Birding Alone

I was pretty shocked this afternoon to see on one of the discussion lists the recommendation that beginning birders eager to improve their skills should bird alone.

It is certainly true that birding in a large group–say, on organized field
trips–can make it too easy to rely on the expertise of others; passivity
never makes for good learning. And it is equally the case that for many
young, new, or potential birders, comparing the group list with one’s own
at the end of the day results only in frustration at all the
missed “goodies.”

That said, though, and admitting that everyone has a slightly different
learning style, birding with a more experienced friend or ‘mentor’
is generally far superior to blundering about on one’s own. The
opportunity to ask questions, to check identifications, to be shown things
one didn’t even know to look for, will provide instant re-inforcement and
immediate encouragement, and can make the hours spent later in the library
or at the computer more focused and more informative.

In the days before the internet and the explosion of bird books good, bad,
and indifferent, when all most of us had was Peterson and our curiosity,
those human field companions made all the difference, helping us to rule
out the outlandish and to focus on the details of the common birds. Even
today, I can often tell whether a birder I’ve not met before is a product
of that old, social process or of the new ‘information’-focused school.
Both approaches can lead to expertise, but it somehow means more and runs deeper when that  knowledge has been tested and tempered by constant feedback from a trusted companion.

Thanks, mentors of my last 30 years!