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Should I give up birding? (1 Viewer)

Mono said:
You make it sound so arduous!

You have an interest in birds, you have a few books, you have a pair of binoculars, that is all you need. There is no great commitment, there is no line to sign on, if you fancy going for a walk in the woods then go for one, you might see some birds you might not, but you will see wild flowers, maybe some mammals who knows?
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Exactly!! Well put.

It should be about having fun and enjoying being out and about. My hubby and I go to the coast or to the forests. We take food, drink, binoculars and we wander about, we sit down, we wander some more. If we see something we linger to look some more, if we don't we move on. Sometimes we just stare at the view. That works for us.

I think you should try it for yourself. Birding is what YOU want it to be and YOU do what YOU want to do.
 
HartleyHare said" Birding is what YOU want it to be and YOU do what YOU want to do."
How true!! Plus do it when you want and when you don't feel like it, then don't! I believe it is something inbred in you. To me it is a pleasure, never a chore.
All I want is a decent pair of binos basically! o:)
 
Should I give up????

Vectis Birder said:
Yes! It is definitely worth pursuing at any stage. The beauty of birding is that it can be appreciated anywhere at any time. Birds are all around us and can be watched even for a few minutes between chores or from the office window.

I'm also younger than 'baby boomers' although I am older than you but they aren't that bad and quite a few of them are very knowledgeable. Anyway, it's not what people are it's who they are that counts. And joining a local group will help get you into things faster than anything - you'll see more birds as people point them out to you.

You're already on the 'slippery slope' by joining Bird Forum and asking questions. ;)
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Go to the seashore,and look at the birds there.You'd be surprised,where you can find birds,I'm almost 80 and I find alot right around the property,without looking in the forest,or taking long walks.I think it's "GREAT"ok,just my 2 cents worth,good luck on your decision-
 
Chris Salem said:
The above scenario is mostly conjectural, though. We haven't tried it, yet - and I think that is what sustains our interest. I also would like to get outside more, experience nature, yet not experience nature in a hiking/camping sort of way. However, I haven't opened the binoculars yet so they are still returnable for a full refund. The books, too. Both of us are on the fence about it. We're young, she's finishing exams and will soon be looking for a job as a massage therapist, I should be looking for a better job, we're planning on building a house in the next few years, and she's already taken up knitting as a hobby.

So, I guess the question is: given everything I've said here, is birding even worth us pursuing at this stage?
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Hi Chris,

It is a start that your fiance is interested and unless you suspect she is doing this to impress you, I would try it out first. This is a roundabout way of saying do not assume there will be problems before they arise. Even if you find that one of you is not quite as dedicated as the other, you may find enough common ground to still make it work. As an example, many couples go together to bird watching sites but one of the partners may go off and look at historical sites or simply go shopping. This is a nice compromise in itself but one thing I can tell you having experienced it is that if you give up something you like to do it can build into resentment if your partner gets to do all that they want to do. My ex-wife (the fact that she is now an ex has nothing to do with this subject ;)) enjoyed birding enough to understand when I wanted to get out for myself, I spoke to her recently and she is still a keen occasional birder now that she has re-married. We had a good understanding and when visiting London with ther family once, I was allowed to go off and spend the day at the Natural History museum because they knew that I don't do shopping. :t: To steal the title of a baby-boomers album it is all a Question Of Balance.
 
Birding

Definately don't give it up. I am 14 and bird most weekends with a lifelist of 320 or so. I have been birding all my life. Definately keep with it. It is a good way to enjoy nature.
 
Chris, Sancho said what I was thinking. There are so many other perks to birding. Being outside, walking, getting excercise instead of sitting of front of the tv, having silence and respite from this stressful life we are in. These are all the unexpected pleasures and benefits we have found when we began birding a year ago. My husband and I have grown closer, too. The natural world if full of entertainment. Unless I am going to an area dense with birds, I consider it a hike with birds as the treat. But some of the most fun we had birding was right in our car; watching bluebirds line up along the fence posts on a back highway, or spying a kingfisher on a branch overlooking Bodega Bay. For us, a new world opened, and we are really lightweight's in the birding hobby.

We are boomers. Many of the people who we have met are younger. You might try the audobon society walks for a starter. The youngest people there were about 12;)

All the best, Ann
 
Having to ask the question 'Should I give up birding?' when you haven't even began gives you an answer. HOWEVER, there is nothing wrong with enjoying birds when getting on with your daily life, you don't have to ignore them nor do you have to spend every waking hour in search of them lol
 
Chris Salem said:
Perhaps a dumb question for a birding forum, but better here than anywhere else!

I am having second thoughts about taking up birding as a hobby. My fiance has always really enjoyed watching the finches, cardinals and bluebirds gather around the feeders and birdbaths, etc. and I grew up in a house where my parents also enjoyed gardening and watching birds. It's been such a beautiful spring thus far and almost on a whim it occurred it me that perhaps she and I could take up birding on weekends, traveling to some of the local spots, taking light walks with our binoculars in hand, and spotting some different species of birds. She said she'd be interested, but it's not yet something which we're thrilled about.

I've purchased a couple of field guides which I've been perusing in the bed before falling asleep, looking up common birds, learning a few things along the way; I've purchased one nice pair of binoculars so far; and I've now purchased a "how-to" guide by some guy with the last name 'Dunne'. We could potentially head down to the South Mountains this weekend, go for a stroll, try to spot some birds; however, it sounds like work. After talking to friends and co-workers who also have a backyard birding interest, trying to spot birds in dense foliage and places generally outside of one's backyard isn't particulary easy. Who knows if we'll spot anything! Knowing my fiance, she'll quickly grow bored standing in one spot scanning the trees all in the hope of spotting one bird. And since we're both nubes, we have no idea what we're looking at. And we're both 30 years old, so getting together with a group of baby-boomer birders (no offence) will wear out its welcome fast.

The above scenario is mostly conjectural, though. We haven't tried it, yet - and I think that is what sustains our interest. I also would like to get outside more, experience nature, yet not experience nature in a hiking/camping sort of way. However, I haven't opened the binoculars yet so they are still returnable for a full refund. The books, too. Both of us are on the fence about it. We're young, she's finishing exams and will soon be looking for a job as a massage therapist, I should be looking for a better job, we're planning on building a house in the next few years, and she's already taken up knitting as a hobby.

So, I guess the question is: given everything I've said here, is birding even worth us pursuing at this stage?
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You never know unless you try. You seem to be ready but your friends and family are not appearing to me to be very supportive which is giving you doubts.

You should join the Audubon Society of North Carolina for $20 a year. They may have a local chapter in your area. Going on a field trip with people that are experts in birding is something you should at least try and if it isn't for you, you can plan your own expedition with someone that loves it as much as you.

Don't give it up, it is a very rewarding experience...

Sincerely,
Monique Applewhite
http://www.wildandwinged.com
 
I do like the fact that after reading his thread,the British answer seems to be "yeah just do it" while joking about it and the American Stance is more "don't bother if you are going to make a fuss" almost embarrassed by the question posed,shows the difference in personalities of those either side of the pond
 
MODERATORS: I suggest that this thread by locked. It's an old thread, and the OP is no longer reading it (last online April 30th, 2012). Yet people keep on replying because it's a hot button topic. Just my opinion--no offense to recent posters in the thread intended.
 
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