Inspiration (1 Viewer)

What gets people inspired to go out? Do you ever have those laxidazical (spell) days when you never seem to muster the energy get out and how do you overcome them?

I just tell myself if i dont go out i might miss something really good, That always gets me out the house, Ann

My dog!... come hail, wind, rain, snow, shine or hangover... we're off!!!

dan

chrisl said:

What gets people inspired to go out? Do you ever have those laxidazical (spell) days when you never seem to muster the energy get out and how do you overcome them?

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I have to confess, I haven't been out to the local area much recently ~ it is a very quiet time of the year as well.

Also for the last few years 95% of my birding has been on local farmland where birdlife can be depressingly thin on the ground and I have spent many a day just roaming from rough scrub to wet meadow in the hope of finding worthy sightings to stuff out my monthly reports etc, and those were the days that were the hardest to deal with and didn't exactly do wonders for personal motivation.

However, despite being a non driver being able to get to a quality nature reserve or an established birding ''hotspot'' helps as far as motivation is concerned ..somewhere where you know you are going to see lots of different species in an attractive setting. Also incorporate other interests such as flowers and insects which can provide additional interest when the birding is slow.

One other aspect that effects a persons enjoyment of birding that is often overlooked is their own personal health and fitness levels ~ birding can be quite physical at times and it stands to reason the fitter you are the easier it is to reach remote places accessable only by foot! Since a change of diet and taking more rigorous exercise my own fittness has improved greatly, combined with losing a fair bit of weight I'm much happier roaming around on foot or bike for the whole day.

Matt

I suppose it is like any otdoor activity. I like sunshine, spring etc. I prefer not to be stuck inside all day. At night, I prefer to stay home.

Also, when I am out there, if i cannot hear traffic noise, all the best. I never liked cars all that much. I drive 50 miles every day.

chrisl said:

What gets people inspired to go out? Do you ever have those laxidazical (spell) days when you never seem to muster the energy get out and how do you overcome them?

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Three things motivate me to get out (in no particular order).

1) The thought that today might be the day that I see something good at my local patch. This is particularly good at getting me out in bad weather, because perhaps there might be a storm driven bird on the water. Bad weather often brings the unusual.

2) I do a lot of cycling and birding, and the two complement each other very well. On days when I don't feel in the mood for birding, I find that actually I'll go anyway just for the ride and the excercise, whereas on other days I might not feel like a bike ride, but I still go because I enjoy the birding. At the start of the year I set myself a target of at least 1000 birding miles on the bike in 2007. I almost always do the same route (which is 15 miles), so this equates to 1000 / 15 = 67 bike rides required in 2007. So far I'm on 41. This might seem obsessive, but it keeps me fit and allows me to survey the route throughout the year, every year.

This brings me on to motivation 3:

3) Another obsession of mine is data. I don't like to see gaps in my database, so I force myself to go to my patch 3 or 4 times a week and go out on my bike once or twice, every week of the year come rain, hail, snow or even occasionally, sunshine. On these occasions I'm going just to maintain my never ending survey of the areas I cover.

I find the prospect of being stuck in the house with the wife all day and the ever-present threat of being roped into housework is usually enough to inspire me to get out birding.......

Alan G said:

I find the prospect of being stuck in the house with the wife all day and the ever-present threat of being roped into housework is usually enough to inspire me to get out birding.......

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:t: Yeah that's a good one. I nearly brought it up myself. I sometimes get asked if I wish my wife was interested in birding, to which the answer is a resounding "No!". Birding is my escapism, I don't want to take my problems with me! :-O

And the same for me! It's nice to get out for some peace and quiet, away from domestics at home, listening to kids screaming at each other now they're on holiday.
Out birding i just chill out, away from the rat race.

I work in retail and consequently am surrounded by people throughout the working day. I tend to do most of my birding on my own and really enjoy the brief solitude since it offers a welcome respite from the hordes. It's nice just to have time to think and the fresh air and exercise are always welcome. Occasionally I even find some good birds!