Welcome back to the Entryway to Birding blog! This week's post is a celebratory one, as the blog is approaching its very own bird-iversary. One year ago this week—on March 30th to be exact—this blog came to life with our very first entry, titled Look to the Birds.
And that's what we've done. Every week for fifty-two weeks.* We've looked to the birds.
In an unprecedented year filled with uncertainty, fear, and loss, birds have been my solace. I hope you can say the same. Join me in this week's post to look back on our shared year of birds and beginnings, of adventures and growth, of mis-IDs and birding blunders, to see just how far we've come.
*Technically 50 weeks—I missed a few weeks along the way. I trust you were all too busy birding to notice!
An eastern screech owl snoozes in a tree cavity on the first day of spring. May the sun shine on your future birding adventures like it’s shining on her. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
How Far We've Come
The Entryway to Birding blog got started in March 2020 with the aim of being a resource to new birders who found themselves eager to learn at a time when all the field trips and group bird walks were cancelled. So much of birding involves learning from others, and while it's absolutely possible to learn on your own, it can be overwhelming. There's a lot to navigate.
I only had about six months of birding under my belt when I started the blog, so that experience of being new and confused and overwhelmed was still very fresh in my mind. And it was there the blog was born—a blog by a new birder, for new birders, for us to learn together along the way.
We've covered a lot of content over the last twelve months. I'll be linking to many previous posts in this reflection below. If you've only just recently started reading, you should know there is a full four seasons worth of birding content to keep you busy!
Now, let's explore all the ways we've pushed ourselves in this hobby over the last year.
We've Grown in Confidence
All while knowing that our learning is never done.
Whether birding by ear or with binoculars, we've found that this hobby is boundless in its opportunities—and also its challenges. Being a beginning birder is a whirlwind of joy, surprise, wonder, confusion, and frustration. Having to navigate the intricacies of identification, of birding etiquette, of knowing when and where and how to look can be a lot.
Over the weeks, we've done our best to get familiar with the birds of our region—from shorebirds to swans, from waterfowl to warblers, from woodland birds to sneaky sparrows, from owls and raptors, all the way to our most common backyard birds and rarest winter finches. We've gotten in tune with the birding seasons and learned about the tools we need—or don't need!—to find the birds we love.
We've learned a lot over the year, but we've also discovered that there are moments when we need to step away from our urge to identify and put a name to everything, where we need to leave our binoculars at home, where we need to just slow down and sit and listen, taking in the world around us and simply enjoying the moment.
Look! It’s a photo of us as fledgling birders. Oh, wait, sorry. That’s actually a young sandhill crane. My bad! Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
We've Made Mistakes
And we still make them, daily.
Birding is, perhaps, nothing but a series of mistakes we make in search of birds we love. It's wild guesses. It's educated guesses. It's curious questions. It's endless learning. It's IDing the wrong species, over and over and over again. It's looking in the wrong spots, which you don't know are the wrong spots until you try. And then it's being willing to look again, to try again.
We've blundered on our journey. We’ve struggled to learn the lingo. We’ve been fooled by the noises of tree branches, chipmunks, and squirrels. But we've learned that those mistakes come with the territory—they are never a judgment of our skill, but rather a testament that we're doing it right. And we're not afraid to be wrong.
Because there is not, anywhere, a birder that exists who has not been wrong, who isn't still learning, who hasn't embarrassed themselves, who hasn't been schooled by birds and fooled by birds.
If you're making mistakes, then congrats! You're a birder in damn good company.
It’s been 1.5 years since I’ve been birding and I still mis-ID common birds like goldfinches. I can’t remember their song for the life of me. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
We've Discovered New Places
And seen old favorites with new eyes.
From wetlands to woods, from prairies to parks, from the bike trail to the water. Birds call for adventures—and we've done a lot of adventuring over the past year. We've scoured Google Maps for green spaces. We've searched through eBird's Hotspot Explorer. We followed up on hot tips from fellow birders and found ourselves off the beaten path. And yet, we've barely scratched the surface.
Birding changes how we see the world. I liken "discovering" the world of birds to that moment when you take off a pair of sunglasses that you've forgotten you're wearing and—suddenly—the world is brighter.
I have fallen ever more in love with landscapes that were special to me before birds came into my life. I see them so differently now; I know them more intimately now. They aren't just trees or brush or streams or marsh—they're habitat! They provide a home, a resting place, for birds on their journeys through the flow of migration.
As you watch birds come and go, as you watch the seasons change, you might find that the attentiveness that you give to the natural world around you has sparked new curiosities—towards the trees, the plants, the flowers, the butterflies, the dragonflies, the mystery bugs, the fungi, the mammals, the herptiles, and more.
