Friday, May 15, 2009

The Virtues of a Birding Life List



A Life List is a written record of all the species you have ever seen. These are often created by bird-watchers (or birders). Birding is a good way to start your list as it is focused and can be easily picked up and shared.
My friend, John Leo, a contributing editor for U.S. News & World Report, and avid birder, once told me that keeping a bird life list is a hobby where you collect but you don’t actually take anything.


It is free and you can do it anytime and anywhere in the world.
It is up to you what you want your life list to be. It can be as comprehensive as a journal entry of all noticeable features of the bird and the vocalizations created by the species or it can be as simple one sentence explanation of the basic what, where and when.


Bird watching is an extremely personal passion and often the birders are as colorful as the species they seek.


Birders are proud of their Life List and you don’t have to be professional birder to achieve birding glory. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker, the Holy Grail of prized birds to find – even Teddy Roosevelt looked for it – was thought to be an extinct species. But credible sources say it was rediscovered in Arkansas by Bobby Harrison, an amateur enthusiast. Note: If you make a cool find, document it with a high-resolution photograph.
Now, go swiftly!

1 comment:

Dave Schipper said...

Absolutely stunning photos...

Dave