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| Eastern Wood-Pewee |
If there was a way to make a good living by birding I would do it in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t complain about the long hours. A 10 to 12 hour day wouldn’t phase me at all. Getting up at 5am? No problem. But, alas, I have to do other things to earn money. I’m also a husband, a father, and a homeowner among other things. I am not unlike many others who have plenty of responsibilities to take care of throughout the day. So how do you make time for a pastime you love? My solution is microbirding.
Microbirding is a term that I will be using to describe birding in small increments. For me, this can be anywhere from 5-30 minutes at a time. For example, on my way to Four County and back I drive by two places to get in between 5-10 minutes of birding. A stop by the meadows at County Road E and 11, and another stop at the Wauseon Reservoir makes my commute a little less monotonous.
There are a few keys to microbirding. First, you must be prepared to bird at all times. My binoculars and field guide are always readily available. My phone has the Peterson app on it which has bird calls to help with identification. Google Maps is always helpful too. When you’re in an area you don’t know and need to find a nearby park, Maps is a lifesaver. Well, not a lifesafer really. That’s way too dramatic. It’s just really nice to have.
This obsessive need to be prepared to bird came in handy this past Tuesday. I had an appointment at the University of Michigan Medical Center. For those of you who don’t know, I frequently have sinus infections. A sinus doc in Toledo recommended I have surgery. Because I’m not a huge fan of someone cutting into my head inches from my brain, I decided to get a second opinion.
I got to the office an hour early. They told me to do this. The lady at the desk, who appeared to be annoyed by my presence, informed me that the doctor was running at least a half hour behind and that she really didn’t understand why I was checking in so early. After punching her in the face, I got on Maps and looked at what was around the hospital. Right across the way was a place called Nichols Arboretum. I thought, I’ve got at least a half hour to kill. Why not? Before I go on though, I want make sure that my mom knows I didn’t actually punch a middle aged woman in the face. You taught me better than that.
So I go over to Nichols Arboretum. As I am walking through this place I thought to myself, “I’m in Fern Gully.” You like that reference from 1992? You’re welcome. Anyways, this place was beautiful. I only spent 25 minutes there, but it was enough time to make me want to come back. The birding wasn’t half bad either. I saw a ton of Indigo Buntings, and a couple different warblers and woodpeckers. The highlight, however, was my first ever Eastern Wood-Pewee. A Wood-Pewee is in the flycatcher family. Most of the birds in this group look very similar. When I saw the bird my initial thought was, “Great...it’s one of those flycatchers.” But then she spoke. I got my phone out, played a couple of different birds, and got a match with the Pewee.
Would I like to bird everyday for as long as I want? Of course. But until my dad wins the Powerball (You can do it Carl!), I will continue to master the art that is microbirding. Thanks for reading and get out of that house! There are still some cool birds coming through. Happy birding!
Bird Count: 235
Recent Notables: Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Grasshopper Sparrow
The picture of the Eastern Wood-Pewee can be found on the Cornell All About Birds page. Copywrite information is available here.
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