Esquire, the self-proclaimed “magazine about the interests, the curiosity, the passions, of men,” just served up a provocative feature on The 75 Skills Every Man Should Master. Of course these essential skills includes perennial testosterone-drenched favorites like throwing a punch, cooking meat, and kicking ass. Hey, this is what we men do. But as the list slides into home, author Tom Chiarella delivers a shocker:
74. Know some birds. If you can’t pay attention to a bird, then you can’t learn from detail, you aren’t likely to appreciate the beauty of evolution, and you don’t have a clue how birdlike your own habits may be. You’ve been looking at them blindly for years now. Get a guide.
Suddenly, I feel a lot more manly about stalking the tops of trees to spy colorful little birds! If you’re ready to bird like a man but need some guidance on a guide, pick up the Sibley Eastern or Western Field Guides for North America and the The Complete Guide to the Birds of Europe for the western reaches of the Old World. I, on the other hand, will continue identifying birds WITH MY BARE HANDS.
That’s hilarious! And yet, the reason given is quite correct and astute. I just read an article a few minutes ago about how poetry readers are more active, listen to more music, volunteer more, and have fresher breath & whiter teeth (well, maybe not the latter two) and now I find that birding is an essential manly skill! I’ve been totally validated! Thanks for posting this.
You sure he didn’t mean “Know some birds (gastronomically)”?
With your bare hands is implied of course.
Wow, that’s some good press.
Great list, some really good stuff in there. Of course, I was predisposed to like it.
Thanks for posting it!
Does the the publication of this article by Esquire mean that every time I see a life bird I must now say a Quagmiresque “giggity, giggity, giggity” or perhaps a more emphatic “Ow!”?
I don’t know. Knowing birds has been of absolutely zero use to me when it comes to picking up chicks. Unless you mean wild turkey chicks. Or ducklings. I did that when I was younger and didn’t know better.
That is hilarious, Carrie. John, I’m not so sure…
Nathan, it may be implied but still sounds tougher that way, doesn’t it?
Bare hands?
I don’t know.
Don’t men usually do it blindfolded and with headphones on?
I’m glad you liked it. I like your blog too.
Hey, Teddy Roosevelt liked identifying birds and he led as masculine a life as anyone. I’ve talked to quite a few hunters who tell me one of the things they enijoy most is being outdoors and they do pay attention to songbirds. But maybe we need to strees the point more. We should invite Chuck Norris birding and get him hooked. Then, watch out!
Tom, it’s quite impressive how elegantly you tied together a number of compelling reasons to pay attention to birds. Thanks for stopping by!
Shawn, I agree with you. However, rumor has it that most birds like to go Chuck Norris-watching.
Actually, being a reporter for newspapers, I’ve often argued that every reporter (male or female) should take up birdwatching. It makes you pay attention to detail and learn to listen well. It also hones your deductive reasoning skills. You learn to figure out where to find what you’re seeking and figure out what it is you’re seeing. You also learn to walk right up to people and start asking questions.