Self Discovery of an Ornithologist at Heart
Thursday May 11, 2006
Executive Director Paul James lends some insight into the life of an amateur ornithologist.
Recently, somebody asked me if I am
an ornithologist. I was hesitant to answer. Such a description, to me, implies a
broad knowledge of the subject. These past few years, I’ve been concentrating more on
fundraising and business administration than on bird identification. That
changed when I discovered the stories of the ivory-billed woodpecker and the
passenger pigeon. Researching those and
other endangered and extinct species awakened a keen interest in birds. Now I
know more, perhaps, than the average person about the great auk, the
dodo and the Carolina parakeet. I even gave an hour-long program on the
ivory-bill and others in Pigeon Forge in January, so I’ve come a long way. Perhaps its time to get cracking on learning
more about living birds than the dead!
Even though Ijams is known as one of Tennessee’s top 20
birding hotspots, I tend to look at my
PC monitor eight hours a day rather than out the window or heading down the
trails. Therefore, most of my bird watching is done behind the steering wheel.
While it has done wonders for my ability to spot red-tailed hawks,
red-shouldered hawks and ospreys its not exactly the most satisfying or safest
way to become an ornithologist. Still, I’m pretty good at recognizing a black
vulture from a turkey vulture from a good distance. Broad-winged hawks on the
other hand…
The
famous birdwatcher and naturalist Jim Tanner once wrote that to learn about
birds you have to put the guide book down and get out in the field. A few weeks
ago, I had the pleasure to visit my mother-in law’s new house in Fairfield
Glade, up on the Cumberland Plateau. The house overlooks the fairway of the
fourth hole of a public golf course. Between the house and the fairway is a
narrow buffer zone filled with trees. With nothing better to do all day, I sat
in the window armed with a pair of binoculars. The day was cool, a little breezy and their bird feeder was
full. There were lots of birds. Sadly, I
had forgotten to bring a bird guide, but I soon recognized a few of the obvious ones: northern cardinal, bluebird and
robin. Hardly impressive, but at least I could name a few. Where were some
vultures to get my confidence going?! Over the course of a few hours other
species drifted in and out of the area, but I couldn’t identify them. At least
my woodpecker research was starting to pay off. Even without a guide I could
identify the downy, hairy, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers. Hey, even a
northern flicker stopped by.
It’s probably going to take me a few years to
recognize the many warblers and other
common perched birds. Back in Knoxville, I quickly looked up others I had seen:
brown-headed cowbird, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren and tufted titmouse.
Not a bad crash course in bird watching. Now I’m looking elsewhere, especially
my back garden, to hone my new skills. Whether you know your birds, wild flowers or
trees, don’t forget to get outside in this fabulous spring weather. Then
perhaps consult a guide book to learn about what you’ve seen. As for me being
an ornithologist – I’ll get back to you on that. Happy Springtime.
Back To News Releases
|
