Behind the Lens: A Birder Interview with Beth Noren

Welcome back to my "Behind the Lens" series, where I interview local birders about their birding perspectives and experiences. I Love these interviews because they help shine light on the lesser-publicized part of what makes birding special - the peeps!

Introducing Beth Noren, my fellow birder and friend, pet bird owner, yoga enthusiast, native plant proponent, and cancer survivor, among other things. Let's dive into the interview where she'll tell you more.

Beth (right) with her friend Judy (left)

LBN: Hi Beth! So glad to have you on the blog. Let's start with the basics - how long have you been birding?

BM: I found eBird and signed up in 2013, but didn't really start birding until 2015.

If you're unfamiliar with eBird, go here. It's basically like the social media, online reference database, and GPS of the birding world, all wrapped into one. Also, I've inserted links throughout this article because Beth brings up a bunch of very cool stuff you should check out.

LBN: Yes, that's right! I remember you coming onto the scene just a few months or so after I did. Do you remember what it was that sparked your interest?

BM: I guess I had a few "spark birds" before the flame was fully lit. I remember the first time I saw a Northern Flicker in my yard. Polka dots, a crescent moon, and red splotch all on one bird!?! Had to buy a book and look that one up!

LBN: Oh my gosh, I Love how you describe that. Sounds like a work of art, but really, it is.

One of my photos of a Northern Flicker (for reference)

BM: After the flicker, my husband Gary and I were at the Detroit Zoo and saw these strange, hunched-up wild birds that didn't look like they belonged in Michigan. We found out they were called Black-crowned Night Herons. I started wondering how many other wild birds were out there that I had never seen. 

LBN: Gosh, I know that feeling. My spark bird situation was similar, like, "What else am I missing!?"

BM: Exactly! Two years later, we met another local birder, Brandon, and were amazed when he ID'd an Eastern Bluebird by a distant chip call, and then we actually saw it! That was what really got us going. 

LBN: We've talked about your spark birds. How about favorite birds? Do you have any and why?

BM: Favorite pet bird is the African Grey Parrot, followed by any other parrot. Favorite bird I've never had? Monk (Quaker) Parakeet. Favorite non-pet bird? Brown Thrasher. First one that Gary and I found gave us one brief glimpse, then followed us down a hedgerow, keeping completely out of sight, but mimicking me each time I made kiss noises in its direction. I Love how smart they are, and how they look kind of mean, like they're sizing you up.

LBN: Brown Thrashers... YES! They are so beautiful, and talented little songsters. On the pet bird topic, I actually don't know many birders who have pet birds. Does keeping birds help you learn more about wild birds, or vice versa? Do the two hobbies intersect at all?

BM: I've had pet birds most of my adult life. My Grey Parrot, Max, was the love of my life. I lost her to a virus after 21 years together (she was about 31). Living with pet birds, I often wonder if other birders understand the depth of bird intelligence and emotions, or if they just seem like pretty automatons to them. Parrots are known for this, but even my little Zebra Finches had personalities. Conversely, seeing the interesting, challenging lives of wild birds has made me realize how much our pets have lost in the deal for a safe life with humans, and the importance of enriching their lives as much as possible, through toys, foraging, etc.

African Grey Parrot

LBN: Wow, those are amazing insights. I Love that. I've never had pet birds myself, but personally, I don't see birds as automatons. I like to assume everything in this world might have more intelligence than what meets our limited eye/perception. On a semi-related note, if you were a bird, which one would you be and why?

BM: First thought is a warbler that winters in the Caribbean, but those islands are goners when the oceans rise, so maybe something that spends winters in Central or South America, and summers in Northern Canada. And lives a long time. Which makes me an American White Pelican, lol! Nah, I'll just say Brown Thrasher.

LBN: Hahaha. I Love that your first thought was to choose based on migration and climate. Not a bad way to go. Do you have any dream bird sightings?

BM: I would Love to see wild Grey Parrots one day.

LBN: Nice. Well, we've covered the basics and talked about some fun stuff, but let's switch gears a bit. What are your thoughts on birding throughout a global pandemic?

BM: Birding during the pandemic was great! Gary had three months off from work, during spring warbler season no less! Crowds were down at the parks, and as always, birding provided a great distraction from worry. So glad that our hobby was a relatively safe outdoor one.

LBN: Truly. It was a blessing to be able to continue our hobby in full force. You mention your husband Gary, who I know of course. How is it being part of a birding couple? There really aren't too many out there.

