When Did You Start Birding? Why? (1 Viewer)

Chickadeedeedee · Mar 7, 2013

Since I can remember I always loved Nature. As a child of about 5 ... I remember running outside in my jammies at night tracking down the screams for help from a bumny or bird that had been caught by a cat.

I remember bringing home a goldfinch one time and a sparrow another. Both had pretty much got lucky with tail feathers pulled and minor cuts. My Mom would set up a cage for the rescued victims and would tend to their needs.

Always a happy day when we could return them to the outside ... hoping they would be more mindful in the future.

We would just sit and watch the birds in the garden and look them up in a field guide if unsure of their ID. I still sit in that very same garden some 50 years later!

So how did you get interested in our birdie friends?

Keith Dickinson · Mar 7, 2013

Like you I have always had an interest in nature but for most of my early school-days it was mammalian wildlife that interested me. In my late teens I discovered girls, heavy metal and booze so for a few years that was my life, apart from having to earn my living as a metal worker. In the very early 1980's I was put out of work and took to walking a local footpath for something to get me out the house., I noticed that there were more birds than just house sparrows and blackbirds. I bought a copy of The Birds of Britain and Europe by Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow and borrowed my Dads binoculars. Suddenly I had a life list, which I was adding to nearly everyday. Since then I can honestly say that there hasn't been one day when I haven't watched the birds at some time during the day, be it simply noting birds in my head as I drive along or full on days out birding from dawn to dusk (if my wife lets me).

palval147 · Mar 8, 2013

I have always been interested in garden birds, from an early age, but never seriously got into birding until friends & I, who wanted something different to do, joined an evening class for identifying birds here, not long after we moved to Devon. The speaker/lecturer was president of the Plymouth group RSPB & our birding really took off from those lectures.

Wendy Morris · Mar 9, 2013

Serious birding, if you can call what I do serious, about 20 years ago. However, my late mother always fed the birds wherever we lived, in town or country, so I was always familiar with the common garden birds from childhood. I started doing the BTO's Garden Bird Survey almost as soon as it started around 1995 and I still do it to this day.

Chickadeedeedee · Mar 10, 2013

I am *VERY* fortunate because I often have some sort of birdy guest as a patient ... either temporary or permanent. Being so close to them I can see their distinct personalities and how genuinely playful they can be! Just makes me want to observe them more in the wild!

George Garner · Mar 10, 2013

I was first seduced by the birding bug when I could,nt ID a Jackdaw, having bought a book to do this I was hooked, and now many years later, I help run our local RSPB group.
And incidentally had a very good meeting at Staffordshire wildlife trust headquarters last weekend, run by the Midlands area of the RSPB. And whats more I still call them wrong but never mind I'll get there one day.

George

ClarkWGriswold · Mar 10, 2013

I remember going all round mid Wales with my father in the late 70's looking for Red Kites. I still enjoy going with him though his knowledge remains vastly superior to mine. As for Red Kites, they have become so common that all I have to do is walk out the back door.

Now, I take my boys with me so hopefully they will carry on the interest.

Rich

palval147 · Mar 11, 2013

ClarkWGriswold said:
I remember going all round mid Wales with my father in the late 70's looking for Red Kites. I still enjoy going with him though his knowledge remains vastly superior to mine. As for Red Kites, they have become so common that all I have to do is walk out the back door. Now, I take my boys with me so hopefully they will carry on the interest.

Rich

Well, lucky you! We never see them here,:-C but we had the same with Little Egrets, it was a treat to see one, now there are lots & they are on every West country estuary.

Gill Osborne · Mar 12, 2013

Egrets are becoming relatively common up here in Northumberland too, especially in the last five years or so, and it's still a thrill to see them :t:

I was always animal-mad from around 18 months old :-O My parents made the mistake of taking me to Seaburn Zoo in 1970 and I can still *vaguely* remember seeing a lion. After that I grew up on a diet of David Attenborough, Jacque Cousteau and Survival programmes on tv :king:
When I was around 14 years old in 1982 I started walking to school through the two public parks in Wallsend and watching the birds and began to make a note of what I'd seen.....listing before I'd even read Bill Oddie's book! :-O
I got my first pair of binoculars in 1984 for just £19.99 from my mother's catalogue - a pair of 8 x 30's - and they opened up the world to me :king:

After that I spent every daylight hour outdoors watching birds - weekends, school holidays, evenings until dusk in the summer months. Sadly, at 16, I left school and had to get a job and this reduced my birding too much but I still got outside in all weathers at every opportunity.

