Storytelling in Warm Weather Goes to the Birds
Have you ever walked in a bird’s “shoes”? I don’t mean a superficial walking as in a bird has feathers, he or she eats worms and builds nests, and she lays eggs. No, nothing nearly as simplistic as that.
Put their four-toed shoes on and do what they do.
- Scratch for worms.
- Eat seeds.
- Poop on cars.
- Fly long distances.
- Gather twigs.
- Build nests.
- Sing in trees.
Not literally, of course, but empathize by feeling what they feel. As a romance writer, I must get to know my characters on that deep of a level. Who knows how much longer we’ll have to enjoy our feathered friends? With the rapid disappearance of bird natural habitats and climate change devastating their daily lives, empathy is more important now than ever before. Birding is an activity that can serve you well.
Before I Define Birding
Say No to Screen Time and Yes to Family Game Night addressed an alternative to screen time. That alternative was family game night with board- and/or card games as well as snacks. Guess what? Here’s another alternative: birding.
Introduction to Birding
Once the weather starts getting warmer, people as well as animals are eager to be outside. The National Audubon Society (NAS) defines birding, formerly known as bird watching, as observing birds in their natural habitats.
Stopping to watch a hummingbird drink nectar from a flower, for example, is birding. Listening to a male mourning dove cooOOO-woo-woo-woo his lover is another example.
It isn’t only watching, and it isn’t just listening. Observing encompasses all five senses.
How many birds can you find?
What are those birds doing, thinking, and feeling? Give them voices.
Unlike hunting, birding doesn’t embrace killing or otherwise endangering birds or their habitats. The NAS doesn’t support that, either. Because no harm comes, I could use birding in one of my romance novels.
Birding has become a popular interest. It’s so well liked that each state established its own Audubon society or at least something related to birds.
Audubon Society by State (alphabetical order)
Who can be a birder?
Anyone and everyone.
Humans can take pleasure.
So can a cat.
A cat and a bird can even become friends.
If you’re hearing impaired, you can still enjoy birding. Use your eyes to admire birds’ surroundings. Touch the bark of the tree they nest in.
If you’re vision impaired, you can still enjoy birding. Listen to their tunes and for their wingbeats. Smell the earth they find worms in.
Birding is such a flexible hobby that the NAS harps doing it alone or in a group.
What do I need to go birding?
The NAS talks about birders using binoculars and spotting scopes.
Another article delves into birders taking photos. We, for example, took some of our peacock and a turkey that wandered up our driveway. A pair of blue jays attacked my dad as he was walking by a magnolia tree. They had a nest in that tree and were teaching their hatching to fly.
We got some photos, but not with a camera any fancier than a smaller digital one that most everyone has.
What you need depends on how intimate you want to get with your new hobby. Whether writing a story or following a couple (how romantic would that be?), however, a book on identifying birds in your locale sounds like a no-brainer.
Where can I go birding?
Anywhere. You can watch birds from a bench in the city park or from your apartment window. Outside or inside will do as well as in the country, in the city, or everywhere in between those two extremes. Birds are in whichever climate allows them to thrive, which makes birding a great hobby to call your own.
When is the best time for birding?
That depends on what type of bird you are interested in observing. Owls, for example, are nocturnal but eagles aren’t. Both species are known as predatory birds. Like us, most birds are active during the day and asleep at night.
Consult your state’s Audubon website or a bird book for more information.
Three Most-Seen Birds in Maryland
Why should I go birding?
- To get another perspective on life,
- To find a new hobby, or
- To write a story.
Whether it be songbirds . . .
. . . birds of paradise . . .
. . . or predatory birds,
it’s time to go outside and watch some.
How was your birding experience? Is it your new hobby? Why or why not? Do you want to share your story? If so, head over to my Facebook group and join. I’ll comment on your story as both a reader and an amateur environmentalist as well as a writer.