birdsoup

This is hawk migration time and in the past ten day I visited hawk watches three times spending a total of about 5-6 hours scanning the sky for raptors. I can count the total number of birds seen using only the fingers of both hands. You might think how much time I wasted.
But actually, I found the time rejuvenating. The weather was lovely each time and I was totally engrossed. Didn’t feel disappointed at all. Just the opposite. I was fired up to do it again.

Some birders believe the only way to measure the success of a birding trip is to tally-up the species seen. The more, the better. A low number of species means a bad trip. Not me. I feel if you knew exactly what you were going to see each time you ventured out, it would be as much fun. The bad days are what make the good days so good.

And, I feel, one good look at a new bird, or a familiar bird doing something unusual, is better than long list of birds ticked off and then forgotten.