COMMENTARY ON LISTING

I've kept a life list since I first began birding as a teenager, and I certainly like to see new species and increase my list. However, I'm a birder because I enjoy the outdoor experience and birding is a way of enhancing that experience, not because I'm in competition with anybody else or because I view birding as a sport. I know many birders feel differently about that, which is just fine. However, birding should be fun, and being competitive should not take away from the fun. Unfortunately, I've met altogether too many birders who don't seem to enjoy the experience and get upset if they miss a bird somebody else sees on a tour. Some don't even seem to enjoy being outdoors all that much. They want their amenities no matter what. Please. Birding should be more than a semblance of an Easter egg hunt. It's fine to be competitive when the competition is friendly and enjoyable, but birding should always be enjoyable. I personally prefer avoiding people who aren't having fun while out birding. I'm quite sure there are many birders who feel the same way I do about this. Birders who think like me want to see every possible species, as I do, but they know and accept that one just can't see everything on a single trip. When you miss birds, you have a good reason to go back to a place that is enjoyable to visit. I know that going back costs money, but I don't look at birding in terms of cost per new species. I go back to a place because I like being there, and seeing new species is just one more reason to go back. Another reason is that when one goes back to a place, one has the luxury of spending more time trying to get the really tough species since one has already seen the easy ones. When I re-visit places, I always see new birds even if I'm not targeting them. Moreover, as an amateur photographer, each trip offers new opportunities for getting new and better photographs. I'm always looking forward to my next birding trip, and trips to out-of-the-way places are especially appealing because they're more of an adventure. I personally don't need the amenities, though they are nice to have. I'm happy doing without when I can see new birds and have new adventures in places where amenities aren't available. I suppose that reflects my early background as a field biologist when I got used to living in a tent for months on end. In any case, birding as a passion is downright fascinating and fun even when enduring a certain amount of hardship while out in the field.