Day 1
Happy New Year - it’s 2023! Today, I began my birding journey from scratch… starting at zero, it’s like I’ve never seen a bird before. Fortunately, a lifetime of birding has trained me for this moment - but today, it all starts from scratch.
It was an imperfect start. I’ve been fighting allergies and a head cold for a few days, which meant it was a later and more lethargic beginning than I would have liked. But the birds didn’t seem to mind. My first stop in Austin was at Hornsby Bend, a local hot spot for birders. Just past the entry gate I spotted my first addition to the list: an American Kestrel, my spirit bird - a good sign! And as usual, Hornsby Bend didn’t disappoint: Plenty of waterfowl in the ponds and songbirds in the woods.
It was an unusual feeling to think of these birds as going onto a list - a list I’m sharing with the public - for the first time. It’s a new perspective on creatures that I’m so used to seeing: The Black-crested Titmouse, for instance… a species Texas knows well, but you can’t hardly find anywhere else in America. Or how about the Northern Cardinal - such an iconic bird found throughout much of the country, but one that I lived without for nearly two decades while on the West Coast. Or a new one: the Winter Wren, I bird that had escaped me on a recent trek to Southeast Arizona, and yet here I had stumbled upon on it, practically in my back yard. Moments after seeing the Winter Wren, I came across another birder; I learned that he’s from England, in America for the first time, and he heard this was a good birding spot. What must he think of all these birds, many that I’m sure he’s never seen before?
It’s this kind of curiosity and global connection to nature that drives my passion to see 5,000 bird species. Meeting new people along the way, reconnecting with places and people who have shaped my birding experiences so far, and discovering corners of the world I never could have imagined - This is where I hope the road takes me. And today, in just a few short hours after a few stops, I added the first 49 birds to my list. Here’s to many, many more to come!
