Birdwatching

I guess I’ve always been a birdwatcher in one way or another. As a kid, I was really into dinosaurs, and when I discovered that birds are essentially the living descendants of dinosaurs, it sparked my curiosity about them. I started watching birds wherever I went. Then life happened, and other things took over… but I never really stopped watching those birds.

Over the past year, birdwatching has been something of a lifesaver. There have been plenty of tough moments, and whenever I went out to watch birds, I came back feeling like there’s more to life and that I should trust the process and follow the breeze to see where it takes me next. To me, birdwatching is a deeply mindful experience, because it forces you to focus on the here and now.

Bird watching posts

Tracking birds

I enjoy discovering new birds, but it’s not an obsession. I’m just happy to observe birds, really. There are tons of bird-tracking apps out there, and many of them turn birdwatching into a kind of gamified experience, and that’s just not for me.

I do keep track of my sightings on waarneming.nl (the Dutch version of observation.org). The data is used for scientific purposes, and you can ask for expert opinions on your sightings, which is especially helpful when you’re just starting out.

Garden list

Want to know what I spot in and around my garden? Check it out on the garden list.