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My name is Jane, and I'm a Birder.
But that is a fairly recent development.
A few years ago, I took a picture of a bird in my yard -- a "sparrow" with a red head. Now, I was pretty sure sparrows didn't have red heads, so I had to figure out what this bird was. I looked it up in the only field guide we had at the time, and found the bird was a House Finch. And this field guide said the House Finch was only found in California and New York -- I had a rare bird in my yard! Now, because I'm a bit of a geek, I went to the internet to do some research, and I found out a couple of things. One, I needed a new field guide -- mine was 30 years old and the House Finch has covered most of North America since it was published! I also discovered that Louisiana has great birds and great birding resources. I learned there are over 400 species of bird have been spotted within the Louisiana state borders and that some really cool ones can be found right here around Baton Rouge. I learned that our location on the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River, and that our large expanses of marsh and swamp land in the south and forests and farm land in the north, make Louisiana naturally attractive to birds. I learned we have different birds depending on the time of year -- residents who live here year round, those that migrate through, and the seasonal types that spend part of the year.** A whole new world opened up to me, and it's been great fun exploring it!
Now, as I said, I am a geek, so one of the things I did from the beginning was to use technology as a birding and learning tool. I got a digital video camera and used that instead of a still camera. I found that video captured the movement, the sound, the behavior of a bird as well as the look of it -- all things that are essential for identification. I could take a short video, study it back at home to see if I could figure out what I'd seen, and if I got really stuck, upload it and ask people for help. Have I mentioned what nice people birders are? I've met tons of great people through birding, all across the country. And they're all so helpful. One of the absolute truths is that a key to becoming a better birder is to hang out with people who know more than you do!
The videos came in handy in another way, too. As soon as I discovered what a cool pasttime this was, I decided i had to share it, especially with children. I started volunteering to do programs at schools. What an absolute joy is a classroom full of third graders who are excited about birds! I became Education Chair with the Baton Rouge Audubon Society and developed and delivered classes for kids and adults alike. My classes are designed for the beginner -- those folks like me that are just discovering birds. I'm essentially passing along what I've learned so far, and it's so much fun to do so!
I'm sure my family and friends would say that I've become a tad obsessed with this. I'll admit it some times :-) But it's a very rewarding avocation, with nothing but an upside, so there's no turning back now!
So, share my journey as I learn about birds. See what I saw. Hear what I heard. Feel what I felt. Let your spirit soar as mine has done!
--Jane
** to learn more about why Louisiana is so important for birds, visit Audubon's Important Bird Area page for Louisiana
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