“Some people are very competitive in their birding. Maybe they'll die happy, having seen a thousand species before they die, but I'll die happy knowing I've spent all that quiet time being present.”― Lynn Thomson
A birding life list is a list count of all the avians a birder has ever observed and properly identified.
Many dedicated birders allocate time and resources just to be able to keep their lists growing.
If you are casual bird watchers like we are, it is possible to grow your list to 100 species or more if you are on a migration route.
Linda and I don't keep meticulous records (or any records at all outside of our memories) and we aren't obsessed with growing our list. We don't even know exactly how many species are on our list.
We have never traveled specifically to find new birds to add to our list like serious birders do, although we always watched for birds everywhere we went.
These days it is not often that we get to add new birds to our life list.
But today we did. Right from the comfort of home.
We have never before had the pleasure of seeing snow buntings, the hardiest, most mysterious, and possibly cutest of little birds.
They breed in the high arctic, and migrate south as far as northern USA. They are not fond of forests, preferring open, flat areas like where they breed.
Yesterday, while in the kitchen, Linda looked out our front door and saw a flock of about 40 cute, plump, mostly white birds pecking on the gravel/lawn.
We had never seen them before so got out the binoculars for a better look. A quick search on the internet led us to find what they were.
Snow buntings!
We mentally added them to our list.
We will never join the prestigious "600" club, which would mean observeding 75% of all the species found in North America.
But Nova Scotia is a birding hot spot with over 478 species that either live here or pass through. About 174 species breed here. Pretty impressive numbers.
Still, we will never be ranked among the top birders that count their life lists in the thousands of species.
The world record holder has 9684 species on his list, after travelling to 120 countries over many decades to complete this impressive feat.
If you are interested in working on your own list, just for fun, there are rules to adding entries.
1. The bird must be observed in its native habitat.
2. It can't be captive, must be found wild and free. A bird in a cage doesn't count.
3. It must be positively identified.
4. It must be ethically observed, meaning it can't be added to your list if it is seen while trespassing on private land, or if the bird has been intentionally flushed.
5. The bird can't be dead.
If a 600 life list is too ambitious, you might try a back yard list.
It is a free and fun way to observe nature and get to know your local area better.
For us birding is a simple pleasure we really enjoy, and we are so grateful for the snow buntings coming to visit us.
We wish them well on their approaching migration back north.
The tenant who parks right outside my kitchen window had a thin plastic bag of millet slip out of her grocery tote as she was unloading her vehicle the other day. Well, I don't know who was happier, the dozens of chirping little chickadees tripping and dancing in excitement over the bounty in the snow, or my ginger fluff ball of a cat, wide-eyed and tensed up on the windowsill willing the screen to disappear. And the chatter! I had forgotten how noisy a banditry (I had to look that up) if chickadees can be.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful description of a precious moment. We love chickadees, being one of the hardy birds that stay throughout the winter and tough it out with us. Not that we have had much of a winter this year...
DeleteI have read that a group of hummingbirds can be referred to as "a glitter". One of my favourites!
- Gregg