When I tell people I enjoy bird watching most of the time I get puzzled looks and than the inevitable question. How did someone like you get into birding? That’s a two part question really. The story about what bird sparked my life long passion for our avian lives and how did a guy like me consider himself a birder?
I’ll answer the second part of that question first. Most look at me and other birders with a stereotypical image of what a birdwatcher looks and acts like. Since the 1960’s in general, the environmental movement has been gaining speed and it’s image has broaden to almost every walk of life. Being an environmentalist is trendy and translates to a hip and young image of someone who calls themselves one. The same isn’t so true for the birding movement. Both movements are rooted in the same consciousness, but we birders are still described as “bird nerds”.
I always feel like my man card is being challenged. Birders haven’t been listed on the site http://artofmanliness.com/, but with people out there like Pete Dunne and Kenn Kaufmann I think were breaking down the walls, little by little. So to break the stereotype here on my web blog I will provide proof that myself, as a birder, do not fit the stereotype and that it is manly to watch birds(or womanly we aren’t sexists).
- I love Jerry Reed and own his record albums to this day.
- On my mantle in my dining room sits a 2 foot arm wrestling trophy.
- Served in the US Marines, honor graduate of their NCO leadership school.
- Ran the Honolulu Marathon in less than 2 days.
- Drank beer in Thailand while eating fried frog legs.
- When I’m not curling beer I curl 60lb dumb bells in the gym.
- Completed a Rocky Gap Adventure Race
- Hiked all of the New York Appalachian trail with my dog Mika, who recently passed on. God bless my dog, I miss him.
- I took classes to get my NJ bow hunting licenses and even gutted a deer.
- I play Texas Holdem for fun and can push all in against an opponent holding only a 2d6c.
- I’ve worn a tank top printed with the words,”Klockleaner” to a party.
Now that I’m off of the defensive I can continue the conversation with a more heartfelt and nostalgic tone. Most birders remember one bird that light the fire for their passion with bird watching. I’ve heard some strange stories from other birders about how their interest in avian lives was cultivated. My story isn’t that unusual but it is where it all began.
I was stationed in Marine Corp Base Hawaii, Kaneohe bay, HI, for 3 years. During which I hiked every trail there was on the island of Oahu twice, once solo and the second time around I took a friend for photos. My only regret is that I did not catch the birding bug earlier than I did.
During one of those weekend hikes I discovered an owl by accident. I was somewhere on the Windward side of the island hiking when I turned on the trail near a small grove of pines and out dropped an owl. Or least to the best of my limited experience an owl. I never did get a bird book or binoculars until I got back to the mainland and was discharged from the Marines.
In retrospect I believe the owl that started my fascination with birds was the Pueo. This adds a layer of mysticism to my story. The Pueo Hawaiian owl is a bird of legend. It is called the Protector. One part of it’s legend is that a man named Kapoi stole an owls’ eggs and had wrapped them in leaves and was going to cook them in a traditional ground oven when the Pueo owl swooped down and asked the man for them back. The man did not have fish and wanted to cook the eggs anyway. Then the owl said, "Kapoi, you are heartless. You have no sorrow for me and you care only about yourself." Kapoi was embarrassed. Feeling sorry for the owl, he said, "Come and get your eggs."The man finally coincided and gave the owl back it’s eggs. There is more to the legend but here is where I believe the hand of destiny can be seen.
The Pueo story, that peeked my curiosity, is one of man’s repeated disturbances in nature and our ability to correct our mistakes. Our insight into what is right and wrong and the decisions we make effects who we are and how our world will prevail.
Looking back I can see how my own story can gain inspiration from Kapoi’s trials. I too feel sorry for the owl and all other birds and animals that are endangered or threatened by man’s hands. Like the owl became the man Kapoi’s protector that same owl in Hawaii became my protector and opened up a world I did not see or know held so much beauty. This portion of the original question,” How did someone like you get into birding?” usually brings out the Bird nerd in me. But each day, living in good stewardship of the lands that I walk and with my interactions with others, I believe the birds that inspired me can inspire all of us.
The Bluebirds weren’t hard to find and neither were the smiles on the two young girls’ faces as they got up close views of nature and built lifetime memories of first ever sightings of our Avian friends. One of my favorite quotes is from author Richard Louv, “We only value what we know and what we love.” That’s plain common sense. But seeing how much a brief walk in the woods can do for a family is inspirational; shared experiences, learned passions and respect, and lifetime memories. The lesson of the day is to go birding, and take a friend or in our case a whole new family of friends. A brief list of our highlight birds are below.
