The "Odd Duck"

Ann Paul, President

By Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon President

As we birdwatchers finish our Christmas Bird Count, we are all too familiar with wishful thinking, seeing what we want to see instead of what is actually there. We’ve been on alert for all winged creatures, trying to ignore planes flying over as we avidly watch the skies – turning circling, lazy-winged vultures into eagles and hawks, white items along shorelines into egrets (darn, another plastic bag!), and sticks and rocks into little brown birds.

Our constant lookout for any sign of these winged creatures makes us very observant. Observation is a skill that we share among other bird-watchers and general “detectives” of our natural world. Some of you may have watched the Netflix show The Residence, a story about a birdwatcher detective who solves the mystery no one else can by using her observation skills and tactful deduction. With her attention to detail and observation skills, she is the female Sherlock Holmes.

Like the protagonist in this show, our observation skills serve us as well. As we look at a flock of hundreds of birds along a shoreline, pond, or lake we can identify most of them easily. Once that is done, we start to more carefully scan the entire flock for an individual or group that have a slightly different shape, plumage coloration, leg or beak color, length, or shape. We want to identify the “odd duck!”

This is when our knowledge of the local, expected bird life helps us identify that “odd duck." When we see an animal that doesn’t fit the expected, we discover something exciting – and we do get excited about it!

The most dedicated bird-watchers/listers even drive long distances to add to their collection of birds seen. Whether we chase birds or not, it is always a real thrill to add a new lifer to the catalogue of our previously encountered birds. When we think back on these memories, we relive those moments when we felt that particular surge of pleasure. 

I feel bad for the people who don’t share this skill, missing so much of the beauty of this special natural world around us. They miss out on the fun of the hide (the birds do that part) and seek (that’s us!) game we play. We offer field trips and share our knowledge about birds to nurture this sense of observation and curiosity in others. Bird walks are exciting because when I am on a bird walk, I never know what I’ll see next or what new thing I will learn about birds that day. 

We will never know all about birds, and that has always excited me SO MUCH!

I hope to see you all on a bird walk this spring!