activity is past.

Tomorrow is International Migratory Bird Day. I will be going with my friends Dan and Carol to one of the great birding spots in the world. The boardwalk at Magee Marsh. I could see the same variety of birds here in Lake County, maybe more. But Magee is an Island of forest in a sea of wetland and water. It concentrates migrating birds and provides for spectacular viewing. It is a natural aviary, where on a good day you can see 28 or so warbler species and over 100 species total. On a great day you not only see a variety of species, but the numbers of individuals concentrated in that small area can be quite impressive.

Twenty years ago Magee Marsh was not on the radar of birders outside of Ohio. There was no boardwalk, and on a may weekend you might find 50 or so birders on the dirt trails. But those 50 people were dedicated, serious, and good birders. Today around1000 people visit the boardwalk on a weekend day in May. Of those less than 50 will be dedicated, serious, good birders. the kind of people you can really trust. In this case the others are not dishonest as just unskilled and inexperienced. They are there for the annual show. The chances I will get a new bird, a lifer or a state bird tomorrow are very low. more than 1 in 500. But one never knows Still one always has to be careful and honest about what one observes. The mental game of birding is that you begin to understand how rare rarities are. You start to try to talk yourself out of your own observation or you let someone else do it. Without a picture you only have your own skill as an observer and your own integrity. Otherwise the person you ultimately fool is yourself.

There was no time for much this evening. I am fixing breakfast for my friends in the morning. They will be here at 5 am and we will be on the road at 5:30. I needed to do some cooking tonight so I could get up at 4:30 and not 4. The green of the forest beckoned. The rapid musical songs of the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks try to draw me outside. The Hermit Thrush song says come see me, one last time before I move north. But I will get up early, fix breakfast and be on the road so we can be on the boardwalk by 7:30. Not especially early but not late either. It will be cool and partly cloudy if the foreguesst is to be believed. Still I know I will see birds tomorrow. My optimism makes the sacrifice of getting up an hour early worth it , no matter what we end up seeing.