FOR THE BIRDS

Audrey C. Tiernan
I admit it… I took ornithology my senior year of college because I thought it would be an easy A and I needed a class to fulfill a mandatory science requirement. Actually it wasn't easy and getting up for a 7am lab once a week was downright painful. I never expected to enjoy the class, but I did and I gained a life long interest in birdwatching. My backyard has lots of feeders and several birdhouses. I enjoy looking out the kitchen window to see who has stopped for breakfast or lunch. Several Cardinal families have remained all winter. Of course it is built in entertainment for Slugger too. The birds at the feeder have repaid me by providing me with several floater opportunities! This great blue heron didn't stop in my backyard; I spotted him here in Tampa. That's what I like about birdwatching, you can do it anywhere. No special equipment needed--just keen vision. Every day is ripe with opportunity-- catch an Oriole in your backyard birdbath, or an American Kestral on the fence! Actually, birdwatching has made me a better photographer, it has helped me to learn to be a little more patient, to look at things just a bit more closely before releasing the shutter. In many ways it is just like photography, the birder is always on the hunt hoping to find an elusive species or a special moment.