BM: It's good and bad, but mostly good. We enjoy sharing the excitement of a good find. Gary is better than me at spotting birds, and I'm better at hearing them. It helps to have two sets of eyes and ears. I get some extra motivation and competitiveness from Gary. He gets me moving when I'd rather sit on the couch. I am less nervous birding isolated parks alone now than I was at first, but I also appreciate feeling safer when he's with me. And if I am birding alone in an iffy spot, I usually text him when I start, and let him know when I'm done. One hard part is our different birding styles. I'm sometimes more of a "take time to smell the roses" type of birder, while he's sometimes more of a "get it done" type (although we both appreciate a nice bench). Most of the time, birding together makes IDing easier but it can also go the other way. Bad IDs feel validated when either of us just trusts the other and doesn't look closely enough and protest. And good IDs can get squashed by disagreement. In the end, if we don't agree on a bird, we leave it out.

LBN: So, double the senses, double the safety, and double the opinions on things. Hahaha. Sounds like a mostly-good combo. How about time of year? What's your favorite time of year to bird?

BM: Early spring and late fall, when it's cooler and no mosquitoes. Also I Love the November rarities.

LBN: Those are great times. I Love how birding helps us appreciate those transition seasons, I think even more than the "destination" ones like summer. Let's get deep now, with one of my favorite questions to ask. What's the biggest lesson or lessons you've learned from birds or from Nature?

BM: Be where you're at. Drink it all in, appreciate it, and then, go one more step and do something to help it. Read Doug Tallamy. Plant native flora. Reduce or eliminate the lawn. Ditch the lawn chemicals. The birds we all love need insects to survive, and they aren't getting them from non-native, sprayed yards. Bird populations have declined so much just in my own lifetime. If all I do is post lists and take pics, I am just a rubber-necker at a train wreck. Help them. It's not just the Amazon that's in trouble, it's Macomb County. So many of our go-to birding spots have been bulldozed just since we started looking in 2015. I may not be able to stop that, but I am trying to help mitigate those losses by making changes on my own property. I'm eliminating invasive species. I've reduced the amount of lawn. I still have a few hostas and a peony, but I've added lots of native flowers, and more importantly, shrubs. It was so satisfying this year to watch the robins enjoy the bumper crop of fruit on my Dogwoods. My yard is tiny, but if you have the room to add one big tree to your property, make it a native oak. Hosts way more pollinators than any other plant! If you can, add some native plants underneath it that get mulched by the leaves. Many caterpillars cocoon in the fallen leaves and will then be able to hatch without getting chopped up by a lawn mower or raked up and sent to a compost pile. I have gone through the U of M Herbarium website and made a list of plants that are native to Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties. I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share what I've learned so far with anyone who wants to get started on their own yard! My email is maxgoodbird@gmail.com.

LBN: Wow. That's... an amazing answer.

If you're reading this, you should go back and read that answer again. It's important.

LBN: I Love the idea of doing what you can to make your yard less pristine, less controlled, and cater more to wildlife. We take so much from them, and I've seen it too. Giving back on our own properties really is something we can control. So many people feel pain when they think about habitat loss and mass extinctions and all of that stuff, but they feel helpless to change it. I really appreciate this perspective you have, that we are not helpless. Change starts right outside our windows. I think there's poignant truth and beauty in that.

Just a little aside here, before I get into the last topic. Since discovering birding, it's been more than just a hobby. I've used it to gain clarity, to slow down, to connect back to things that feel real and true and important, and to move through some difficult times, including my mom's breast cancer, and my own battles with anorexia and Adderall addiction. The way I see it, you can go through anything difficult in life and you'll feel a whole lot better processing it out in the woods surrounded by fresh air, the sounds and sights of wildlife, and the comfort of the trees, rather than sitting cooped up inside four walls and dealing with those same things. I know Beth has used birding and Nature to move through her own struggles with cancer and depression, so I wanted to open up the floor for her to share anything she wanted to about that. I hope it inspires you if you're going through something difficult.

LBN: You've come to some of my yoga/birding/journaling workshops, and we've talked about how birding and Nature means more to us than meets the eye. I know we have many similar thoughts when it comes to the power of Nature, movement, gratitude, and awareness. So at this point, why don't you share what birding has done for you in the context of making it through some of life's darker moments.

