Hobbies: A Glimpse Into Birding

We take birds for granted. These fabulous creatures are worthy of our affection, symbolic of the innate beauty and diversity of our planet. During the pandemic, I found myself leaning into my curiosity for the natural world and one of the ways in which that curiosity expressed itself was through birding. When I was younger, I vividly remember watching flocks of black birds spiraling the morning gray skies on my way to school. Their performance inspired me even during the darkest of times; things might not have been going well, but watching the birds made life a bit more bearable. I would circle them with my eyes, as if I was trying to catch them but if there's anything I've learned from birding it's that you cannot contain nature.

In 2021 I purchased my first pair of binoculars, determined to study the birds that visited my backyard. At the same time I began gardening, I also set up a bird feeder to support my brethren with beaks. I knew absolutely nothing about birds. The only species of bird I felt familiar with was the mighty pigeon, and that too was a bird I neglected to notice. However, once I got my hands on those binoculars I started sitting outside in my yard trying to observe everything that I could about bird behavior. It was as if I was using my eyes for the first time, perceiving something I had never even thought of before.

It was, at times, funny to observe bird behavior. Birds are all around us, making their presence known. Whether it's the fuzzy outline of a nest in a tree, or the sound of birdsong, birds are sort of always there, yet this was my first time really appreciating them and sharing space with them. I was in complete awe of everything. I experienced pure joy watching cardinals swallow sunflower seeds. It was also just as exciting to realize that there were a lot more birds that visited my backyard than I had anticipated.

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