WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:15.919 You're listening to Why we do what we do. Welcome 2 00:00:15.960 --> 00:00:18.640 to Why we do what we do. I am your 3 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:21.519 Audobon host Abraham. 4 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.039 And I'm your Lives in a Bird Sanctuary host Shane Nice. 5 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:28.800 We are a psychology podcast. We talk about the things 6 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:33.000 non human animals do and sometimes the things that humans 7 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.840 do with respect to non human animals. That's what we're 8 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.079 talking about today. And if you're joining us for the 9 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:42.159 first time, then welcome. I hope that you enjoy what 10 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:44.240 you hear in this discussion. And if you're a returning 11 00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:46.880 person and welcome back, thank you so much for choosing 12 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:49.840 to be with us for a second, third, or even 13 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:53.280 more than that time. And either way, if you would 14 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:55.719 like to support us, you can leave us a rating 15 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:59.359 and a review like subscribe, tell a friend, join us 16 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:01.560 on Patreon on I'll talk more about those things at 17 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:04.840 the end of this discussion. But this episode comes out 18 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.159 on July twenty seconds, and therefore it is important to 19 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:13.640 acknowledge notice and wish everybody a happy casual Pie Day. PI. 20 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:17.799 Yes, Pi, it's also fragile X Awareness Day. 21 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.799 Hmm. You know, I don't think we've ever actually done 22 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:23.200 an episode or a mini on fragile x. I'm gonn 23 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:26.560 write that down really quick because it's an interesting it's 24 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:27.439 an interesting one. 25 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:29.200 Yeah. I've worked with a couple of folks that have 26 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:30.480 fragile x. It's really interesting. 27 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:34.120 It is Lions Share Day. That could mean that the 28 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.519 lions share with each other. It could mean a large proportion, 29 00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:41.439 it could mean the share that goes to a specific lion. 30 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.079 There's all kinds of things interpreted as you maybe a 31 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:47.280 share lions, interpreted as you will. It's Lions share Day. 32 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:49.400 It could be it could be lions stockholding. 33 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:54.280 Beautiful. 34 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.000 If birds participate in the stock market, would it be 35 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:58.760 called a flock market? 36 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:00.560 Yeah, that's correct. 37 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:02.799 Yeah, that's that's yeah, in the animal world, when there 38 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:04.680 is a stock market, that's what we're dealing with. Let's 39 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:06.599 get back on track. Come on, tighten up, Abraham. 40 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:13.919 It's mango Day, Delicious, It's National hammock Day where you 41 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:16.520 can store those mangos, I guess, uh huh. 42 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:18.800 Yeah, or where you desperately want to be right now. 43 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:24.199 So it's a national Panucci or Panuche fudge day. 44 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:25.719 I read that as panouche. 45 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.080 I don't know why, it just I feel like it. 46 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.120 It feels French like French like, not frenchy, but French 47 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:33.800 Frenchish like fancy is what I'm going to say, French 48 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:35.800 and fancy Frenchy. That's frenchy. 49 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:42.120 Apparently, it is rat Catcher's Day, the character from DC. Yes, 50 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:45.360 or rat Catcher too, if you will. It's Spooner's Day 51 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:49.159 or Spoonerism's Day. Oh so close to my heart. I 52 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:53.840 do it. Just a frequency that is potentially pathological. 53 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:55.039 Yeah. Same. 54 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:01.879 It is Summer Leisure Day or Lummer Seizure Day, Yes 55 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:02.199 it is. 56 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:05.960 It is Captive Nations Week or Naptivcations Week. 57 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:11.280 Sure. It is Coral Reef Awareness Week. Oh love coral reefs. 58 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:11.879 They're the best. 59 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:16.479 They're the best. They're so great. It's Hemingway lookalike days. No, 60 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:20.759 you win, Shane, I am the old man and there's 61 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:21.120 the sea. 62 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.479 It is Massage is for every Body week or everybody 63 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.879 massage massages for everybody week. That's how I'm reading that. 64 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:35.919 Yes, yes, I like that. It is National Moth Week. 65 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:43.280 Okay. It is National Triathlon Week. Good luck, it's great. 