Author’s Statement:
All I could think about for this project, was doing a video over why birding is actually cool, in contrast to the response I sometimes get from people when I tell them that I myself am a birder.
I feel like I was heavily influenced by the form factor used in videos I researched for this project (see Youtube channels Adventure Ed and Leslie the Bird Nerd), but had serious trouble in actually pulling videos from Youtube. I don’t have a PC, so I’m not able to download the software that would allow me access, so in the end, I opted for publicly available Facebook videos. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of many of the videos I obtained, but still would have preferred material from Youtube as it’s typically better made, and of better quality.
I used my own video clips at the very beginning of the essay, as I tried to set the scene of what it looks like to go on out birding, and show just how simple the hobby really is to undertake. I then placed my voiced over script on top of that, and filled in the rest of the empty space with video clips and still images that I thought helped to give visualization to the idea or point I was discussing. That, or I felt it provided a good bridge across a period time when there wasn’t any specific thing I was talking about. The music I found was from www.bensound.com, and though I had to use two different tracks to take up a sufficient amount of time, I was pleased with how they seemed to compliment one another.
All in all I am happy with the way my video turned out, and hope that maybe I can convince someone to take up the hobby I enjoy so much.
Transcript:
Birding, also referred to by many as bird watching, is a hobby that is growing rapidly in popularity in the United States. And while it may sound like some boring, dorky thing that only the elderly might take part in when they run out of real hobbies and interests, in reality, people of all ages can benefit from and enjoy birding.
Birding ultimately gets you out into nature, as you explore and hunt down all the birds you can. Spending time out in nature has shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression levels, and often provides a boost in mood and mentality. Many people engage in activities that get them out into nature as a form of therapy or time of meditation; and birding is no exception. It is good for your physical condition given the walking/hiking that can be involved, and ensures you get a good dose of vitamin D while out in the sunshine. It also heightens your reflexes, as you train your body to spot and follow the fast creatures through your binoculars as they move through their environment, and helps in developing patience as you wait for a particular bird or species to make its appearance.
Remember back in the summer of 2016 when Pokemon Go was released and the entire world lost its mind for a few days? Birding is comparable in many ways to Pokemon, except it’s arguably more challenging and ultimately, more rewarding. Birders keep lists of all the different species of birds they see, similar to how Pokemon trainers work to complete a Pokedex. And with more than 10,000 species spread out across the entire world, almost 1,000 of which frequent or reside in North America alone, hunting down as many species as you can really is quite the task. In addition, list-making satisfies the natural human tendency towards collecting, and gives purpose to outdoor excursions.
Birding is much more challenging than Pokemon in the sense that you don’t always know what species you are looking at. This is especially true as a beginner. Birding ultimately hones your ability to focus on acute details and problem solve, and you work to figure out whether what you saw was, say, a cooper’s hawk, or a sharp-shinned hawk. And while your knowledge grows and you gain confidence in making your IDs, there is always something new to learn, and ways to improve your abilities.
Also similar to Pokemon, birding drives exploration and pushes people to travel to new destinations as they seek to check species off their lists. As you travel, you get to experience different cultures, meet new people, experience new things, and overall grow as a person. As as a bonus, the travel and equipment aspect is a large contributor to local, national, and even the global economy.
List keeping encourages and facilitates competition between fellow birders, and as competition grows, community is formed. There is a very large and active community of birders, both online and out in the field. And while like with all hobbies there are a few bad apples, most people in the community are extremely encouraging and supportive of others who have a passion or even just a passing interest in birds.
The bird species present change seasonally, ensuring that there is always something new to pursue and preventing monotony from setting in. And with those changes and the knowledge you gain from getting involved, the perspective you have of the world will also change. While the rest of the world goes about their day, heads buried in their phones or lost in their thoughts, you alone will notice the dramatic territorial dispute taking place between two mockingbirds, or see a cooper’s hawk take out an unaware starling in the parking lot. The world becomes more vibrant,and you see the intricacies of nature in play everywhere you go, in places you never before noticed.
The birds themselves are also just really incredible creatures. Some species like buntings, warblers, and Jay’s are incredibly colorful and beautiful to look at. Species like crows, ravens, pigeons and parrots are as intelligent as young children. Different species are adapted to subzero temperatures, while others can withstand blistering heat. Some can remain in flight for years at a time without ever touching the land or the sea, and others can reach speeds of more than 200 mph while chasing their prey. And those are just the extreme cases. When you dive headfirst into birding, you quickly learn fascinating things about the birds in your own backyard. Take for example the cedar waxwing, which often eats fermented berries and becomes intoxicated, causing them to lose their motor skills for a brief period, during which they often fly into things. You’d never know unless you paid attention.
As a birder, you also contribute to the scientific community with reports of species seen (typically on the platform ebird), and you become somewhat of a scientist yourself. You learn the patterns of different species like the rhythm of flight of a passing American crow, or what types of trees are frequented by robins. You learn what behaviors to look out for, and how those change with the seasons. You learn bird calls and songs, and can identify the birds present on your walk to the car in the morning, or calling out in the background of a new movie. You learn how to tell age, sex, commonality, dispersion, diets, habitats, and so much more; all without really intending to.
Birding may sound silly and like it’s a waste of time, but really and truly it helps you recharge from the demands and monotony of everyday life, and adds a lens to the way you view the world; sharpening the image and showing you some of the beautiful and fascinating things you didn’t see before. Birding increases environmental awareness and often increases environmental activism, as people learn how much threat is posed to the animals they enjoy and appreciate so much. So not only do you appreciate the new outlook you gain on life, lots of times you further appreciate the world itself more than before.\u
Birding is not for the elderly, the biology major, the researcher, the crazy lady next door, or the photographer who can afford thousands of dollars worth of photographic equipment to document what they find in the field. No. Birding is for everyone, and all it takes to get started is a field guide, a pair of binocular, and somewhere where there are birds. If you compare that to the startup costs of most other hobbies, it’s dirt cheap. And given all the benefits and the enjoyment that is possible to obtain, why wouldn’t you get involved?
Kortney Crosby 