All wildlife is precious so I endeavour to enjoy every moment...

Red Deer, originally uploaded by mcapper.

So goes the headline of a blog I found this morning. Frank's Early Birder blog is, as you might have guessed, about birding. and other wildlife. and plants. in the UK. And he gets to spend his days playing with plants (the fancy shmancy name for that is evidently Horticulture).

But what really got me looking in to his blog was the subtitle. Enjoying every moment.
So often we race about looking for new things to point our eyes at. to ogle through binoculars. to occupy the interests of our macro lens. And all of these activities bring us immeasurable joy. But I sometimes get the feeling that following our desires/hobbies/habits about so often misses the reason why we are out there in the first place.

And so sometimes I leave the binoculars at home, hide the camera from myself, lock the telescope in the cellar, and go out birdwatching. This is the peaceful activity of watching and appreciating birds. I try not to name a single bird (not even in my head). I try not to recognize a single call. I just look at the pretty birdies. I take some time to look at the Goldfinches as they hop about. Place my little hinie on the wet floor and look up at the feeding flock above me.

Sometimes a little Marsh Tit (or Long-tailed Hermit, or African Broadbill) or something cool comes and sits on a branch right in front of my nose and I reach for the camera that is not there. Darn. I say. But then again, now I have the chance to really appreciate the living being in front of me, instead of frantically adjusting aperture settings.

A peace comes over me, and I smile.

The other advantage for the birder in me is that one tends to spend more time really noticing and observing birds. Sometimes I will go out and do serious birding without any optical equipment. This really tests one's skill as now one has to rely on subtle behavioural cues, a soft chirp and "gut feel" to identify what is about. Done often enough, when I do go out with pretty Austrian optical equipment and get a gorgeously large view of the bird, I am way more likely to just know what it is even before I have had a chance to look for the pale spot at the base of the bill.

The Deer photo was taken by Mathew, who has dedicated his life to the conservation and appreciating of birds and other living things.

Happy birding
Dale Forbes