66 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:45.199 I would I would do it if I were younger 67 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:45.919 and had time. 68 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.599 Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It's National zoo Keeper Week. 69 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:52.639 No fun Okay, well, maybe not fun. There's a lot 70 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.800 a lot to say about zoos that we've never gotten into. 71 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:58.680 But all right, that's that's the days of the week 72 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:02.000 that we talk about. That's just an amuse boosh, an appetizer, 73 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.919 a thing to set the mood for the silliness, whimsy 74 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.680 and kind of approach we bring to these things. There's 75 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:13.080 a level of nerd embodied in that list that we 76 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:15.240 love to share. And that's that's going to be a 77 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:19.480 running theme throughout all of this discussion and all subsequent discussions. 78 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:23.160 And I'll pass discussions if we're being truly honest. So 79 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:26.600 let's let's dive into this. Are you ready or is 80 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:28.360 there anything that I'm missing and you like to add 81 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:29.120 before we begin? 82 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:30.800 I am so ready? 83 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:36.199 Okay, all right, nerds, And I say that with all 84 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.839 the love in my heart. I have some friends who 85 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:43.600 are fairly avid birders, and listening to them talk passionately 86 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:46.839 about the birds that they've seen and the unique songs 87 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.800 that they've heard, it's infectious and it's inspiring. Like I 88 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.439 love hearing them talk about this. They're so passionate about it, 89 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.839 and they regale me with stories about beautiful hikes and 90 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:58.439 lakes and rare sightings of birds that make me want 91 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.600 to walk out the door and see what need has 92 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:01.120 to offer. 93 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:05.680 And further, one of Abraham's favorite board games, Wingspan, has 94 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:09.360 hundreds of unique, nearly photo realistic campaigning cards of real birds, 95 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:11.839 with random facts about those birds on each card. 96 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:15.000 I have talked about this game before. I will talk 97 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.040 about it some more. It is so fun and so 98 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:20.120 good and it makes me love birds even more. It's 99 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:22.920 so cool. So all that is to say, we're going 100 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.279 to talk about birds specifically. We're going to talk about birding, 101 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:29.600 what it is, how and why people do it, and 102 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:32.319 how you can get started or just know about this 103 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:33.639 very popular hobby. 104 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:37.639 Yes, as a Floridian, I love birds because we have 105 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:40.360 so many unique ones here, between the herons and the 106 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:45.560 ibis and like the pelicans and the weird the sandhill 107 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.639 cranes that walk around. Man, it's so cool. It's so great. 108 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.160 Yeah, so true. Yeah, I was definitely quite enamored with 109 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:54.759 some of the cranes and the ibis and everything when 110 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.040 I was living down in your neck of the woods. 111 00:05:57.600 --> 00:05:59.079 Just really amazing creatures so. 112 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:03.680 Huge, they're scary, are so tall, and you're like, these 113 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:04.439 are dinosaurs. 114 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:07.720 Speaking of which, do you know if Florida has the 115 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:09.240 shoebill stork. 116 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.839 I don't know. We have a lot of storks, Okay, 117 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:14.120 I don't know if we have the shoebill one, but 118 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:15.079 that one is frightening. 119 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.560 Yeah, that looks like a dinosaur. I have not looked 120 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:21.079 up whether or not they live in Florida. People are 121 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:23.759 probably yelling at their speakers right now saying either yes 122 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:28.120 or no, or calling us names. But shoebill stork very interesting, 123 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.879 very crazy, cool looking bird I would not want to 124 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:33.120 be very close to in real life, but I do 125 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:34.600 like watching videos of them. 126 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.759 Yeah. So apparently the only place you see a shoebill 127 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:39.959 stork in Florida is at the Tampa Zoo. 128 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:43.079 Oh okay, so not not a wild thing out in 129 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.079 the world, not a wild thing here now, all right, Well, 130 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:50.199 this is not a fan episode about the shoebill stork 131 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:54.519 or the cranes and ibis of Florida. But we're about 132 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:57.480 just talking about burning more broadly, all the birds and 133 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:01.519 there is. When we get into these a lot of times, 134 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.120 it's important that we start by defining our terms, and 135 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:08.600 unfortunately there's not a super clear definition of birding because 136 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:13.160 different people propose different ways of thinking about this. Definitions 137 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:15.839 range from as little as noticing a bird and that 138 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:20.600 