By Nic Hoffman
Copy Editor and Archivist

Birding is one of America’s top hobbies but is a dying practice, for multiple reasons. The people who enjoy it are literally dying, as dismal as it may seem, and young people aren’t as interested. Birds themselves are dropping in diversity due to the environmental impacts of human actions. Even interest in birds is dropping due to less enticement by the outdoors.

Why bird? It’s dirty, sweaty, and requires unnecessary patience. But the rewards are astounding. Spending 4 hours birding Tyler State park is amazing. It isn’t unusual to see hawks, mourning doves, and countless common birds such as juncos and chickadees.

It’s an impressive skill, the ability to see or hear a bird and instantly know, and be able to tell others. It reflects a level of knowledge of the birder, one that is usually overvalued by others. It’s much easier than it seems to be able to identify birds, but people who don’t bird don’t know that.

Finally the appreciation of the hobby is incredibly important for the saving of the environment. Birding creates appreciation and makes people think more than they otherwise would. After all, as Robert Michael Pyle said, “What is the extinction of a condor to a person who has never seen a wren?”
Birding is important for self-enjoyment, self-learning, and the environment. Bird or appreciate a birder today, and don’t chalk it up to bird nerds or old people.