I am kicking myself for not taking a photo of a gathering I experienced this morning. I was checking out the turf fields looking to get a good photo of a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper and to see a Baird’s. I didn’t have luck where they were seen yesterday and on my way to another fruitful spot, I spotted two birders with a scope and a raised camera.
I pulled over to find a lovely couple I have met a few times. They are very good a “first finds”. They had another one. The first American Golden Plover spotting in the area this year.
I set up my scope and with their help finally spotted the bird. I didn’t get great photos (Still haven’t mastered digiscoping), but I did get a really good long look at this beautiful bird. I had been thinking some of my photos of the Black-Bellied Plover might be this bird. Now I see there is no way it could have been.
The American Golden carries itself completely differently than the Black Bellied. I will never mistake the two of them again. After about 10 minutes the couple reported the find on the RI Rare Bird Group Me and about 10 minutes later the usual suspects began to show up.
A long-term birder arrived first. She has been birding for over 30 years and I’m told she hates to ID from photographs. That is hard for me (only 9 months in) to imagine, but today I got it. I really got it. What I saw could not be captured by a photograph. I suppose a photo of the gathering of birders that ensued would not do it justice either.
Three more arrived and I shared my scope with two of them – one a good friend and the other the birder who recommended the scope. Another birder arrived shortly. Everyone who arrived was greeted and given specific instructions on where the bird was – we were eager to share. Codifying what has been my opinion since I started meeting other birders. They are generous and welcoming to all.
Today I was lucky enough to experience that in this gathering of birders and I got a new bird. But that was not the lesson.
Zen birding lesson of the day: There are things in birding (and in life) that must be experienced first-hand – no iphone, camera or recording will do.
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