qualifying you as doing birding, to recording your sightings or 139 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:22.800 labeling the bird, being able to say what it is 140 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:25.120 that is. It's kind of a low bar to clear, 141 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:28.240 because it's like, if you're paying attention and recording it, 142 00:07:28.360 --> 00:07:30.360 then that could count, and if you're just paying attention, 143 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:33.279 that could maybe count to And those are not super 144 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:36.879 different things, right, And then obviously some people go a 145 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.560 lot more hardcore than that. We'll talk about that. For 146 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:41.879 the most part, though, when you're thinking about birding, it's 147 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.680 really just any activity in which you choose to actively 148 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:49.000 notice birds in your environments that can essentially qualify you 149 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:53.519 as doing birding. I think probably you're doing it semi habitually, 150 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:57.199 like you're choosing this on some kind of regular schedule. 151 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:01.800 But importantly, birding means observing and I say that because 152 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.079 it does not mean interacting with or disturbing the bird. 153 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.920 Birders are not going out trying to take nests or 154 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.279 touch them. They just want to see them. The object 155 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:14.319 of this activity is to see a wide diversity of 156 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.000 creatures and nature. You're not chasing them, capturing them, harassing them, 157 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:21.720 or interacting with them. You just want to see them 158 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:24.560 and record the fact that you saw them, maybe also 159 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:28.439 heard them. But like you're generally, the point is to 160 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:33.240 leave them alone, but be able to have the memory 161 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:36.080 and recording and experience of having been able to witness 162 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:37.559 this cool, majestic creature. 163 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.240 Yeah, you know, it's funny. I never thought of myself 164 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:42.799 as a burder until not too long ago when I 165 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.279 was trying to figure out what birds were flying around 166 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.000 at dusk and were flying really strange, and I realized 167 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:49.879 there were bats, and I went, oh, I need to 168 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.679 do a better job of this. That's a terrible birder. 169 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:55.759 I was like, what bird is that? Nope, that's not 170 00:08:55.799 --> 00:08:57.879 a bird. It's a mean minute. But now we have 171 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:01.759 Patricia that's hanging out around our cool So most people 172 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:04.320 are unlikely to call themselves burders, however, until they start 173 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.919 learning the names of their birds and recording their observations 174 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:08.960 in some capacity, maybe in like a field note general 175 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.360 or whatever they're doing, you know, and that is they 176 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:13.440 start choosing to be on the lookout for birds as 177 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:16.919 an activity unto itself. So it's like a more intentional activity. 178 00:09:17.159 --> 00:09:19.360 And again it's not like the definition. It's just like, 179 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:22.799 at what point, Like, I like birds. I even bought 180 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:25.120 a pair of binoculars, But I don't call myself a 181 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:28.080 burder because I don't really do it very often. I'm 182 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.279 not like actively trying to seek it out. I feel 183 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:32.120 like that's the point at which people sort of start 184 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:33.840 to But I mean, you don't have to, like you, 185 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:35.519 you could do as little as I am doing and 186 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:37.600 call yourself a burder. I just didn't feel like that 187 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:41.399 level made sense to me personally. But again, the definition 188 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:43.399 is kind of loosey, goosey. Here, goosey. 189 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:47.840 Yeah, speaking of birds, it's gonna be just a big 190 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.360 comedy here, Like it's gonna be so full of puns. 191 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:56.679 Yes, indeed, Okay, so many of you might be hearing 192 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:59.039 this and thinking like that's something old people do, and 193 00:09:59.080 --> 00:10:02.799 you're not wrong. The is particularly common among older adults, 194 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:06.120 with an average of forty nine years old. For the 195 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.399 people who are out there doing burning, No, of course 196 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:10.759 means there are people way below that and people way 197 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:15.159 over that, but that's where the average sort of puts it. However, 198 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:19.679 research shows that this is a growing hobby in popularity 199 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:24.039 and that includes a like growing number of much younger people, 200 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:27.399 Like there are kind of kids, they're in their like 201 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:30.759 barely adulthood who are out doing this, and sometimes even 202 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:33.840 younger than that that like they choose to go out 203 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:37.320 and do burning at things activities and would call themselves burders. 