It's been 18 days since June 12th, 2010 when I pulled together a basic birding kit and headed out my front door. I had just finished reading "The Big Year" by Mark Obmascik, a story about three world class birders and the record setting, North American big year record that may never be broken. One of the main characters just happens to have grown up at our church and I've met and talked with him a few times. Like often happens to me, the new interest "switch" flipped and I decided, or realized, I was going to start bird watching in earnest. I had a pair of Vivitar 4x30 binoculars that I got from my grandmother (also an avid bird lover) after she passed away. I raced down to the storage garage where we are keeping our books and found my Sibley guide to eastern birds, given to my wife and I on our marriage, from my aunt Jane and uncle Phil. Filled with the euphoric passion of a new hobby I combed the neighborhood trees and my backyard for avian specimens.
Day 1:
American Robin
Chimney Swift
Gray Catbird
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Turkey Vulture
...and one freshly obsessed birder
Where am I?
Well I live in Sugarcreek, OH and work in Berlin. Our area is home to the (disputed) largest Amish community on the planet, smack dab in the middle of Wayne and Holmes counties in central-east Ohio.
I didn't grow up here, but moved here in 2001 to take on the call to ministry as a pastor at a local church. I grew up in the high rolling hills of upstate New York where my father still teaches Biology, Zoology, Marine Ecology and Animal Behavior at a state University. Needless to say we grew up watching animals of all sorts. Our TV shows of choice were often Wild Kingdom, Wild America, Nature and NOVA. We sometimes fed birds through the winter and I was surprised to discover just how much those winters of backyard bird watching have since stuck in my head. Titmice, Nuthatch, Cardinal, Chickadee and Blue Jay were constant visitors and are good starters for bird recognition.
It also helps that our house happened to run up against the university nature preserve. Thousands of acres of beautiful woodland and trails were literally right out our back door. I spent most of my childhood in those woods and came to know intimately the forest dwellers there.
To the present:
As of this morning (June 30th) I've identified 50 unique species in our area and am shooting to, at the least, break 100 by Christmas. I just picked up a pair of Nikon Monarch (binoculars) to replace the old skool 7x35 binocs that I had been borrowing from my in-laws. The pair of Vivitars will go to my kids and the Sibley guide has not left my side.
