Jack, why birds......?

This is a question that I am asked frequently. People never have a hard time understanding why I am in the Wildlife Sciences major at Penn State, but when I tell them I want to study birds, it seems that it confuses them. Why would someone spend hours and days watching and photographing birds....!? I try to explain to them my fascination with birds, all I usually get is a pause and a strange glare like I'm some kind of "loon"....other birders will understand that one.. It can be frustrating when you explain how smart and complex birds are to someone and get nothing back. Thier behavior, migration, courtship, it is unlike many other species in the wild. Especially raptors, there is nothing like standing up to your waist in water with a trout rod in your hand and seeing an Osprey hover over the surface, then plunge into the water like some dive bombing aircraft, and come up with a big ole fat trout flopping around in it's grasp, though sometimes it would be cooler if the fish was one the other end of my line.... Or this past fall while I was watching a group of ring-necked ducks try to land on the DuBois Reservoir but a hungry cooper's hawk was hot on their tails, denying permission to land. Even after an explanation like that, some might think the edge-of-your-seat nail bitting steelers game is a better way to spend an afternoon. Sometimes I think that maybe it is strange that we go out of our way just to watch birds be birds. Then I remember what my biology prof. Dr. Pope says, as biologists it is nearly impossible to not poke things with a stick, and leave stones unturned. It is just our nature to ask questions, and observe nature. So, here is a really cool video that was posted on The Nemesis Bird.

The Nemesis Bird is a blog updated by young Ornithologists, that I follow religiously. They update usually once a day. Here's a link to the blog.

http://www.nemesisbird.com/

Another great blog is Words About Birds, updated by Tim S. and Nate F., both graduates of Wildlife Technology and Wildlife Sciences degrees from Penn State. Here is a link to Words About Birds.

http://wordsaboutbirds.com/