I was trolling through some of the regional outdoor blogs I post on getoutzine.com and came upon this one, from Bird Watcher's Digest: Spark Bird. It's a great concept: what bird sparked your interest in your lifelong pursuit of bird watching?
I knew my answer immediately. When I lived in Colorado, I spent many an afternoon cycling on the roads where the high plains meet the Rocky Mountains. I wasn't a birder at all. Nor was I much interested in the world around me except to play in it. But there was this beautiful - beautiful! - bird song that demanded I listen. Now I am demanding, or at least requesting, that you listen.
Every time I jerked my helmeted head around to see where this song was coming from, a bird with a yellow breast with a big black V was sitting there on the fence. Could spotting it get any easier than that? I borrowed a friend's Peterson's Guide to Western birds and there it was - the Western meadowlark. Now I am only a backyard birder, but the many hours I spend at my desk are happily interrupted by looking at the birds poking around outside. I don't have a life list, but I do have a house list. A serious backyard birder, you could say.
I can also remember the first time I went rock climbing (Pepsi Rocks, Athens, OH), the first time I went whitewater rafting (The Yough, Ohiopyle, PA) and the first time I went backpacking (Dolly Sods, WV). These were all sparks that began a lifetime pursuit of serious outdoor adventure.
Don't underestimate the power of the spark. When you have the opportunity, introduce your favorite outdoor adventure sport to friends and family. Think ahead: if you take them to a beautiful place with nice conditions (spring wildflowers, fall colors), the experience just might spark them to become avid outdoor adventurers. In reverse, a not-so-nice place (proximity isn't everything) during not-so-nice conditions (freezing cold, oppressive heat, mosquitoes) may just turn them off for a lifetime. Choose wisely.
What was your spark? Share it at the Get Out! trip report.
I knew my answer immediately. When I lived in Colorado, I spent many an afternoon cycling on the roads where the high plains meet the Rocky Mountains. I wasn't a birder at all. Nor was I much interested in the world around me except to play in it. But there was this beautiful - beautiful! - bird song that demanded I listen. Now I am demanding, or at least requesting, that you listen.
Every time I jerked my helmeted head around to see where this song was coming from, a bird with a yellow breast with a big black V was sitting there on the fence. Could spotting it get any easier than that? I borrowed a friend's Peterson's Guide to Western birds and there it was - the Western meadowlark. Now I am only a backyard birder, but the many hours I spend at my desk are happily interrupted by looking at the birds poking around outside. I don't have a life list, but I do have a house list. A serious backyard birder, you could say.
I can also remember the first time I went rock climbing (Pepsi Rocks, Athens, OH), the first time I went whitewater rafting (The Yough, Ohiopyle, PA) and the first time I went backpacking (Dolly Sods, WV). These were all sparks that began a lifetime pursuit of serious outdoor adventure.
Don't underestimate the power of the spark. When you have the opportunity, introduce your favorite outdoor adventure sport to friends and family. Think ahead: if you take them to a beautiful place with nice conditions (spring wildflowers, fall colors), the experience just might spark them to become avid outdoor adventurers. In reverse, a not-so-nice place (proximity isn't everything) during not-so-nice conditions (freezing cold, oppressive heat, mosquitoes) may just turn them off for a lifetime. Choose wisely.
What was your spark? Share it at the Get Out! trip report.
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