Sharing the Joy of Birds

[Caleb A]

Hello CObirds!

Regretfully, I do not have a rare bird to report today, but I do want to take a moment to talk about one of my growing favorite parts of birding: making newer birders.

I love to teach, especially when I'm sharing something I love, and birds are no exception. I'm a teenager, so there are always the occasional awkward side glances when I tell my peers about my hobby, but I've discovered (through many conversations) that the majority of people in all age groups are interested in birds to an extent. Not just that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of these people would be interested in birding, but they just don't know how to start or how any of it works.

I am currently guiding several classmates through the beginning phases of birding (who are already catching on pretty quickly) and I've noticed that my family is recognizing the birds around them more often (my Grandma has a wonderful pair of feeders that sported some great activity this past month). For those of you who know what Nextdoor is, I've found that there is a whole community of nonbirders who want to learn more about birds, whether it's identification tips or just how to attract birds to their yards to watch. I had the opportunity to show a neighborhood resident a beautiful, cooperative Townsend's Warbler on their walk, and yesterday I led a bird walk for some local girl scouts (unexpectedly picking up a FOY Prairie Falcon along the way).

I'm finding that sharing birds with our friends, peers, and communities is just one more fun aspect of birding for me and thought I'd encourage this wonderful Colorado birding community to keep making birders! We live in a great state for the hobby, after all...

The birds are happy, and so am I

~Caleb Alons, Larimer County

[David Tønnessen]

Nice work, Caleb. Engaging others in nature and encouraging new birders is one of the best things we can do if we truly care about birds and the future of our environment.

Sincerely,

David Tonnessen

Colorado Springs

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[Larry Modesitt]

Well said, Caleb and David,

While we birders love to see the rarities, it’s good to remember that the commonness of birds also is special. Birds are ubiquitous, eking out a living from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and everywhere in between. Everyone can notice birds—plumage, nest-building, young-tending, how and what they eat. As we enjoy the birds, we can’t help but notice how difficult their lives are—finding food and shelter, escaping predators, attracting mates, making epic migrations. The more we learn about birds, the more we appreciate each bundle of feathers. That leads us to wanting to protect those fragile creatures—and that’s what leads us to conservation of all the habitat those bundles of energy depend on. Thank you., Caleb, for helping to lead other folks, not just to birds, but to a recognition of how life works, and what we can do to conserve it.

Larry Modesitt

Arvada

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[Caleb A]

Hi David and Larry!

This reminds me of a little thesis I did for an essay I wrote in German, where I argued that the most effective form of conserving and stewarding the environment is showing more and more people what they are protecting. People might pass you off if you attempt a lecture on recycling, reducing developing more land, or ambiguously "going green," but show those same people a nest full of baby Goldfinches or Kingbirds, and it begins a chain reaction of practices that end up being more environmentally-aware than before.

Perhaps this may be an unpopular opinion, but I think people feel like they need to speak for nature so much so, instead of allowing nature to speak for itself. Birds tend to be better communicators (and convincers) that encourage ecofriendly behavior for that matter as well...

Great birding ahead of us yet this fall!