I have been birding for over 30 years and it is a shame that I’m not better at it. My skill level has followed a logistic growth curve which neared its horizontal asymptote a long time ago. I put the blame on two factors: 1) Family Time. The responsibility of being with children at home rather than disappearing every weekend meant that I birded little for a full decade. I believe it important to give children a love of nature and, of course, at times I took them with me to look at birds. But it is hard to go birding with kids. The weather has to be nice and the birds close enough to be enjoyed. This is better achieved at a local zoo or aquarium than by dragging children out in the cold to look at a distant bird or expecting them to stand quietly until a small bird comes into view for a second or two. 2) My hearing. I suffer from otosclerosis, a hereditary inner ear disease which results in hearing loss. This has not yet affected my everyday life (I don’t wear a hearing aid) but it affects my ability to pick up bird sounds - I simply don’t hear things that others do: I don’t notice a great bird chirping overhead, instead I waste time on a skulking bird whose calls I know but just don’t hear. At some point surgery could take care of the latter problem but for now I will work with what I have. Birding can be enjoyed at many levels. I wish I was a black belt birder; alas I only wear blue.
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