Counting Crows (and other birds)

 The other day I was on a birding hike, and as with all good birding hikes, there is a chance to walk together and talk together ( when we're not listening for birds that is).  I overheard one conversation about listing the birds that we see, and many of us use ebird, and what would happen if the big www crash would happen.  I must admit I do rely on ebird quite a bit, it is a quick and easy way for one to track where you bird and what species and numbers of species you see.  There is also a place that you can leave comments such as the weather or if you are with an organized group, etc.  It will also track your exact location if you set the app to GPS tracking, which I do, unless otherwise instructed not to (like with the Walpole Island trip).  

I got to thinking about what my parents did.  They were both avid backyard birders and my Dad would write down if he saw new birds on his travels. (he was a fisherman and went to Alaska at one time, would have loved to have known what he saw there!)  I remember a light brown Golden book of birds of North America  and that my parents would write in it.  I wish it was still around, but I doubt it.  Anyways, I do remember that I purchased my own Golden bird book (it was blue) back in the day and I located it.  Lo and behold I did write in it...and some of the birds that I saw before I started keeping a checklist (pre 2006) were in there, with dates and locations!  It is great with range maps and all the keys we need to i.d. a bird.  It has drawings as opposed to photos, that is another controversy, some prefer one over the other, I think its good to have access to both. Ebird uses photos.  Ebird will only indicate a 'lifer' if you submit a checklist with that 'life' bird, adding to your 'life' list.  

One of my favourite birding places in those times was the Carden Alvar!  I have produced an entire scrapbook of my time there, with birds, butterflies/dragonflies and botany.  I do have a checklist from that time, as well as one from the Cawthra Mulock CA in Newmarket.  Of course I birded alot in the Newmarket area (I did the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 2001-2005) but I did not checklist as much as I do now.  

I was looking through my birding field guides and I realized that I have the Audubon Life List journal, which I have started filling in, it is for World!  Maybe one day! 

A coworker also kindly gave me a Bird Watching Journal, which is great..but I think you need to be an artist, which I am not.

Anyways, my point is, there are many ways to keep track of your birds, not just online.  My birding guru says he has a wire bound notebook!  I'm pretty sure he also keeps track on a spreadsheet on his computer.  I have yet to crack 300 species yet,, but it is surely fun trying!  I have only kept track of birds I have seen in Ontario, but most of the birders that I hang with travel far afield, one guy has 7000 species!  My Atlas guru Theo Hofmann had a goal of seeing all of the breeding birds of Ontario, thats about 300, a good goal (he made that goal and was a world traveller as well)

Some people don't write lists, but keep track of birds by the photographs of them that they have.  I have not been able to photograph all of the birds that I have seen or heard, that would likely cut my list in half, but some people need to have a photograph.

I like the idea of seeing handwritten notes.  I went to the Rotary book sale this year and I picked up the National Geographic Birders Journal.  It didn't have a name in it, but a I perused it, I noticed some notes beside some birds.  This person was an avid birder, birded in Sarnia, Rondeau, Pelee, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, the east coast and Alaska!  The earliest note is from 1976 and the latest from 2004.  I hope that person knows that this birder cherishes this book and appreciated your hand written notes.  

The conversation also lead to 'legacy' and what legacy we leave when we pass.  These journals and notes, and yes maybe even ebird, let others know that you were an avid observer of the world.  I hope that is my legacy.