Dear friends and readers, long time no see. It’s been a long while since the publication of the first two parts of the birding story (see part 1 and part 2 here); here are the concluding paragraphs about my thoughts on birding and citizen science, which happen to echo an event I participated in last week: 2023 Tamsui River Bird Count and Citizen Science Conference.
Also, we hold a monthly reading club that mainly focuses on Taiwan literature. Anyone interested is welcome to join us. The next meeting will be held online at 9:00 am (Taipei Time) on May 21 for Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. If you are interested, feel free to leave a comment, reply to this e-mail message or write to me at transcreation@substack.com to register by May 19.
《翻譯鳥事一籮筐》是中英文雙語電子報。如果只想收到中文版,請到網站右上角的「My Account」內進行操作。有任何問題都歡迎來信聯絡,請直接回覆這封 E-mail 或寫信到 transcreation@substack.com。再次感謝你的訂閱支持!
這篇文章的中文版在這裡。
My Birding Anniversary (3): Birding and Citizen Science
In the winter of 2021, Kuang-wei and I went to Yilan to look for waterfowls. Having consulted the birding hotspots, I picked Wendi (塭底) as our destination, though knowing that without the guidance of experienced birders, it might not be easy to locate the real hotspots among the large fields on my own (and the birds were mobile anyway). So Kuang-wei and I drove around on the country roads in a laid-back way.
Many fields seemed to be fallow, and these shallow, muddy patches would attract flocks of waterbirds to rest and feed. Having noticed a flock of birds in the field ahead, we stopped the car and sat quietly on the edge of the field. The birds were in no hurry to leave, so nor were we, with the breeze blowing by, and the early winter sun warming us. I picked up the binoculars and focused on the birds, examining them from head to tail and from top to bottom, identifying (with the field guide open on my side) the size, beak shape, color and neck ring, looking for key features, and finally —from the yellow eye rings — confirmed that they were a group of 13 little ringed plovers. I was overjoyed for being able to identify the birds.
But I also came to think that the greater satisfaction of birding came not so much from getting a lifer (seeing a new bird) but from the sense of enjoying the moment of birding: quietly blending into the environment, observing the traits of a habitat, and of course, enjoying a sense of accomplishment when managing to identify a bird. We would have to live in the present moment when birding, to carefully observe every move of the birds, watch them pecking at the muddy ground for food, shake their feathers, and suddenly move forward at a trot, as if they do not care about our existence, but always keep a distance from us. Birding connects us to the environment, evoking a sense of here and now, as well as our awareness of changes of the seasons: we look forward to the return of barn swallows for nesting in spring, see resident birds and look for winter migratory birds that stay over summer, and after enjoying the wonderful migrations in autumn (just as in spring), welcome the winter migratory birds again. The seasons go round and round, but with a new meaning, and every day is a good day for birding.
Seeing that I was suddenly so into birding, my friends wondered what was so interesting about it. Some did come birding with me, and most of them, though not quite able to appreciate its fun, were happy to pay more attention to the birds around them, shared bird news with me or asked me some bird questions, as they knew my obsession with birds. It was also very satisfying to be able to better acquaint people around me with birds, to introduce them to the issues of wildlife rescue and conservation and bird-window collision prevention, and to serve as a bridge between birders and those yet to be — maybe that would be where my birding journey would take me to.
We may have started birding for different reasons, and our reasons for loving nature and understanding ecology may also be different. The journey of exploring the nature may lead us to the same or different destinations, yet no matter what the starting point is or where the ending point is, what we experience on the way is undoubtedly the most wonderful encounters nature allows us. In the first year of birding, I gained a lot in both knowledge and fun, and I began to look at nature from a different perspective. I wonder where the journey will take me in five years, and in ten years.
2023 Tamsui River Bird Count and Citizen Science Conference
After I started birding, I learned many interesting activities, one of which is the Tamsui River Bird Count (TRBC) in April and December every year. The bird count has entered its 8th year, and a citizen science conference was held for it!
I was surprised to find myself in an ornithology conference, but the speeches were all very interesting. Mr. Lai Jung-hsiao 賴榮孝, the initiator of TRBC, shared the past and present of TRBC: how it started from an initiative of the Tamsui River Basin Wetlands, how the government sponsored the first few surveys, and how it is now led by citizen groups and volunteers. In addition, the speeches of professional researchers allow me to learn about the usefulness and limitations (uneven distribution, unstable quality, etc.) of these citizen science data .
Anyway, I am more than happy to make a small contribution while birding. See you in the TRBC on December 16th!