By Christine Dubois, © 2017
Photo: American Tree Sparrow, Blair Bernson
Sometimes birding is the only thing that makes me feel better.
When I’m out walking through the woods, scanning a pond, or scoping out a wetland; when I hear the call of a Barred Owl or focus my binoculars on a Green Heron—the troubles and controversies of the political scene fade away.
When the steady stream of alarming tweets and news alerts gets to be too much, I lose myself in chasing birds.
That's how I ended up on Spencer Island looking for the American Tree Sparrow.
"Have you seen the rare sparrow?" I asked a couple of folks toting binoculars.
"Didn't even know it was here," said one.
"Ask Blair," suggested the other. "He might know."
They pointed to a figure headed toward the bridge. Blair. That could only be the famous BB of numerous eBird posts, one of our local superstar birders. I quickened my pace.
Half a mile later, I came up behind him. He stepped to one side to let me pass, but I stopped in front of him. "Seeing anything interesting?" I asked.
Now that I had found a guide, I wasn't about to let him get away.
"I'm Chris," I introduced myself. "I see your postings on Tweeters and eBird. You do a lot of birding."
"I don't have a life," he joked.
"I'd say you have the life we all wish we had!”
We walked down to the spot where the sparrow had been reported. Blair pulled out his phone and played a recording of the tree sparrow's song. I prefer a more low-tech approach. I quieted my mind, sent out positive thoughts, and visualized the bird appearing before me. "Peace to all feathered things," I whispered.
Whether low-tech or high-tech, the sparrow wasn't buying it. We walked slowly up and down, scanning the willows and blackberry bushes. No luck. I glanced at my watch. It was almost time to go.
Blair said, "I'm going to go up a little farther and see if I can see anything else."
"OK, I'm going to stay here a few more minutes."
Last chance, I told the bird. Still no response. I sighed and headed back.
I was almost back to the main trail when I thought I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw Blair, standing where we had been before, waving me back.
I lifted my binoculars. Sure enough, he had the bird! It was feeding calmly in the middle of the path.
I retraced my steps and we shared a good, long look at this beautiful visitor.
"Life bird for me!" I said. "Thank you so much."
"Glad we found it!" He looked as excited as I was.
Birds are a gift of beauty, hope, and joy. They connect us with nature and with one another. And that's something we need now more than ever.
Join us and Blair Bernson on Friday, June 12th at 7:00pm for 50/50/50 - A Passionate Birding Adventure
Register for the online Zoom program here
Watch and listen as Blair recounts his journey to all of the 50 United States finding 50 bird species on single days in each. Following his passion for birds and people, the journey was undertaken to get a better understanding of the great variety of beliefs, backgrounds, histories and contexts found in our remarkably diverse country which have increasingly and sadly become a basis for an “us” versus “them” conflict. Intersecting with birders in each state, he hoped to find a unifying commonality. The birds and the people surpassed his wildest hopes providing memories for a lifetime, insights into how to bridge our differences and to better appreciate and build upon our great diversity. By the numbers, there were more than 660 species seen in the company of more than 300 people. He has no number for the many lessons learned or stories to tell. His presentation shares many of those birds, people, lessons and stories.