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Writer's pictureBarbara Seith

You’re only as pro as you feel.

I’ve heard that there’s a distinct difference between true birders and bird watchers. Supposedly, if you can identify at least 30 birds you're a bird watcher. I’m not sure what the threshold is for birders. The woman who runs my favorite e-mail birder alert wrote to me recently: It takes YEARS to become a real birder.

Frankly, her words were a bit depressing and more than a little intimidating. This real birder was intimating that I am not one. Outing me as a fake birder may or may not have been this avian pro’s intent, but I felt as though I’d been slapped, or told I was an idiot for thinking all it took to be a real birder was to simply undertake the act of birding.

And then I thought: Perhaps I’m being too sensitive.

Maybe some birding rite of passage does still await.

And then I thought: Wait. What?

I’ve got more than 30.

I’m birding.

I’m a birder.

For real.


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