Birds

The Birder Advantage

May 15, 2007 by Corey 3 Comments

Having friends, family, and coworkers know that I am a birder is a wonderful advantage. How? Well it’s kind of like a positive feedback loop. I go birding, see birds, and tell people my birding tales. This spurs them to pay attention to the birds around them and tell me what they see. A recent example:

American Robin nest

Yeah, I know, it doesn’t look like much. But if you look carefully you can see the tail of an incubating American Robin sticking out of the left side of her nest. I never would have seen this nest if it were not for my coworker Paula letting me know that her parents had a robin nesting right next to the window that is over their washing machine and dryer. So lunchtime yesterday we drove over for a look.

can’t you see I am busy?

not bad for a shot through window and screen

This bird has gotten very used to people getting close to it, mostly while they do laundry. It was unafraid, even when I went outside to get a better picture with the sun at my back:

frontal view

Thanks Paula! And I look forward to returning when the eggs have hatched!

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.