Sound Effect: Birds Chirping
Have you ever woken up to the sound of birds chirping in the morning, but couldn’t seem to figure out what bird was making that sound? This may seem like a tall task at first, but after diving into the world of birding, the whole ordeal may seem far less daunting.
Birding can take on many different forms. Some may just be looking out at their bird feeder and identifying, whereas others go all the way to the World Series of Birding, an hours-long quest to identify species. There is plenty of middle ground, however, for anyone who is interested.
[Collin Porter] Late summer, I was at a bird sanctuary, actually. And we got news of this, this really cool Sandpiper on this pier called a Purple Sandpiper. And it was the first really rare bird that I saw in Chicago. And I was like, wow, that was a really cool experience. I really just want to pick up birding and seeing birds like that more often.
That’s Weinberg Senior and Environmental Science major, Collin Porter. Connecting with his studies, his love of birding has allowed him to further explore the impacts of bird conservation.
[Porter] Coming out here to Chicago kind of opened my eyes to a lot of what conservation is. I learned a lot about the history of the land out here. The types of habitat that used to be here. And it really just sort of got me interested in conservation as a field and like, what people can do on the side of research, to sort of contribute to conservation as it is now.
However, a passion for birding can also start out simply. For Weinberg Sophomore Alex Boyko, his passion for birding began after switching schools and making a new friend who took interest in the hobby.
[Alex Boyko] Okay, this is my guy, like, I like him a lot. I want to, you know, fit in, I want to do well at this school. I like birds. They seemed cool, you know, I know what they are. They fly, they do stuff. But like, I don’t know anything about them. Sure. What’s the harm in learning?
The pastime can also hold deep meanings. For Humanities and Prison Education Librarian Josh Honn, birding started out as a way to persevere through hard times.
[Josh Honn] My late wife passed away in 2015 and when she was going through treatments and things like that, I started birdwatching and it just brought me a lot of peace.
No matter how you start out, birding can have many benefits. Some see it as a form of relaxation or a way to unwind. Others see the conservation benefits that birding has to offer.
[Porter] As well as what people can do as just citizen scientists, as they call them, recording things like birds and other wildlife around them to help contribute to databases and things like that, that contribute to research.
Especially amidst midterms season here at Northwestern, Boyko praises birding as a great stress reliever.
[Boyko] And I find a really good value in having grounding-type hobbies, ones that you can kind of shut down and focus into for a minute. And this is definitely one of those things, you know, it’s a little more calm, it’s out in nature.
And for those interested in benefitting their own environment, birding offers several great ways to do so.
[Porter] And I see birds specifically as a great gateway. They’re so charismatic, and there’s so many people that get into them so easily, that it’s a great way to kind of draw in things like funding and attention for habitat as a whole to support, restoring and conserving vulnerable habitat all across the country and all across the world.
This certainly worked for these two. Boyko, who has worked to protect endangered bird species in New Hampshire, emphasized the field’s common ground with many other movements.
[Boyko] People more and more are becoming generally aware and concerned about climate things. And when you kind of stop and put two and two together, like, these are very similar issues that we’re facing, we’re both advocating for the same goal. Why not work together? Why not have these conversations and foster something out of all of this?
Even at the highest level of competitive birding, the goals are environmentally focused. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, All About Birds, the World Series of Birding has raised over a million dollars throughout the last 40 years to go toward bird conservation.
But no one will start out at that level, which begs the question: what are the best ways to get started?
Honn helped to create NU Birders, who hold bird walks. He noticed, however, that many students would show up to these walks without binoculars or proper gear. As a result, Honn worked with SustainNU to create kits to lend.
[Honn] We saw that Evanston Public Library had them on offer and we said, ‘ok, other people are doing this,. It’s something we can do.’
The Northwestern Library has four birding kits that students can check out. According to their website, these are complete with binoculars, a neck strap, a lens cloth, an instruction manual, and a QR Code which links to a guide.
[Honn] We wanted to link to some really accessible resources where you can quickly download a guide to common birds, have a little information about the campus itself, and where good places are, connect to local organizations. And just give people context and a little handholding as they go out on their adventure with the binoculars, right.
Additionally, the Evanston North Shore Bird Club emphasized that their events are open to everyone. You can find more information about their calendar and events on their website, ensbc.org.
But there are also plenty of spots right here on campus for any new birders.
[Boyko] In general, Northwestern is actually a surprisingly great campus for birdwatching. I mean, you can see it’s actually a crow right there flying around, great timing. But it’s a great place with all of the outdoor space we have to go and and try it for yourself.
[Honn] Lake Michigan is a massive flyway for migratory birds in the Spring and Fall, and so I knew that it was a great place to see birds from all over the hemisphere.
There is also technology that’s used by new and old birders alike. MerlinID is an app for iOS and Android that will listen to a bird’s call and identify the species with high accuracy. There’s also eBird, which allows birders to track which species have been spotted in the area. Not only does this create a database full of unique species, but also helps in conservation efforts and with endangered species.
[Porter] I like to tell a lot of people to pick up Merlin and even just letting it record while you’re sitting at a window or something like that on a day that you’re hearing birds singing is really great for just seeing what’s around you.
For WNUR News, I’m Gabe Shumway.