204 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:41.559 So this is a there's a lot of increased interest 205 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.559 in this and the age the ages really range like 206 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:48.320 a whole lifetime basically, but the average age currently at 207 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.600 least was listed by I think this is the Autobahn 208 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:52.480 Society was forty nine years old. 209 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:56.320 All right, makes sense now. The National Association of Hunting, Fishing, 210 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:00.639 and Wildlife Associated Recreation assembled a report in twenty twenty 211 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:02.879 two that estimated that there are as many as ninety 212 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:05.519 six million Americans, so about thirty percent of the population 213 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:07.879 that they are burners. And there seems to be an 214 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.840 increase in the population of the younger people who are burners, 215 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.399 which is I think lovely. I think more young folks 216 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:15.440 need to be connected with nature very. 217 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:17.519 Much, So yeah, I think that's a that's a cool trend. 218 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:22.240 And furthermore, technology has made it easier to record birds. 219 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.120 These apps that we can carry around on phones like 220 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:28.240 go in our pocket that can record their sounds and 221 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.480 then tell you what song that probably like, what bird 222 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:34.240 that sound probably belongs to. So the barrier to entry 223 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:36.919 for this activity, what little there was to begin with, 224 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:41.519 is further reduced by making it increasingly easy and acceptable. 225 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:44.759 And have the tools to help you get into the hobby. 226 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:47.600 Like it's so easy to do now you have to 227 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:51.440 You can exert barely any effort to go out and 228 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:54.799 just start looking for birds and recording what you find. 229 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.759 And you might look around and just start noticing all 230 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:11.440 the ads on billboards or in your podcasts. Okay, we're back. 231 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.480 You can notice ads if you want to. Let's actually 232 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:17.759 get into like how to go about doing birding. So like, 233 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:20.639 here's here's the things to know, the things to do 234 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:22.879 if you want to go out and bird. This is 235 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:26.120 your field knowledge guide if you will, or field guide 236 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.080 of knowledge. I don't know. Here's here's information. 237 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:30.799 Here's how you start. You can decide to put as 238 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:32.679 much or as little time into birding as you'd like. 239 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:35.879 Most people recommend three things. A pair of binoculars, a 240 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:38.440 guide book, and a positive attitude. I don't know where 241 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:40.320 you can buy a positive attitude, but if you do, 242 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:41.960 find a place to buy that. Please let me know 243 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:43.399 if you're going to stock up if we can. 244 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:46.519 Yeah, yeah, I need to buy some myself, and I'm. 245 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:48.559 Going to resell it on Etsy, but I'm going to like, 246 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.000 you know, make it a little bit more artsy and 247 00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:54.720 hit be Like. So, this is a pretty inexpensive hobby 248 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:56.200 and like most things, you can spend a lot of 249 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.240 money if you want to, but you really don't have to. 250 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:00.200 A twenty dollar book and at twenty dollars pair of 251 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:02.519 binoculars and you already start burning for less than fifty 252 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:04.679 bucks if you even want to spend that much. You 253 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:07.120 can actually just look at what's around and write down 254 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:09.320 or just spend time noticing it, or use an app 255 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:10.960 to record the bird, which is really cool. 256 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.240 Yeah, I like, there really is, Like you can do 257 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:14.960 this for free, one hundred percent. You can do this 258 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:16.879 for free. You can do it with zero equipment if 259 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.759 you want to. Most people like to have a pair 260 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:20.919 of binoculars in like some kind of guidebook, but you 261 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:24.159 don't have to do it whatever you want. Yeah, some 262 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:28.200 people will spend hundreds of dollars to get very particularly 263 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.480 powerful binoculars, or even some people will like set up 264 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:34.639 a single lens telescope, or they'll buy really powerful cameras 265 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:37.320 so they can take pictures of what they see. But 266 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:39.559 it's just kind of whatever is in your comfort range 267 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:42.480 and no obligations here. You do not have to have 268 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.200 a thousand dollars telescope to call yourself a burder. If 269 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.559 you just want to walk outside and notice a burd 270 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.480 and be like, huh, that's a cool bird, then like 271 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.919 you're doing the thing. Congratulations, Yeah, it's kind of nice. 272 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:56.480 Now. Most recommend a ten by fifty or ten ten 273 00:13:56.519 --> 00:13:59.240 times fifty, ten by five fifty, Yeah, ten by fifty 274 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.720 pair of binocular which is ten times magnification with a 275 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:07.559 fifty millimeter objective lens and burning books range in price 276 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.759 and complexity, from simple informational picture books to encyclopedic descriptions 277 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:15.559 and enumerations of different kinds of bird species that exist. 