BM: I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2016, near the start of my birding journey. Deep down, I had a sense that my overall depression, inactivity, and mental health slump had contributed to this diagnosis, manifesting in physical ways. With encouragement from my husband Gary, excitement from the start of my birding journey (as you've already heard), and regular practice, I really did start to welcome the idea of getting up, getting outside, and using birding to stay active, find distraction from that scary diagnosis, and keep my spirits positive. Every time we went birding, we saw something different. Swans on the pond, beautiful sunsets, snakes, deer, turtles, muskrats, even mink! It was such an interesting soap opera of wildlife. I didn't want to miss anything. I decided that I wouldn't let this stupid cancer thing ruin warbler season, or the rest of my birding year. I walked and birded while waiting for chemo to start. Gary took my chemo days off and we birded after each treatment. My memories of my summer of chemo are of Macomb County's second recorded Kirtland's Warbler, of an elusive Prothonotary Warbler landing in the bush next to me when I sat down and stopped searching for it, of an enthusiastic new friend, Wayne Hoch (check my interview of Wayne here), dragging me by the arm to make sure I didn't miss seeing the Yellow-breasted Chat. My memories of surgery are of birding Metro for four hours the next day, and three days post-surgery doing a faceplant while running to get the newly refound Nelson's Sparrow. Gary told me not to run! Each milestone in my treatment seems to have been marked by a special bird. Birding helped me through my cancer chapter, and helped lift me out of depression by making me care about the world again. Fast forward five years, my health is good, I'm at a crossroads, and my life now needs my attention. To keep birding at that pace would be avoiding what needs to get done now. But I really don't want to slide back into the inactivity that helped me get sick in the first place, so now I'm trying to find a healthy balance.

LBN: That's beautiful, Beth! I won't add too much to that because I think you've shared so much of value already. However, I will leave people with a poem that I know has meant a lot to you.

Looking at that Nelson's Sparrow

Hope Is the Thing with Feathers

By Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I've heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

Swans on the pond

Prothonotary Warbler

Killdeer mom & babies

Photo Journal 2016: August

August was an enjoyable month for me. The bird activity was starting to pick up again after July's lull. The foliage continued to grow. Late summer wildflowers bloomed while hummingbirds buzzed the trails. I seemed to soak up as much sun as I could, and the woods felt more alive than they had in July.

Enjoy these images of the progress of my photo journal. It can also be viewed week by week and in greater detail on my Little Bird Nerd Facebook page.

August, Spot 1

Spot 1: August, 2016, Weeks 32-35

 August, Spot 2

Spot 2: August, 2016, Weeks 32-35

 August, Spot 3

Spot 3: August, 2016, Weeks 32-35

Life Birds:

After a slow July, my birding kicked back into gear this August. There was never a shortage for shorebird viewing, as one new variety would show up at the beach almost daily. These were some of the best and most close-up views of shorebirds I'd ever had. All of these provided opportunities for study and I felt like I came out of August with a slightly better understanding of shorebird identification. Just don't quiz me on gulls yet; I haven't quite gotten there. ;)

Throughout the month, I saw 5 new life birds or "lifers" (birds one sees for the first time). These included: 

Baird's Sandpiper, first seen at Robert H. Long park and later seen at Lake St. Clair Metropark (the pair pictured below). The commonly used distinguishing feature of these little guys is their long wing projections, far past the tail.

Baird's Sandpipers, LSCMP

Blue Grosbeak, seen along the M5 Metro Trail in Oakland County. There was a pair of grosbeaks that some hoped would nest along the trail. I was lucky enough to happen upon the male singing constantly, even over loud traffic. I saw him flitting around in the trees above me, but never could get a great photograph with the lighting. As a side note, there was some concern that some people were going off the trail and getting too close to the grosbeaks' possible nest. While we all love a good photograph, it is more important to not disturb a nest or get too close to a bird that might be scared off and never return. Part of sharing the love of birding is sharing the responsibility to take care of the birds.

Blue Grosbeak, M5 Trail

Marbled Godwit, seen at Pointe Mouille State Game Area. I took my sister on this adventure where she was absolutely wowed by Mouillee and all the shorebird viewing. She even spotted me not one but 2 American Avocets, one of my very favorite birds, and the first anyone had seen of them that day, even though many bird watchers were out before us looking for the Godwit. Great find, Madeline!!

Marbled Godwit, Pointe Mouillee SGA

Red-necked Phalarope, found at Lake St. Clair Metropark, as part of the wave of awesome shorebirds that visited over a few weeks. After photographing this one, the very next day there were two Red-necked Phalaropes! Now the only "local" phalarope I am missing from my life list is the Wilson's.

