City Birding

Living in the city, I am constantly amazed at the diversity of birds that live in and visit my neighbourhood. While I love going to local birding “hot spots,” like large parks and bird sanctuaries, I get equally as excited anticipating the birds I might see and hear on my daily walks, or even just looking out the window.

I recently decided I would draw only those birds which I’ve seen in real life. In part it’s a reminder to not overlook the magic that is right in front of me. I see so many photos of amazing birds in far-off places, colours and patterns that are stunning and look almost unreal. It’s easy to get swept away and wish to be somewhere else, to be able to see those birds first-hand, while forgetting that I share space with similarly stunning creatures. I once made the mistake of commenting on a bird to a (fellow) birder, “oh, that’s just a robin.” He looked at me and said, somewhat sternly, “it is never just a robin”. I haven’t made a similar mistake since, and have come to better appreciate what he meant. The first time I saw an Anna’s hummingbird (a local!) with a pair of binoculars, I couldn’t believe my eyes. How is this tiny bird so shiny, so magenta?! How do its colours change like that in the light? I have been equally in awe of the bright orange of Northern Flickers, the bright red of various other woodpeckers, the blue of Steller’s Jays, the pink of House Finches, and the bright yellows of warblers, Goldfinches and Pine Siskins, the loud calls of kingfishers, otherwordly calls of ravens and delicate looks of Long-Tailed Ducks. I’ve also been in awe of the scale-like patterns on a robin’s chest, and the captivating colouring of its less common (at least around here) lookalike, Varied Thrush.

I also draw only those birds I’ve seen because I like to think that having interacted with a bird, even briefly, adds something to the drawing, like the excitement, awe and magic of seeing it. In turn, learning to draw the bird, focusing on the details, gives me a greater appreciation of the bird itself. I bring that back into my experience as a bird watcher - looking for that detail which I hadn’t previously known was there.