Back at the bird shop
Previous raving about The Back Yard Bird Shop doesn't end.
This morning I got myself out of bed, when I'd much have enjoyed staying there, to go on a bird walk. I'm not a 'BIRDER'. I like birds, I put bird seed in the two feeders off my deck, I can identify maybe 12 birds by general class (swallow, eagle, hawk...). But I'm not a birder. So, when I was visiting The Backyard Bird Shop I signed up for the 'birdwalk' at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge for the coming Saturday; I was doing so in the spirit of learning.
The bird walk was today.
Well, it was an interesting group that showed up at the shop to carpool to the refuge. Let me back up a few steps - I'm a walker, a hiker. When I signed up for a walk that leaves at 8 and returns around noon, I'm expecting that we'll be in motion most of the time, probably completing a couple of the side loops and the whole main trail. Well, I was a bit concerned when one of the people who joined us was moving around with the assistance of a cane.
My first clue that this group was different from other walking groups I've participated on, was when we didn't leave the store until 8:19. We got to the refuge about 8:40. Not bad, but...I'm ready to get on the trail!
I'm new to bird walks. I think 'birdwalk' is a misnomer. Today I heard someone else call it 'bird stops'. That's appropriate! Honestly, it took the other members of the group 27 minutes to leave the parking lot! I looked (from several yards down the trail!) back at the group and there they were - standing around chit-chatting! Ten minutes later, I look and everyone has binoculars to their faces and they're aimed to the northeast. I watch some swans (I didn't have binoculars) and ten minutes after that I see the group has shifted positions and are pointed southwest. Alright already! I'm waiting!
Forty five minutes later, I have to leave for another appointment. The group has identified 37 different birds and moved approximately 300 yards down the trail. I'm freezing in the 43 degree fog. I gotta' go.
But I'll be back. I'll wear three more layers of clothes, bring my binoculars and be ready to learn. The leader of the 'birdwalk' was incredibly knowledgeable. The whole group was very well versed in birds and it was a very good experience. I'm quite impressed with the people that can hear a particular note among a cacaphony of sound and identify a single bird. Amazing. Plus, it's a great reason for a real slow stroll...
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