Birding has taken us places—new and old—with fresh, curious eyes. Over the past year, you might have found yourself falling even more in love with nature. I know I have.
I have fallen hard for the magic of marshes. Give me waves of deep green grasses and reeds that part to reveal hidden worlds of secretive marsh birds. Pictured here is a black tern at Zeloski Marsh, one of my favorite destinations and a place that I love to bird-by-bike. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
We've Learned to use eBird
And have turned our hobby into community science, all for the birds.
If you've followed the blog over the past year, you know I'm a big fan of eBird, the community science platform that allows birders across the globe to submit checklists of their bird observations. That massive collection of data—submitted by birders like us!—can go on to help scientists understand how birds respond to climate change, how their migration patterns are changing, how their distribution is spreading or shrinking, where they are breeding, where they veer far off course, and so much more.
We've explored ways that we can contribute to eBird, but we've also learned about the different tools that eBird provides you to improve your enjoyment of this hobby, from keeping track of your life lists and bird photos to helping you find new places to bird—and new birds!
You might not have jumped on the eBird train yet, and maybe you simply don't want to. That's okay! Another thing that we've learned this year is that everyone has different reasons why they choose to go birding. We all have the power to make this hobby our own, to bird our way—whether we're casually backyard birding, counting birds for our eBird checklists, or simply just turning our eyes to birds when we feel like it.
eBird can help you discover when snow buntings are reported at the park just down the street from your apartment, like this one here who is enjoying a chilly beach day off the shore of Lake Mendota. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
We've Found Community
Because birds bring us together.
Wisconsin is home to a lot of birders! In 2020, Wisconsin hit a milestone when birders in our state submitted over one million eBird checklists—unbelievably impressive for a state of our size! You've probably noticed while you're out exploring that you're not the only one with your eyes and ears turned to the birds. Birding was popular pre-pandemic, but after this year there are even more of us—and we are better for it!
Field trips and group birding outings were put on pause with the pandemic, which added a challenge for new birders looking to engage with the birding community. That's part of why this blog was born—to be that "field trip leader" who might impart those tidbits of birding knowledge that can be hard to pick up on your own.
I've run into many readers of this blog over the last year while out birding, and it's always a delight to meet another member of the birding community. My hope is that many of you have also met friendly faces while you're out exploring—or even online! From Birding Wisconsin to Dane County Notable Birds to your local county's birding birding page, there are a lot of ways to engage with your fellow birders online if you're interested.
And if you haven't had the chance to meet anyone yet, just wait! Before we know it, more birding events will be back in action and we'll be waiting for you.
Sometimes birds are better with company. These tree swallows agree. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
Where Will We Go From Here?
I know exactly where I hope that you'll go from here—and that's outside to look at birds!
But as for the Entryway to Birding blog, this will be our last post for awhile. I might pop back for the occasional seasonal update to share, but there won't be anymore weekly entries.
But for you?
This is far from an end—this is just the beginning.
I trust you'll keep looking at birds. And before you know it—if you haven't already—you’ll find yourself more invested in your community, more familiar with the ecosystems around you, more determined to play a role in protecting habitat that benefits both birds and humans alike. If you let them, birds will open worlds upon worlds upon worlds of opportunities to explore.
If you're looking for ways to get more involved in the bird world and your birding community, I encourage you to:
Explore the many ways that you can get involved with Madison Audubon—from joining community science efforts like Bird Collision Corps and Bald Eagle Nest Watch, to volunteering at Goose Pond and Faville Grove Sanctuaries, and more.
Learn about other conservation organizations in your area. Not sure who they are or where to find them? Start reading kiosks and signs at all those places you go birding—learn who is protecting and maintaining that bird habitat you appreciate, and then volunteer with them too.
Take part in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon! This annual event is the largest fundraiser for bird conservation in the state. You can participate on any day of your choosing between April 15 to June 15—the perfect opportunity to make the most of spring migration. Check out our recap of the Madison Audubon team's adventures in last year's Birdathon then go register today.
Introduce someone to birding! There's a lot of bird-curious people out there just waiting for the right opportunity to come their way, and that opportunity could be you.
Go forth and spread the bird word with all the energy and enthusiasm of a golden-crowned kinglet. Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt
It's been a truly wonderful year of writing this blog. I can only hope that I've been successful in showing you the ropes. You can take the reins now—the world is yours to bird!
To all of my readers, thank you. Thank you for reading, for following, for sharing your adventures, for saying hello and for becoming friends—even from afar. If you spot me out birding, you're always welcome to say hello.
Happy birding!
Love,
Caitlyn
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Caitlyn is a volunteer with Madison Audubon. She’s crazy for birds because they’ve changed her life. Find her birding with Madison’s chapter of the Feminist Bird Club or contact her in her role as Outreach Coordinator at the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.
