A Big Month

It is fascinating to see that the human mind can chase anything it puts its mind to and make it into a marketable commodity. So it is with an informal (until the movie came out) ritual that birders across the country follow. It is called a 'Big Year' in which the amateur to the pro gets into a whole 365 day ritual of chasing and recording all sorts of avians in a defined geography. Typically it is the continental 48 states in the union and the period is a calendar year. The movie depiction (although a flop in Hollywood terms) that I recently watched was quite entertaining with a modestly funny cast that included Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Had I not seen the movie I for one would have been clueless as to this human endeavor of tracking down the flying species. As the movie goes to show the humans involved in this adventure spare no expense of course where the goal is to try to record as many of our winged cousins (distant but cousins nonetheless). The folks that participate visit all sorts of locales from popular to the remote in good weather or inclement. Of course one could see a Zen like passion here as well with the focus being to follow the path and not be deterred by the usual or the unusual. In my own case I decided to see what I could accomplish in a month in my own backyard..I am not that ambitious when it comes to birds right now. Still I was able to spot 16 different species in a 30 day timeframe literally outside the office window of my house in Northern California. Red Tail Hawk Brown Dove Myna Sparrow Blackbird Red Cardinal Blue Jay Crow or Raven (not sure about the origins of the latter descriptor) American Goldfinch Western Bluebird Egret Heron Wild Turkey (well I am cheating - this one was spotted on a hillside about 100 yards from the house on a stroll) Seagull (errant ones flew by - a bit too far from the coast) Geese Ruby Throated Hummingbird