There’s a funny saying making the rounds on Facebook about birders. It says, “One minute you’re young and cool, and the next minute you’re reading Amazon reviews on birdseed!”
I don’t know about that, I think birders are still pretty cool, but we do like a good deal on bird seed.
But how did we get to this point? Did it just hit us during the middle of the night? Or did it gradually sneak up on us with each birthday. Or maybe it has nothing to do with age at all, and more about our love of nature and an appreciation for wildlife. I personally think that’s the answer. People who love nature realize at some point that birds are actually very interesting, and not just background noise in the yard.
But which bird “sparked” your interest to learn more, and turned you into a birder? Was it one of our migrating, rare birds? Or one of the little feathered friends that’s been there the whole time? We were curious, so we asked several of our members to share their “spark bird” with us.
Susan Markham: “The bird that sparked my interest in birds was a Summer Tanager. I saw my first one sitting on my gate and I had no idea what it was. Then I started wondering what other birds were out there that I didn’t know about. That’s when I joined Charleston Audubon and started going on their trips, and the rest is history.”
Mary Ellen Wigley (Shar’s Aunt Mellon): “My spark bird was a fledgling Kingfisher. It fell from the nest in the side of the cliff on Severn River. We rescued him and caught minnows to feed him every day!! When he could fly, we released him at Vagabond. We saw him often in the tree by the water for several years.”
Sharlee Fink: “It is difficult for me to name a Spark Bird. When I started feeding song birds, the activity of chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, and nuthatch were my favorites. So energetic, and what little acrobats on the seed and suet feeders. Always lots of entertainment. But when I lived in NC, a Red-bellied Woodpecker would perch on the handle of a sliding glass door that faced the backyard. He would peck on the glass until I went to the door. At first, we thought he was admiring himself in the reflection. But I knew after he repeated the routine several times, it was a message to me he needed more seed in the bird feeder. After his taps, I would go out and fill the feeder. He would not appear again until it was empty. Actually did this routine for many seasons. So, I have to say that experience made the Red-bellied Woodpecker my Spark Bird.”
Jennifer Jerome: “My spark bird was a Carolina Chickadee. Before I moved into my current house in 2005 I had bird feeders, but didn’t have a clue about what birds were at those feeders. In my new house I now had a big yard with lots of trees, so I decided to put up a bird house, it was supposed to be for wrens. At some point I started noticing small black and white headed birds going into the house. I quickly found out that they were Carolina Chickadees and that they were extremely cute! I was able to watch the comings and goings from my kitchen window. Seeing their behaviors and them tending to their babies and eventually the fledglings was truly the beginning of my birder journey.”
Valerie Doane: “I honestly can’t narrow it down to one bird in particular that sparked my interest in birding. For me it’s more about the birds that visit my feeders rather than marsh or shore birds. I adore watching the crazy antics of my feeder birds; they keep me quite entertained. I love them all but would have to say the bluebirds are the most inquisitive and the cardinals the most gentle.”
Reagan Passantino: “I’d say it was seeing an Osprey on my first birding event when I was about nine or ten years old. We happened to see one during a “bird bingo” session around the lake while it was eating a fish and flew right above us! It was such a new and rare sight since I had just moved to the area and really got me excited about seeing and documenting more interesting birds like that one. It was a really lucky sight!”
Bob Mercer: “I really don’t think I have a spark bird, per se. What got me started was a trip someone who would become a great friend took me on for a weekend. He was only a year older than I was, so we were both young, but he had been birding for 10 years already. We saw so many birds, but it was the experience of birding with someone with whom I could relate. One bird that did knock my socks off was a Common Loon seen only 25 feet away. Its size amazed me. After a few seconds of visibility, it dove and never surfaced again. I presume it swam around the corner of the lagoon. Those who know me know that I really enjoy bird songs. My spark bird for that I would peg as the American Goldfinch. I remember hearing and recognizing the per-chick-o-ree (also known as the potato chip) flight call and realized how different and fun bird sounds can be.”
Melanie Jerome: “My spark bird was seeing the Great Egrets all roosting together in a tree on Seabrook. I was fascinated by how many there were, and it went from there!”
Judy Morr: “It wasn’t really a single bird, but I accompanied Nancy and George Haskins on CBC around Palmetto Lake, and their discussion back and forth regarding a bird identification was intriguing to a novice. I think it was an Eastern Phoebe.”
Jackie Brooks: “It wasn’t a particular bird. I’ve always been the nature buff in the family, so birds were a part of that. What led us to birding was our first Birds of Prey SIB meeting. Everyone was so friendly, and the subject so interesting. We decided to join SIB and learn more, however we’ll always be dilettantes.”
Nancy Brown: “Growing up in Maine I always had an attraction to birds, those in my backyard and the Common Loons on the lakes. But it was seeing the Roseate Spoonbills during our trips to Southwest Florida’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge that truly sparked my interest. That’s when we started keeping our birding life lists, bought high-end binoculars and a scope.”
Flo Foley: “I grew up in an area of Boston with a lot of green space. My father kept bird feeders out so we could watch the typical backyard birds. However, it was seeing the Ring-necked Pheasants that would roam the fields and woods behind my house that truly sparked my love of birds.”
Jeff Sanders: “My spark bird was a Great Horned Owl. The first time I saw one was in the eighth grade, at church camp in rural Georgia. I was amazed at its size, and impressed by the sound of it’s call during the night. The way they fly silently also amazed me.”
Susan Soden: “I have two spark birds- the Roseate Spoonbill and the American Bald Eagle.
To say that since first laying eyes on a group of very beautiful and unusual pink birds on Seabrook Island in December 2019, I have been obsessed with observing and photographing the Roseate Spoonbill, is an understatement! To me the spoonbills are “poetry in motion”! They have such BIG personalities and never fail to delight my lens. Any bird that can get this snake fearing photographer to traverse the swampy thick brush of the lowland marshes is remarkable!
Before living on Seabrook, I had seen very few Bald Eagles in my life. Observing and photographing these magnificent symbols of our country in action over the marshes, inlets, beaches and ocean, along with resting in tall pine trees has been an incredible gift. One of my favorite hymns is “On Eagles Wings” :
And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.”
Joleen Ardaiolo: “I don’t think I had a spark “bird.” I think I had a spark revelation, that I could identify birds easier by their calls/songs/chips. It opened up a whole new world for me because I knew for sure that certain birds were around. I couldn’t always see them, but knew they were there. Judy and Melanie were excellent at locating them when I told them the general area where I heard a call.”
A few others responded with their spark bird replies on social media. Marnie Ellis Crosby’s was Puffins. Tracee Clapper’s spark bird was Chimney Swifts, and Jody Wyse was drawn in by Pileated Woodpeckers.
And from Instagram, Jenni said “the first Painted Bunting at our feeder!” I agree Jenni, that would do it! They’re beautiful!
So you see, the love of birding comes from many sources. It’s the combination of the excitement of a first sighting, an appreciation of the unique characteristics of a bird, or simply the continued observations that grow more endearing with time. It’s that first spark that grows, turning into love and admiration for these beautiful creatures, who add so much to our lives.
Submitted by Gina Sanders
Photo Credits:
Birding Walk – Dean Morr
Summer Tanager – Susan Markham
Belted Kingfisher – Bob Mercer
Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Painted Bunting – Dean Morr
Carolina Chickadee, Osprey – Jennifer Jerome
Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch – Gina Sanders
Northern Cardinal, Great Egrets – Ed Konrad
Great Horned Owl – Glen Cox
Bald Eagle, Roseate Spoonbill – Susan Soden
Pileated Woodpecker – Charlie Moore