278 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:18.679 Yeah, so there's like depending on how intensely you want 279 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:20.600 to get into it. The beginner books are fairly simple. 280 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:22.440 They're like, here's a picture of this bird, here's where 281 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.000 you might find it, here's some variations in colors. Maybe 282 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.320 here's a couple facts. That's it. Some of them are like, 283 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.600 here's the Latin name and its habits, and it's like 284 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:33.519 where's its place of origin and where its name comes from, 285 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:35.159 and like sure, I mean you just kind of get 286 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:36.960 into it as much as you want to. Really, Yeah, Like, 287 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:39.080 there are lots of places that will list the kind 288 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:41.240 of books you might try and find and then also 289 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:43.840 rank them in terms of like their level of experience 290 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:46.879 you're looking for by getting that book. So there's lots 291 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:48.799 of resources out there if you want to get started. 292 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:50.159 Yeah, most definitely. 293 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:54.399 Now, a cool thing about this hobby is you don't 294 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.960 necessarily have to do very much to get into it. 295 00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:02.840 Ninety five percent of ninety five percent, which if my 296 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:04.759 math is right, is almost all of them. 297 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.000 It's just so many. 298 00:15:06.120 --> 00:15:08.360 That's so many. They spend the majority of their birding 299 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.320 time simply in their backyards or like on their property somewhere. 300 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:13.559 You can just set up on a porch, you can 301 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.399 go walk around, you can just observe what you see 302 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.519 and like at what times of year. Like notice that 303 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:22.480 their birds migrate a lot of them, so you might 304 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.720 see different birds in different times of the year. So 305 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.120 just like go out, you don't need to travel very 306 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:29.440 far if you don't want to. Of course, you can 307 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.919 travel to places known to have certain birds that you 308 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.919 might be interested in trying to observe, And many people 309 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.320 who get into the hobby report doing just that. They're like, Oh, 310 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:39.200 I drove three hours out of my way to go 311 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:41.559 to this forest because I heard that there's this nesting 312 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:45.320 eagle there or something. And if you want to do that, like, 313 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.000 that's the thing you can do. But you can also, 314 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:50.360 like I said, most people just are like at their house, 315 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:53.600 maybe around their neighborhood, just walking around seeing what they see. 316 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:56.720 Yeah, you also need a sense of curiosity about the 317 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.480 world around you, a willingness to observe and notice various 318 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:03.000 aspects of nature, and patience. You're going to notice different 319 00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.960 sounds that you hear, the colors that are around you, 320 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:07.000 the feeling of the breeze or the sun on your skin. 321 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:08.919 You're going to notice the insects and the flowers and 322 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.600 the little fruits that might be growing around you. Record 323 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:13.600 what you see when you see it, and nature's not 324 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:16.159 there to entertain you, so appreciate what you get to 325 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:18.320 see when you get to see it, Like, not too 326 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:20.519 long ago, we have these flowers there growing in our backyard. 327 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:21.679 For the first time in my life. I saw a 328 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:22.840 hummingbird in real life. 329 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:23.480 Wow. 330 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:25.200 I thought it was a big bug at first because 331 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:26.679 I'm in Florida, so I was like, what is that? 332 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:27.960 And then I looked at it. I was like, oh 333 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:30.559 my god, it's a little, pretty little hummingbird. It's so cool. 334 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:32.600 So and you just kind of like the best. It's 335 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:34.480 just it's an at a glance thing that you're like, 336 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:35.919 if you have the right flowers and you have the 337 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:37.559 right things in place, you might see some things that 338 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:38.440 you might not expect. 