By Colter Sonneville
Since the COVID-19 crisis started, we’ve all had to cope with disrupted routines, canceled plans, and a new reality of social isolation. But at the same time, it has been an opportunity to engage in new hobbies, learn new skills, enjoy our downtime, and reconnect with what really makes us happy. Those of us who are extroverted (like myself) have had a rough adjustment. However, discovering the avian world around me has been one of the surprising upsides to flattening the curve, and I expect it to pay dividends for years to come.
I suppose I have more of a “birdy“ background than the average Joe. I can’t say why, but I’ve always known the difference between a Mallard and a Wood Duck. And my mom would point out Red-winged Blackbirds at forest preserves in suburban Chicago. In 2013, I worked as an ecological restoration planner and was fortunate enough to go birdwatching with Chicago Audubon staff. One of those trips took me to the frigid shores of Lake Michigan in January, where we tried our best to ward off the 5-degree temperatures as we used high-power spotting scopes to observe Common Goldeneyes and Mergansers floating on the icy lake. That experience opened up a new world to me, I had never seen or even heard of all these aquatic species–but there they were, living their best life, riding out winter. On the Great Lakes, of all places! But my casual fascination got put on the back burner for a few years… until the coronavirus came calling.
I started to reconnect with birds after buying a standup paddleboard in late February, which was perfect timing since there was nothing else to do while the world shut down. I started seeing birds out on the lake that made me do a double-take- they just didn’t go to my “inland” east Austin neighborhood. One day I became entranced with a black “duck” with a white head. I had to know what it was. So I downloaded Cornell’s Merlin app while paddling, punched in a few traits and boom, it had a name! A Lesser Scaup. I was hooked. On the way home I saw dozens of large white birds preparing to roost for the night along Lady Bird Lake. These Cattle Egrets all had a reservation at the same Bald Cypress tree and were checking in all at once.
But my 20/20 vision wasn’t cutting it. I decided to take the plunge and buy some binoculars. I spent days reading reviews from birders and mulling over the merits of 10x versus 8x magnification. And what’s this? Now someone is making 9x? I ended up buying a pair of Nikon Prostaff 8×42 and never looked back. It just so happened that the same week I was invited to stay at my friend’s vacation home in Port Aransas, Texas. With brand new optics and my trusty Merlin app in my pocket, I ventured out to “Port A”, where I had encounters with birds-–and the people that love them–that would change my life.
