Birding

One of the gifts and joys of my summer of 2005 was an introduction to birding. I discovered another world of beauty previously hidden from my consciousness. I had recently moved to Winnipeg from the west. While attending a fiftieth birthday party of a friend I met a birder. I went to London Drugs and purchased binoculars. I traveled dusty, country roads around the province searching the skies, upper branches of trees, dense shrubs, boggy marshes, windy lakes and arid fields in search of birds. My children raised their eyebrows and wondered what had happened to me.

I kind of wondered the same thing. My camera stayed in its bag. I looked through the binocular’s sharp lens and saw the tiniest movements, flitting reds, yellows, blues, greens of bird feathers, a phenomena that amazes me still. I experienced many moment’s of delight and pleasure. I learned how satisfying it was to stay in the moment, savouring. Not unlike my passion for landscape photography, the world of birding opened up another level of discovery for me. My eyes saw a thousand pictures, hidden landscapes, elusive terrain, stunning in the tiniest details.

In the company of others or alone, the search to find that elusive bird as well as those more common requires sharp observational skills, understanding of bird behaviour and habitat, songs, sounds and flight patterns.  I was on a steep learning curve! It was, honestly, exhausting! Fortunately, as a “fledgling” birder, I found the Manitoba birding community to be friendly, open, helpful and supportive. I learned that Manitoba is a hotspot for birding!