Alright, let’s dish. When you’re a new birder, it takes some time to get accustomed to the ins and outs of this very particular hobby. You’ve not only got a massive list of bird species to familiarize yourself with, but you’ve got the oddities of birding etiquette, the lingo, the eBirding procedures and more. It takes time and experience to mentally sift through all of that, and in the process, mistakes are made.

It’s a reality. New birders make mistakes. Experienced birders make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes.

But if you need some proof and some reassurance, this week’s Entryway to Birding blog is for you. I’m laying it all out all out there—the silly, the ill-timed, the embarrassing—to remind you that no matter what mistakes you make in the field, you’ll be a better birder after you learn from them.

Photo by Caitlyn Schuchhardt

Welcome back to the Entryway to Birding blog! I’ve recently been reflecting on how I bird—where I choose to go, the pace that I move at, what my intentions for birding are. Much of my birding during September has been focused on finding warblers and enjoying their presence before they continue south for the winter, and my warbler searching has resulted in some very slow birding sessions—not slow in bird activity, by any means! But “slow” as in, “No, I haven’t moved more than 15 feet from the spot you last saw me, and yes, it has been over an hour” type of slow.

At first this slow birding was just a product of the birds—I had found a warbler flock early one morning and they were busy feasting on bugs and weren’t going anywhere. They left me wishing I had brought a camp chair. After a mesmerizing “slow” hour of watching these birds, I realized that I need to slow down more often. I’ve been challenging myself to give “slow birding” a try, and this week’s Entryway to Birding blog will break down why you might want to switch up your pace too.