I passed my driving test in January 2005 and since then I've explored further afield in Northumberland. I cannot see a time when I'm NOT a birdwatcher/naturalist.....I just HAVE to be outdoors :smoke: I become a grumpy old witch when I'm not :-O

Fozzybear · Mar 14, 2013

Gill Osborne said:
After that I grew up on a diet of David Attenborough, Jacque Cousteau and Survival programmes on tv :king:

I don't remember Cousteau but Survival and David Attenborough were a big influence in my early life too. My brother was the biggest influence though, dragging me out on holidays to wildlife-rich places that tipped me over from an armchair interest to becoming an active wildlife watcher. Seeing a Dipper was the first kick into interest but it took a trip to Skomer Island and then to North Norfolk for the bug to take hold, back in 2007 or 8.

Red Kites are VERY rare here too Val!

palval147 · Mar 14, 2013

Fozzybear said:
I don't remember Cousteau but Survival and David Attenborough were a big influence in my early life too. My brother was the biggest influence though, dragging me out on holidays to wildlife-rich places that tipped me over from an armchair interest to becoming an active wildlife watcher. Seeing a Dipper was the first kick into interest but it took a trip to Skomer Island and then to North Norfolk for the bug to take hold, back in 2007 or 8.

Red Kites are VERY rare here too Val!

There are none here.:-C

I have seen an Osprey though. It flew passed our house.

I used to watch Cousteau every time it was on & the other programmes mentioned.
My favourite, sadly late, singer too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqiHM7X6BAw

PeterK · Mar 15, 2013

Hi I Started birding as the driver delivering my youngest son to vatious birding events and meets all the North West and Wales, he is now deepinto diving and marine bioogy, Me I decided it was get interested in Birds and nature, or die of boredom sitting in the car for hours on end. I have to say Old Bill from the origonal BBC Birdforum was a huge influence upon my becomng a part of the birding communitee, He was a fund of knowledge and only to willing to pass on his knowledge, and help those like myself in dire need of guidance.
At this moment in time I am restricted in my birding by a slight life theatening illness, so its local birds and contacts via RSPB etc keeping Me going .

Good Birding PeterK

George Garner · Mar 15, 2013

PeterK said:
Hi I Started birding as the driver delivering my youngest son to vatious birding events and meets all the North West and Wales, he is now deepinto diving and marine bioogy, Me I decided it was get interested in Birds and nature, or die of boredom sitting in the car for hours on end. I have to say Old Bill from the origonal BBC Birdforum was a huge influence upon my becomng a part of the birding communitee, He was a fund of knowledge and only to willing to pass on his knowledge, and help those like myself in dire need of guidance.
At this moment in time I am restricted in my birding by a slight life theatening illness, so its local birds and contacts via RSPB etc keeping Me going .

Good Birding PeterK

Sorry to hear about your illness peter, I do hope you can over come it.
But you know hearing of other people's problems helps me put mine in perspective, my problem is the degenerative desease Parkinson, nasty but not life threatening, and so long as I can hold my bins I shall keep birding, and when the time comes that I can't hold them, then my birding pals have threatened to fix me up with a bracket of some sort.

George

PeterK · Mar 16, 2013

Yep We just have to hang in there George, my old heart is failing to work hard enough apparently, the medics tell me its manageable, but will take time to achieve the necessary balance of drugs. Meanwhile like You I will keep birding and and am determined to get back out in the field again.

Good Luck Mate Peter

Chickadeedeedee · Mar 16, 2013

I loved the Cousteau documenteries! At one point I thought if I would be unable to be a veterinarian, I would explore the oceans instead.

Hope everyone will be able to get out and do some birding this year. My personal goal is to be able to go in the garden without needing to.use my Mother's walker. Not fun to get old.

When Did You Start Birding? Why? (1 Viewer)

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