Birding ramblings (long)

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Thu, 21 Jan 1999 09:08:45 -0500


Howdy All!

     Marshall, I got a hearty laugh out of the enthusiasm you put
into your subject line about a Downy Woodpecker at Smith Island.
I know of only a few people who'd get that kind of thrill at
seeing a Downy Woodpecker out of place.  Congratulations on a
great sighting!  The thrill of discovery is one of the many
pleasures of birding.  And kudos to you and Jim and others who
keep good records.  Our ability to conserve, as it relates to
birds and birding, will only be as good as the records we
maintain.  (How would we know to save a tract of land if we did
not know what was already there?)

     And Ellen, thanks for reminding us to be constantly aware of
the things we do and how it affects conservation.  While I think
we all mean well, our actions do not always reflect the best
interests of the world around us.

     The amount of effort I put into last year's [purely selfish]
birding extravaganza had plenty of costs, and not all related to
conservation either.  I burned plenty of fossil fuels in 100,000+
miles of travel.  I ate plenty of crummy sandwiches at gas
stations and convenience stores for which I am wearing an extra
20 lbs.  I didn't take time to go to a doctor last year until Dec
29--and I am still sick.  I moved at the end of March and have
yet to unpack.  I have stacks of unopened mail cluttering my
apartment and magazines still in their wrappers.  I chose not to
contribute to a 401k this year so that I would have more money to
contribute toward my birding goal.  I still have a couple
unpacked suitcases, too.  My contract at work is up at the end of
January and I still have no positive job prospects.  I made no
extra effort this year to learn any new computer skills as I
spent all my exra time planning for my next trip.  I racked up
plenty of credit card debt, too.  I spent several dangerous
all-nighters traveling and birding at risk to both myself and
others.  At one point, I lived for 3 days on a jar of
peanutbutter and a bag of pretzels because it was what I could
afford.

     All of this I did for my own aspirations, my own goals, my
own dreams.  I did not set out last year to make the world a
better place.  I did it because I saw a window of
opportunity--and I siezed it--for myself.  At many times during
the year, I stopped myself and asked, "Is it worth it?"  After
all, I was "just" birding.

     But it was the experiences that spurred me on last year.
Experiences of meeting wonderful people who offered great
encouragement for my own selfish goal.  I couldn't believe their
generosity.  And then there were the thrills of traveling to new
places and the joys seeing beautiful birds, lots of birds, and
the agony of the misses, too.

     And I was very thankful.  Thankful to have feet to hike,
eyes to see, and ears to hear.  Things I knew I couldn't count on
forever.

     And there was always this little voice inside.  With a sence
of urgency, it told me, "Hurry.  See it now.  It may never be the
same again."  And I knew things would never be the same.  It was
the voice of my own experience...birding for over 30 years and
seeing the decline in habitat and numbers of birds with my own
eyes.

     This last weekend I was in South Carolina playing some very
rusty rounds of golf, another hobby of mine that has taken a back
seat for many years.  This time out, however, I checked my
feelings and sentiments.  One fairway on a brand new course ran
through the edge of a cypress swamp.  I felt the pangs of guilt
as I offered a golf ball sacrifice to the swamp.  My greens fees
were paying for the destruction of birding habitat.  Ouch.  So
much for those vile developers...alas, it was me who was the
offender this time.  The sun, near 70-degree temps, White Ibis in
the fairways, Brown-headed Nuthatches in the trees, and singing
Pine Warblers made me think of Spring.  Ahhh.

     While I may be able to play less golf and make other
contributions to conservation, I'll probably never give up
traveling altogether.  In fact, it'll probably increase.  My
passion will always be the adventure of traveling, discovery, and
a 10-yr-old's sense of wonder at the world of birding.  Though my
body ages outwardly, the 10-yr-old birder on the inside never
grows older, never grows tired, and longs continually for spring
migration, and the return of his favorites, the wood-warblers.
He dreams of "fallouts" and the thrill of the first, dazzling,
flame-throated jewel of spring, the Blackburnian Warbler.  It's
his favorite.  But keeping lists is fun, too.  He kept year lists
himself before there was an ABA or an RBA.  That probably won't
change either.  Each new year is different.  Every new year
starts at zero.  Every year is an adventure.

Finally (and you thought I'd never finish <grin>), Rachel Carson
sums up well the awesomeness of the extraordinary adventure of
exploring the great outdoors in her book, _The Sense of Wonder_:

     "Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among
     the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never
     alone or weary of life.  Whatever the vexations or
     concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts
     can find paths that lead to inner contentment and
     to renewed excitement in living.  Those who
     contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves
     of strength that will endure as long as life
     lasts.  There is symbolic as well as actual beauty
     in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of
     the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring.
     There is something infinitely healing in the
     repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that
     dawn comes after night, and spring after the
     winter."

Keep on birding!

-Greg Miller
Lusby, MD