Bird watching has at it’s the core, the desire to know all birds. Bird watchers log all their sights in their life journal. The goal of bird watching is quite obvious, but why people start doing it is entirely different and their reasons are myriad. Birds are quite beautiful, complex, and numerous creatures. They traverse the skies with enviable freedom. Man has always had a fascination with birds; in fact the Eagle has been a revered creature since Rome.
One of the reasons why people watch birds, or go ‘birding’ not to be confused with the sport of fowling, is to observe the beauty of nature on nature’s terms.
Bird watching has spurred a massive growth in a modern phenomenon of ecotourism.
Many people travel to Guyana or Costa Rica merely to experience the ecosystem. These eco-tourists go into the brush and view the birds. They see wildly exotic birds that are far more interesting than the garden variety Robin. To these people the idea of E-birdwatching, which is the practice of watching birds online, would be problematic to say the least. To watch a bird from a computer would entirely defeat the purpose of going all the way to the rainforest to physically see the birds. E-birdwatching fits in well with, perhaps the largest group of birdwatchers, the recreational crowd.
These are the people who put seed out and watch the beauty of nature for purely its aesthetic value. The beauty of the bird, not its symbolism for nature, is the primary purpose for their casual watching. These people would be happy to see the same simple Finch over and over again merely for its nascent beauty. Birdwatching is also very relaxing, much like fishing without all the nasty pain caused to the fish.
The last group of birdwatchers, and the most intriguing, is the competitors. These people treat birds as though they were something analogous to trading cards. They create arbitrary rules for viewing the simplest thing, nature. They stage large scale timed competitions with set goals like a sport. Man’s competitive nature could not stay out of even looking at birds. They compete over seeing the most exotic and rare birds. The most prized of which, and also by the science community, is the supposedly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker. There are entirely festivals devoted to the bird. This bird has inspired waves of inquisitive tourists into the south. Apparently the reports of this bird’s demise have been greatly exaggerated because there are claims of recent sightings.
Nevertheless, birdwatching is a very popular, relaxing, and useful pastime. It inspires interest in nature as well as endangered birds. It is a very relaxing pastime which clearly could help reduce stress. Birdwatching has also helped the world economy through its tourism. However, like all human endeavors some take it too far. What should be a simple relaxing pastime has been turned, by some, into a hectic, arbitrary, and fanatical competition.
One of the reasons why people watch birds, or go ‘birding’ not to be confused with the sport of fowling, is to observe the beauty of nature on nature’s terms.
Bird watching has spurred a massive growth in a modern phenomenon of ecotourism.
Many people travel to Guyana or Costa Rica merely to experience the ecosystem. These eco-tourists go into the brush and view the birds. They see wildly exotic birds that are far more interesting than the garden variety Robin. To these people the idea of E-birdwatching, which is the practice of watching birds online, would be problematic to say the least. To watch a bird from a computer would entirely defeat the purpose of going all the way to the rainforest to physically see the birds. E-birdwatching fits in well with, perhaps the largest group of birdwatchers, the recreational crowd.These are the people who put seed out and watch the beauty of nature for purely its aesthetic value. The beauty of the bird, not its symbolism for nature, is the primary purpose for their casual watching. These people would be happy to see the same simple Finch over and over again merely for its nascent beauty. Birdwatching is also very relaxing, much like fishing without all the nasty pain caused to the fish.
The last group of birdwatchers, and the most intriguing, is the competitors. These people treat birds as though they were something analogous to trading cards. They create arbitrary rules for viewing the simplest thing, nature. They stage large scale timed competitions with set goals like a sport. Man’s competitive nature could not stay out of even looking at birds. They compete over seeing the most exotic and rare birds. The most prized of which, and also by the science community, is the supposedly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker. There are entirely festivals devoted to the bird. This bird has inspired waves of inquisitive tourists into the south. Apparently the reports of this bird’s demise have been greatly exaggerated because there are claims of recent sightings.
Nevertheless, birdwatching is a very popular, relaxing, and useful pastime. It inspires interest in nature as well as endangered birds. It is a very relaxing pastime which clearly could help reduce stress. Birdwatching has also helped the world economy through its tourism. However, like all human endeavors some take it too far. What should be a simple relaxing pastime has been turned, by some, into a hectic, arbitrary, and fanatical competition.
You mentioned something about birdwatching being like fishing, only without the harm that is done to the fish. So do you think that fishermen who don't keep their catch to eat fish for the same reasons that birdwatchers bird watch? That is, to be out in nature and spot a fish close up when they catch one? I never really understood why people catch fish for sport. Bragging rights, I guess?
ReplyDeleteI think that you did an excellent job on focusing on the idea that bird watching is more of an idea of the Exotic. For example, people travel to exotic locations to see birds that they would be unable to see in their back yard. While the idea of birds being an animal of freedom might fascinate some I believe that the idea of traveling to certain locations to see something exotic such as bird pertains the humans need to expereince soemthing different. Thus, bird watching can allow the human to live a contradiction not only are they able to revert back to nature but they are in a way able to live in modern times because of the desire to always expereince something new.
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