The Art of Birdering

Here’s a humorous post from a blogger on the West Coast:

Last winter, I joined Dennis Vollmar for an epic birding trip to Washington.  We saw EMPEROR GOOSE, KING EIDER, YELLOW-BILLED LOON, NORTHERN HAWK-OWL, GYRFALCON, and COMMON REDPOLL.  The birding was amazing throughout, however Damon Point provided excellent opportunity for some birdering.

Birdering is of course the sport of watching birders; the nerdier, the better.  As I walked along the mile peninsula to the huge concentration of birders gathered at the end, I knew that conditions were perfect for a once in a lifetime morning of birdering.  Winter storms had drawn the birders here from around the country and they were so focused on the birds that they allowed extremely close approach.  However,  every time I lined up the perfect shot of a birder, the same SNOWY OWL would fly right through the shot, photobombing it all the way.  This occurred time and time again until I finally gave up all efforts of documentation and left the birders to their strange and poorly understood rituals.

Notice the fine winter plumage of this pair. Facial hair is usually a reliable field mark which can be used to sex birders in the field during the winter season. The birder on the right foreground is a male and the other is presumably his mate.

Read the whole blog post.