Mark and Robyn
Becoming birders was purely accidental. On January 1, 2016 Robyn and I decided that we would start the New Year off by kayaking in the Nanaimo River Estuary but on that particular morning it was stunningly clear and well below freezing, so much that our kayaks and put in location were frozen solid.
Instead, we decided to hike around the estuary with our old clunky Bushnell binoculars and Sony point and shoot cameras to check out some of the big white swans that we could see in the distance. Along the way we came across birds with stunning white and black puffed up heads with glowing yellow eyes and loon like birds with crested heads and reddish orange beaks. We also spotted a number of small black and white birds whose black feathers turned into ever changing hues of glossy green and purple in the sunshine.
That night we found a 1990 Peterson Field Guide and searched through the pages for the birds we took photos of earlier in the day. January 1, 2016 we identified our first four "lifers" ..... Trumpeter Swans, Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers and Buffleheads and ever since birds have been more than just little brown jobs to us.
Since that first day we have spent countless hours scanning the skies, lakes, creeks, oceans, forests, meadows, farmland, brambles, parking lots, busy city streets and have even stayed up into the wee hours of the following morning in search of birds (owls) that we never knew existed. We are also active volunteers (citizen scientists) with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory which monitors bird migration.
Birding together has its advantages since four eyes are better than two and it makes identifying species interesting especially when we have a "what's that?" moment. I like to watch birds through my camera lens while Robyn likes to look for birds with her binoculars and both methods have been very successful and rewarding in what we have discovered. It's a great partnership!
The best thing about birding is that it is extremely easy to do and can be done practically anywhere in the world and is a relatively inexpensive pastime. For example, with little effort our backyard has become a beehive of daily activity and it has allowed us to closely watch the many species come and go as the seasons change and this is all done from the warmth of our home.
We are excited about what opportunities birding will bring us in the future and look forward to sharing our adventures with you.
Need to contact us?? whatsthatbirders@gmail.com
