For the Birds

Gerry and I attend a presentation sponsored by the Moose Jaw Nature Club about birdwatching. The club itself has been on hiatus since you-know-when, but are regrouping and the new president has plans. We’re intrigued and look forward to hearing more.

We learn the basics of how to identify birds (size, color, behavior, migration patterns, song) and take note of useful guidebooks and apps. On the way out, at the end of the evening, I snag a checklist of birds found here in the Wakamow Valley and am surprised to find over two hundred!

I think I could enjoy birdwatching as a quiet, contemplative practice and ponder making it a goal over the next few years to identify as many as possible here in Saskatchewan, the Wakamow Valley especially, photographing some as opportunity presents. Gerry jokes that many aging hikers take up birdwatching and/or photography because it gives them a reason to rest. It’s a hobby that can work for both of us!

I wish we had seen the presentation in the spring, but there are some birds on the list listed as winter visitors or permanent residents. Perhaps fall and winter’s smaller population presents a good time to get started.

We arrive home and I’m ready for bed and a book, but we switch the television from dog TV left on for Molly while we were away to an episode of David Attenborough’s Wild Isles and settle in to watch and play with the pup first. It’s a pleasant way to spend an evening.