enced—to bird-watching friends,
the more you are remembering your
stories about the birds rather than
the birds themselves. Every birder
loves talking about birds—please
keep on talking and telling your
“big bird” (equivalent to “big fish”)
stories, and “the one that got away”
stories. They make our birding community that much more fun. When
you are out in the field, however,
take a notepad and write some notes
so you can remember your experiences more accurately.
Your field notes do not necessarily have to be about bird identification; they could be about where you
went, what you did, what the birds
were doing, behavior, song, or seasonal changes going on in your local
patch—anything that gives context
and information of interest. You
don’t have to look at the notes ever
again; by simply writing them down,
you will remember the details better than if you had not. But looking
again at the notes later is even better
for your memory. To maximize the
benefits of taking a notebook, do a
sketch or a drawing here and there.
No one has to see your drawings—
they’re just for you, so don’t be shy.
Drawing helps crystallize what the
birds look like in your brain. You
will remember your drawing and the
actual bird better.
ALVARO JARAMILLO
5. Travel.
You may be thinking “I thought
you said stick to your home patch!”
Home patch birding and travel are
not mutually exclusive. Every once
in a while it’s wonderful to take a
trip to a place where you are out of
your comfort zone, where you have
to look at all the birds as though it
were the first time you have seen
them. This can mean traveling to the
other end of the state or to another
continent, depending on your pref-
erence. Getting out of your comfort
zone is fantastic not only because
we can see a bunch of lifers, but
because our birding brains go into
overdrive, taking in things at a dif-
ferent speed and eagerness than
when we are near home. Partly it is
adrenaline-fueled birding, stepping
out of the hotel and not knowing
exactly what will be out there—
what fun! When you get back home
you will find that your “regular”
birds will have a new shine to them,
and that you will look at them a
tad more carefully and learn about
them as you become reacquainted.
It’s like seeing an old friend you
haven’t seen for a while—you pop
right back where you left off, but
also that initial conversation telling
each other what has happened in the
intervening years gives you more
confirmation that this is a great
friend, and it is so nice to see him or
her again! a
Alvaro Jaramillo is a birding
guide for Field Guides, and a bird
book author. He lives with his family in the coastal town of Half Moon
Bay, California.
