When it comes to migration, there's a lot of pressure to see the first of the year. To be the first to see something or record your first sighting of something. Sometimes, these can be great moments. The bird can be tired from their migration and just too hungry to really care who's around. I saw my first House Wren of the season. I was excited because it was the first of the year for me. There's a lot of hype about the first of the year. Everyone wants to see the first of the year birds and migration just makes the fervor even worse. I don't want to sound self-righteous, I get caught up in the fervor.
Many write that birding is not unlike hunting. The quest for the first of the year is indeed tied to the instinct to hunt. Searching through the thicket, trees, and marshes, its a primal need and skill. Being close to the earth in that way is amazing. One of the main reasons I got into birding was to find a way to interact with nature beyond knowing the difference between a tree and a bush. I wanted to understand something more about nature and certainly birding has changed the way I see my environs.
I will certainly keep looking for those FOYs. I hope you do too!
What I was looking for...
(C) Gerry Dewaghe
2013 Year List: 138 (62 Needed)House Wren
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