July 4th, 2006
of birds and blogs
Later this week, Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds will be hosting the first anniversary edition of the “I and the Bird” blog carnival. Previous contributors were asked to write a post on the subject of why you blog, why you bird, or why you blog about birds.
I’ve given these questions some thought over the past few days. What can I say?
I can’t really answer the “why you bird” part, as I’m not a birder in the popular sense. I don’t keep a life list and have never spent much time looking for a specific bird. If anything, the birds usually find me before I see them — whether it’s a Loon popping up like a cork beside my canoe, or a Barred Owl peering down from the sheltering branches of a Hemlock as I tramp by on snowshoes beneath. The birds and I seem to have a casual, comfortable relationship. We move through the landscape, occasionally encountering and observing each other for a few moments before continuing on our way. In fact, that very thought came to me yesterday as I realized that I was being escorted by two Common Yellowthroat warblers that chikked at me as they hopped from branch to branch along the woodland trail here at the farm. I stopped to reply as best I could with my own warbler chirps while they tilted their heads curiously — then I moved on and they returned to whatever warbler things they were doing before I wandered by. I don’t think of what I do as birding, but more like being “bird aware” as I pass through the landscape. For me, birds are part of the fabric of place, in much the same way that insects, mammals and vegetation are interwoven to form the whole. However, birds do stand a little apart from the rest as their movement and song breathes life into those places they inhabit. Think of any landscape without birdsong and that is often a scene of desolation, while those places filled with their voices are alive with all forms of life. It seems the bird is the arbiter elegantiae of the natural world.
Returning to the above questions, the why you blog is a little easier to answer. For several years, I’ve been recording my daily nature sightings through photography and rough field notes. This blog provides a venue through which to share some small part of my daily observations. Further, I’ve always believed that the more people know about the natural world, the more they will care about and attempt to protect it. Perhaps this blog is my own modest way of trying to increase awareness and encourage a sense of caring toward all flora and fauna, regardless of size or apparent significance. I try to take that approach with my own study of the natural world — by not restricting my interest to one group of plants, or creatures, or type of habitat. As alluded to above, I tend to think of place as a fabric in which all of the threads of life come together. To ignore or neglect one area of nature greatly weakens my understanding of that fabric. At a time in which the very fabric of all places – of the entire natural world – is under assault in so many quarters, it seems more important than ever to try to understand the complex role of every thread in each piece of fabric — birds, insects, reptiles, trees, fungi… Without that degree of understanding, how can we truly know how to preserve the integrity of the natural world?
This blog, small as it is, has become a thread in yet another fabric — that of the growing network of nature blogs that may be found on the web. Singularly, it may seem that each of us is writing about unrelated observations and occurrences. But when regarded as a whole, it becomes quite apparent that these blogs are recording valuable information in a way that was impossible even a couple of years ago. Thousands of pairs of eyes can now be watching the natural world, observing and often photographing what they see, and then reporting and archiving these images and observations into an immense and searchable database. This is an incredible time for naturalists as we find ways to communicate and share our observations of what is happening in our home ranges. It seems right to be a thread in that fabric.
July 4th, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Good comments Bev. The reason I read your blog originally is because I could relate to the areas that you talked about since I have visited many of them, and had a resonable interest in nature and history which you write about. I have visited your blog almost daily since I first discovered it 3 or 4 months ago, and have gotten 2 or 3 people hooked on it since then as well, includng my fiancee.
I remember finding it on google when searching for pictures of a Charleston Lake trail to show my friends who were visiting the park for the first time for a hike. Your site is the top link when searching for “charleston lake sandstone trail” when searched without quotes. They loved the hike ;)
Since then I have started reading other nature blogs on occasion, mostly of those that are regular visitors to this blog.
I don’t comment on your posts as often as I’d like, but I deffinitly do read every one of them, and have gone through the old posts from before I first visited to read those as well.
July 4th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
Your blog has been an inspiration to me, Bev. I especially appreciate your incredibly perceptive eye, and the detail with which you record your daily observations. I am utterly grateful for your presence on the internet and for how much I have learned visiting your site everyday. Yours is a beautiful thread in the fabric.
July 5th, 2006 at 2:48 am
Peter – I’m glad you found your way here to my blog, and that you enjoy returning to visit. Interesting about my blog being a top link for the Sandstone Island Trail at Charleston Lake. I’ve always thought of doing up a couple of pages on that trail on my main website as I’ve done with a couple of other favourite local trails. Thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog!
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Robin – Reading that my blog has provided you with some inspiration gives me real pleasure. I very much enjoy helping others to see the natural world at a level that goes a little deeper. I must also say that I’ve been greatly influenced by aspects of both Wayne’s and your blogs, as well as several others. Although our blogs have a somewhat different focus and style, I believe we all share a love and respect for the natural world. Being part of a circle of fellow naturalist-writers is an inspiration in itself.
July 5th, 2006 at 10:05 am
Well written! You are an inspiration and a great source of information on a daily basis. I do like your “fabric of life” analogy. I look forward to learning more from you!
July 5th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Thank you, O.W. It’s comments such as yours that keep me going! (-:
July 5th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
i am a nature-phile, but my kids and i are some of those panicky city types you talked about awhile ago who freak out when big or little bugs get near us. i usually do not get murderously afraid, but the urge does arise now and then. since i’ve been looking at your site on a regular basis (and sharing the info with the kids) i would say my fear of nature has been lowered significantly. even my well documented arachnophobia has waned by, i’d say, more than 70 or 80%! when surprised or confronted by strange or scary insects, my kids and i are now more likely to say, ‘ooh, what’s that?’ and try to get a closer look. i credit your blog 100% for allowing us to do that. i can’t think of a greater gift than helping other people get closer to nature and learn to love it more for the looking.
i am grateful to you.
July 5th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
crow – Your comment made my day! I’m so glad that you and your children have been enjoying reading my posts about insects and spiders, and that you’re also feeling a lot more comfortable about being in close proximity. In truth, there are so few insects or spiders that can inflict even the tiniest amount of harm on a human — at least in most areas of Canada and the U.S. (especially in the northern climates), that it would be a shame not to spend some time getting a close look at these fascinating creatures. Thanks very much for writing your note!
July 6th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Bev, I just found this splendid post. Your image of our collective endeavors as a fabric of which each blog is a single thread really highlights the interconnectedness of our individual observations. Though I don’t believe you sent me the link, I’m going to add it to the anniversary edition anyway, as long as you don’t mind.
July 6th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Thanks, Mike. Please do go ahead and use it in IATB.
July 7th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
I like the idea of the ‘fabric of life’.. to me it’s like a beautiful quilt with so many different patterns/colors included.. take away just one of those pieces and the quilt takes on a different personality.. and wouldn’t be quite the same.
A well written post as always Bev!
July 7th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Thanks, Cindy. The idea of “fabric of life” makes sense to me. I guess because I used to work with textiles quite a bit. I agree… a quilt with many patterns and colours — or a tapestry, with detail running from the large to the very tiny, but a place for everything and everything working together to create the whole.