Red-necked Phalarope, LSCMP

  
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, spotted at Lake St. Clair Metropark with the help of eBird reports and Tom Heatley, who was with me when I was finally able to identify this cute little flycatcher. As any birder will tell you, flycatchers present difficult ID challenges, and are often undistinguishable aside from their calls. This one seemed a little easier than others, with its short stout shape and its yellow hues.

Comparisons
Last year's January through August total species count: 198
This year's January through August total species count: 227

Photo Journal 2016: July

July brought lots of sunshine, not much rain, and tons of growth, especially around Spot 1 (which grew increasingly difficult to access as the entrance became overgrown). In my personal life, I was dealing with my mom's recent diagnosis of breast cancer, and trying to balance family time, my relationship, school, and multiple jobs. I would say being out here in nature was both a godsend and a detriment to me, for my sanity and for my productivity levels, respectively. Nevertheless, I am always at home during a walk in the woods, and the summer sun soothed my soul. <3

Enjoy these images of the progress of my photo journal. It can also be viewed week by week and in greater detail on my Little Bird Nerd Facebook page. Not much has changed this month except for more leaves, more flowers, fewer birds, and much drier ground.

July, Spot 1

Spot 1: July, 2016, Weeks 27-31

July, Spot 2

Spot 2: July, 2016, Weeks 27-31

July, Spot 3

 

Spot 3: July, 2016, Weeks 27-31

Other July Happenings:

July is a notoriously horrible month for birding around here. Birds are either up north nesting, or hanging near their local nests, not allowing for many viewing opportunities. Leaf coverage is more dense than any other time, making it additionally difficult to view what is there. It's probably for the best that this lull exists, as it provides a breather between spring and fall migration. Instead of birding, it's a good time to focus on butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, and other parts of nature. July is also prime time for the part of birding that isn't out in the field- the study and research portion. I enjoy this aspect of birding nearly as much as being out in the field, as I've always loved to learn and soak up as much information as I can. Finally, July gives us birders a good chance to spend some quality time with the people in our lives, as we are often absent on birding chases during the surrounding months.

My only first-of-the-year species sighting (both for the county and the entire state) came at the very end of the month, in the form of a few Sanderlings at LSCMP. It was fun to watch them running characteristically in and out of the waves on the shoreline, surrounded by a few other small shorebirds for good comparison looks.

 

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Comparisons
Last year's January through July total species count: 181
This year's January through July total species count: 214

Photo Journal 2016: June

Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser)

As spring gave way to summer, the vernal ponds began to evaporate. Because of this, the changes this month were most evident in Spot 2. Although I welcomed the warm temperatures, spring will always be my favorite season, and I wished those ponds could stay.

June, Spot 1

Spot 1: June, 2016, Weeks 23-26

June, Spot 2

Spot 2: June, 2016, Weeks 23-26

June, Spot 3

Spot 3: June, 2016, Weeks 23-26

Other June Happenings:

Life Birds

This month brought 6 new birds into my life. This is great for June, which is not typically the best birding month. In fact, of the 16 FOYs I saw in June, 6 of them were lifers, which gave me a 37.5% lifer-to-FOY ratio for June. Alright, enough statistics (NEVER!), I'll get back to the storytelling. :)

Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)

If you recall, last month's summary mentioned "Code Red, White, and Blue". This refers to my three target birds I set for myself this year. May brought Red, the Red-headed Woodpecker, and June happened to bring Blue, the Cerulean Warbler. Andrew Simon and I took a morning trip out to Port Huron State Game Area, which is a known summer site for these gorgeous warblers. As we followed directions outlined by other birders, we sat patiently waiting to hear the warbler's call, or to see a flash of blue. For a while, the only calls and flashes of blue were coming from the many Indigo Buntings in the area. After standing in the same spot for a time, we decided to head back to the car, as we had other spots to check and a storm was coming. In one of those wonderful moments where you just start to give up and let go, in flew a male Cerulean Warbler, allowing us to view it and get pictures. It was a lifer for both of us and we were so excited!

The near-threatened Henslow's Sparrow has declined in numbers due to habitat loss. Fortunately, our local area still supports at least one of these birds, as it was conveniently tucked into a field not far from home. In this same field were more Bobolinks than I'd ever seen in one place; and these birds always make me think of my Grandma, who says she grew up with Bobolinks all over her farm property. While standing in grasses up to my waist, scanning for small brown birds, this tiny sparrow happened to be sitting just in front of me! Its sparsely streaked breast and small size, along with its facial patterns and head shape, helped confirm this bird's identity. I was very happy with the sighting as well as the photographs I was able to capture.

Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)

Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)

As the break between spring and summer semesters came to a close, I decided I wanted to do a Big Day of birding before getting back to "the grind". So, on June 26th, friend and classmate Andrew and I decided to join forces and bird hard. We began our trip at Oak Openings in Ohio, which is a beautiful, huge park that I'd like to return to. Our first sighting was not of a bird but of a birder who was very helpful in providing directions to hotspots around the park. We were looking for Summer Tanagers and Lark Sparrows, and found the latter with little effort (thanks to our aforementioned friend!). Although we didn't find the tanagers, I was more than content to spot this distinctively marked, large sparrow which nests in sand dunes. This bird is the only member of its genus, and when compared to the Henslow's Sparrow above, it is obviously quite different in almost every way: size, shape, pattern, behavior, and habitat.

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

Our next stop was back in Michigan, to a farm road called Meyers Road, near Ann Arbor. This stop proved to be a winner, teeming with just about every meadow bird we could expect: Dickcissels (the lifer we were after, which we decided looked like a mix of a meadowlark, a sparrow, and a grosbeak), Eastern Meadowlarks, a Northern Mockingbird, Bobolinks, Horned Larks, Killdeer, Eastern Bluebirds, Barn Swallows, and more. I joked I was really glad we didn't drive all the way out to a dusty old farm road and strike out. It would have been a little harder to swallow than if we'd struck out at an "official" park, somehow.

Dickcissel (Spiza americana)

The final stop on our Big Day was Pointe Mouillee, a birding treasure trove located off Lake Eerie in Monroe County. Here we rode our bikes in nearly 90-degree heat, and covered much of the giant wetland territory. We found a lifer gull, a Franklin's Gull, which added to my pitifully short gull list. In my defense, gulls are arguably the most difficult of bird families to ID, with endless subtleties and variations in plumage. I was also lucky enough to see my lifer Black Tern, a beautiful bird which I hope to see soon in my home county, as they are known to fly around Harsen's Island during the summer.

Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)

Memorable FOYS (first of the year sightings):

Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)

This Piping Plover sighting was magical. My Love, Jason, and I spent almost a week up near Traverse City, Glen Arbor, and Pearl Lake. Of course there was some birding to be done! One of my main targets was the Piping Plover, which we tried for on multiple occasions before finding this one. As we crept along the shoreline at Sleeping Bear Point, we kept our ears open for "peeps" and our eyes open for movement. Out of nowhere came a single "PEEP!" which caused Jason and I to look at each other with excitement, then look around. It was behind me and right near the tide, a single Piping Plover standing there on the rocks. I was able to snap a few quick pictures and then, just as mysteriously as it had appeared, it flew off out over the open water and disappeared. We had to be there at that exact moment to have seen this endangered bird, and I was grateful for the chance. <3

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus)

For a comparison between the Black-billed Cuckoo and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, click here to read my first edition of "Two Birds".

Comparisons
Last year's January through June total species count: 181
This year's January through June total species count: 213

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Photo Journal 2016: March

I remember once hearing someone refer to March 4th as if it were a command, as in to march forth and charge ahead with confidence. I think of this every year as I regroup from the cold winter and look forward to my favorite season, spring (which happens to start in March). Now that I am a birder, I realize even more how it was fate that I should be born in spring, the season of rebirth and possibility, of renewed energy and awe. As the last frosts melt away and the trees begin to bud, I can almost hear whispers of the collective sentiment to march forth and prosper. :)

March, Spot 1

March, Spot 2

Here in spot 2, it's easy to see the change from the beginning of March to the end. White is replaced by green, and gray skies are repainted blue. 

March, Spot 3

 

Other March happenings:

Life Birds

Harlequin Duck

This month, I was lucky enough to find three new birds: American Pipit (Anthus rubescens), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), and the ever-impressive Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). Each of these three lifer sightings provided their own unique experience. 

The first, the American Pipit, was a chance sighting while viewing a Northern Pintail duck. As my friend Andrew and I scanned the beach, wind whipping violently at our faces, we saw a bird jumping around on the sand. It didn't look like a blackbird and it had streaking and tail-dipping behavior. I Love unexpected lifers!

Harlequin Duck swimming

The second, the Grasshopper Sparrow, was a group effort where one birder found it, and through the grapevine, many others were able to relocate and view this little bird. This was a bird I probably would not have spotted on my own, but once I saw it, hopping around with a few Song Sparrows, I could see the smaller size and the yellow wash indicative of a Grasshopper Sparrow.