339 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:42.000 Yeah, yeah, very much. So that's cool. I love hummingbirds. 340 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:42.759 They're so pretty. 341 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:43.799 They're so pretty. 342 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:47.000 I've seen a lot of them in various places. They 343 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:49.720 they're really cool. That's really cool. Yeah, absolutely, you can 344 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:52.039 do that. And yeah, just the point being that, like 345 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:53.879 if you're going to go out and nature, like, you 346 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.320 might see some cool birds. You might not see anything, 347 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.559 but you kind of just like notice what's there. And actually, 348 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.159 one of the things that people will report is that 349 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:05.319 the part of what has them be more mindful of 350 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:07.839 their surroundings is they're starting to look out for like, 351 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:10.839 what are the kinds of things that are tracting birds? Here? 352 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:14.079 Are they here building nests? Are they here gathering food? 353 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:17.160 Are they here doing mating rituals? Like there's there's all 354 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:20.319 kinds of things going on, and the environment itself is 355 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:23.480 often going to be a variable in what kind of 356 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:27.000 birds show up, and so you might start to notice, like, oh, look, 357 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:29.200 I noticed when I see these berries, these types of 358 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:31.519 birds tend to show up. So if I'm in another 359 00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:33.480 place that has those, I might expect to see those 360 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.720 types of birds. And so it's a part of it. 361 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:38.559 But it's also just like just being there. Just be there, 362 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:40.720 Just be there in that space, and probably you'll get 363 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:42.880 to see some cool stuff and probably you'll just get 364 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:46.039 to notice stuff you weren't otherwise normally paid attention to. 365 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:48.759 Right exactly now, Depending on how. 366 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:51.480 Much time you spend and where you are, you might 367 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.839 want to plan for various environmental conditions. If you're going 368 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:56.559 to be outside doing this, you want to be able 369 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:02.160 to plan for weather, insects, and foliage Accordingly, generally the 370 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:04.920 recommendation is to plan to wear clothes that cover most 371 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.039 of your skin, which will protect you from bugs and 372 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:10.400 from the sun, were sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat. 373 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.200 And if you're gonna if it's gonna be dark, you 374 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:16.359 might want a flashlight or something, just to make sure 375 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:18.920 you can see where you're going. Wear sunscreen on parts 376 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.599 of your body that aren't covered by clothes, or other 377 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:24.720 things planned for if it might rain, if it's gonna 378 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.240 be hot, if it's gonna be windy or muddy, et cetera. 379 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:30.559 Just just accordingly, make sure you bring like a snack 380 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.319 in some water or something so that you can be 381 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.720 safe out and about. 382 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.960 Yes, some people specifically recommend winter time specifically for their 383 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.799 birding activities, as there are often fewer leaves on the 384 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.599 trees and bushes that would otherwise obscure more well camouflaged 385 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:48.039 bird colors and make it easier to spot some birds. 386 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:50.279 That's especially true in Florida, Like there is a lot 387 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:51.839 of foliage, but like in the winter, a lot of 388 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:53.359 the trees drop their leaves and you could see a 389 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:54.319 lot of really cool things. 390 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.160 Yeah. Yeah, so it's like normally they're sort of hidden 391 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:00.480 by all of the trees, but with their being less 392 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.400 on the branches, it's actually easier to spot some of 393 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:04.559 the ones you might not otherwise see. Now, of course, 394 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.400 many many birds are again we've mentioned this several times, 395 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.480 but they'll migrate, so they may not be there in 396 00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:11.559 the winter, but you might see new ones in the 397 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:13.799 winter that you wouldn't otherwise see. So just a thing 398 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:17.480 to consider, and then obviously in that situation, just warmly yes, 399 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:20.599 of course, all right, if you are really interested in 400 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.839 observing what is available, plan to observe during the times 401 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:27.880