Winging It

4/19/05

winging it

Ron Marteney

Editor’s note: This is the first in a regular series of articles about birding. We hope it will provide information and entertainment for already-hooked birders and will entice others to try this low-impact, relaxing, gratifying pastime!

Are you a birder?

Are you a birdwatcher? I am, and I make this confession with no shame and little fear of criticism.

Well, actually, I’m a “birder.” That’s the term that Americans who enjoy watching birds prefer. There was a time, however, when admitting that you were a birdwatcher would have caused people to look at you as though you were of questionable sanity. I’m sure you’ve all seen pictures of the stereotypical birdwatcher—replete with thick glasses, cargo shorts, and a Smokey the Bear hat—bumbling through the woods in search of the elusive yellow-bellied sapsucker. Maybe that’s why we would rather be called birders than birdwatchers.

Chances are good that you enjoy birds, too. However, merely enjoying birds doesn’t make you a birder. The official definition of a birder is an individual who has taken a trip away from home to observe birds or one who closely observes or tries to identify birds around home.

A recent survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that 40.3 million Americans 16 years and older reported observing birds around their homes and 18.5 million said they specifically watched birds on trips away from home. As further evidence of birding’s popularity, a birding field guide, “Sibley’s Guide to Birds,” became a New York Times bestseller.

So, who is the typical American birder? According to the survey, the average birder is 49 years old with a higher than average income and educational background. Slightly more than half (54 percent) of the birders surveyed are female and nearly three quarters (72 percent) are married.

Does that description really give us an accurate picture of the average birder? I hope not. Like any other generalization, the typical birder described by the survey doesn’t really represent all the millions of individuals who enjoy this fascinating pastime.

Let’s look a little more closely at some of the information from the survey. Not too surprisingly, birding in their back yards is the most common way that people enjoy birds. Eighty-eight percent of the people surveyed watched birds from the comfort of their own back yard. Those who traveled more than a mile from their homes to observe birds made up 40 percent of those polled. Birders who traveled away from home spent most of their time on public lands such as parks and wildlife refuges.

I’ve often had people tell me that they’re too old to get involved in birding. Not so! The survey found that more than 16 million folks 55 years and older are birders.

There are probably as many reasons that older Americans enjoy birding as there are individuals. As a member of the 55-and-older crowd, I enjoy it because it gives me an excuse to spend time outdoors without any obligation to “get something done.” Mowing the lawn, weeding the flower bed, or painting the house can all be put off until later. Birding is one of my best excuses for procrastination.

Birding also gives me an opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite people, who, fortunately, share my love of birding. A relaxing outdoor experience and spending time with friends and loved ones is a combination that’s hard to beat.

Ron Marteney is a fisheries biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and an unstoppable birder who, at this time of year, can be found searching for woodcocks engaged in their spring shenanigans near his home in Emporia.

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