Not "Birdie" Enough?
Hey gang,
I've been checking out the birding sites, and the birding blogs, and the birding optics sites, and the birding travel junket sites, and... And well, it finally dawned on me that I (we) may not be nearly "birdie" enough. Wow... Jeez... How did that happen? Time for a bit of the old subjective numerical comparison between the typical backyard birder and the heavyweight birders... In order to see if we meet the grade, let's take things one at a time...
For the most part, people who read this blog are not hardcore birders. We enjoy our backyard friends, and then do other things... That doesn't reduce our value in the birding community, it just redefines it. (Though the photo below should be fun for all...)
See you by those feeders, psyche still intact,
CapeCodAlan
I've been checking out the birding sites, and the birding blogs, and the birding optics sites, and the birding travel junket sites, and... And well, it finally dawned on me that I (we) may not be nearly "birdie" enough. Wow... Jeez... How did that happen? Time for a bit of the old subjective numerical comparison between the typical backyard birder and the heavyweight birders... In order to see if we meet the grade, let's take things one at a time...
- Personal birding web page: Others have them, and I don't. But I do have this blog. Let's call that a tie.
- Education: Unlike others, I don't have a Bachelor's degree in biology with an emphasis on ornithology. However, I do have a Bachelor's degree in engineering with an emphasis on beer. That puts me ahead by 5 points.
- Travel for "birding" purposes: Looks like the serious birders have me hands down on that one... I just took a quick look on the Web, and a one-week, educational jaunt to the Galapagos is going to set you back a stunning $2,000. Bird fanatics take those kinds of vacations. (If I had a spare two grand, I'd build another small boat and "vacation" on one of the local Cape Cod kettle ponds.) Regardless, I've got to award 5 birdie points to the other guys.
- Optical equipment: I don't own a $1,000 birding scope, a $2,000 camera, or a $3,000 lens. Looks like I'm going to take a hit on the "birdie-ometer". (However, I still own and use a $100 pair of binoculars that I once tried to use as a chock for my pickup truck on an icy hill, and then absentmindedly ran over them the next day... Jeez Louise, that certainly doesn't qualify me as an optics expert... But there's got to be some extra points in there somewhere!) I'd say that that's another tie.
For the most part, people who read this blog are not hardcore birders. We enjoy our backyard friends, and then do other things... That doesn't reduce our value in the birding community, it just redefines it. (Though the photo below should be fun for all...)
See you by those feeders, psyche still intact,
CapeCodAlan