Harlequin Duck, on the rocks

The third, the Harlequin Duck, was a sighting that was a long time in the making for me! I'd made the journey to Jackson twice previously on what we birders call a "twitch" (traveling a significant distance for the sole purpose of finding one particular species). My two previous attempts resulted in no Harlequin Duck, even though this individual duck had been seen at the same little boat launch area for months in a row. Not to be deterred, I went a third time thinking, "Third time's a charm, right?" and was not disappointed! I was actually glad it took so long because by the time I found him, he was beginning to transition to its more striking breeding plumage reminiscent of a painted warrior. Of course, being only March, he was still not all the way to full breeding plumage, but the beauty of this duck is something I'll never forget.

Memorable FOY's (first of the year sightings):

Male Blue-winged Teal

• Northern Pintail
• American Woodcock
• Rusty Blackbird
• Snowy Owl (waiting all winter for this one...had all but given up... then saw 2 in one week!)
• Barred Owl
• Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals
• Pectoral Sandpiper

Snowy Owl

Comparisons 



Last year's January through March total species count: 61
This year's January through March total species count: 99

The Big Sit 2015

It was a brisk morning with winds that easily cut past layers of clothing. It’s a good thing I brought a blanket, I thought to myself as I got out of my car and gulped down the last of my coffee. I then approached Lake St. Clair Metropark’s Observation Deck.

Big Sit circle, complete with gear

It was just 9 o’clock in the morning, but that's late for birders. I braced myself for jokes about my arrival time, and sure enough was greeted with, “Welcome to the afternoon shift, Andrea!” The space was already peppered with equipment: Swarovski spotting scopes, binoculars, cameras, lawn chairs, and an impressive lineup of blue coolers. The “morning shift” consisted of about 8-10 bundled-up birders, most of whom had been there since around 6am.

It was The Big Sit 2015, a yearly, international birding event hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest. The purpose of The Big Sit is to stay in one spot from dawn until dusk, counting the species of birds observed from that spot. At the end of the day, teams’ lists are shared and compared through the BWD website (click link for details). 

When I joined the circle that morning, team “Metro Munchers” had already listed over 40 bird species, more than 2/3 of the species that would be recorded for the entire day. Later, I asked team captain Joanna where the team name came from, to which she shrugged and replied with a smile, “Because we eat a lot!”

It quickly became apparent this was a birding event unlike any I had attended. Birding requires silence and focus. However, when birders gather together, these stretches of silence are punctuated by storytelling, fact sharing, and jokes that are often incredibly corny and bird related. The difference was that at The Big Sit, the joking and laughter seemed to be the highlights, with an occasional serious break to study a passing bird. I remember one moment stopping mid-laugh, my face going instantly serious as my eyes caught the movement of a bird in the distance. It dove down over the Phragmites before disappearing into the trees, giving us just enough time to conclude it was a Peregrine Falcon.

Kitesurfers at Lake St. Clair Metropark

For most of the day, I never picked up my binoculars, satisfied instead with the company of the birders standing next to me. We were unchecked and unfiltered, sharing snacks and swapping stories. The group changed throughout the day, some joining later, some leaving early. The birders were as varied as the birds themselves with men and women ranging in age from 14 to 87. The eldest of the group was sure to point out the simple but undeniable sentiment, “Birders have more fun!”

As the day progressed, the sun warmed my face until it started to peel. When the birding was dull, our attention wandered to other things. Kiteboarders and windsurfers crowded the bay, entertaining us with aerial tricks. A Common Buckeye graced us with its presence, providing the best photo opp. of the day. 

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Passersby would occasionally stop at our circle and ask what we were doing. One woman wanted to know about a large dark, duck-like bird she had seen sitting in a tree making strange pig-like noises. We collectively suggested a Double-crested Cormorant. As if to help us make our case, a Double-crested Cormorant then flew overhead! I pointed up and asked the lady, “Do you mean that bird?” She nodded with a smile and continued along the path.

 As dusk approached, we got another decent push of birds, bringing our count to 62. People began to pack up their gear and their chairs, which reminded me that I had ironically never once sat down in mine. Birders dispersed one by one until there were just two of us left. Kevin and I lingered near our cars, reminiscing over the day’s events, when out of the darkness came the call of a lone Great Horned Owl, which became the last bird to be counted for the day.