my birding origin story
In the summer of 2025, in my 30s, I randomly became a birder.
Well, I guess it wasn't that random.
When I was a kid, my dad and I would take our cheap car-binoculars out to the local wetlands and look for American Goldfinch, the Washington state bird. We loved them because they were relatively rare but if one was nearby, you'd spot the bright yellow. They were a fun challenge to find, and we were giddy with excitement anytime we actually spotted one.
As I entered my teens, other things took up more of my time--friends, extracurricular activities, other hobbies--so we went birding less and less. But I still loved watching a family of Stellar's Jay hop around the backyard with my mom, who also put up hummingbird feeders for us to watch.
In my 20s, I worked in a few museums and archives, primarily with their photo collections. I've always loved photography and actually seeing history.
Fast forward to my 30s when I was looking for some new hobbies that would get me out of the house more. I started with gardening. My mom has always been an avid gardener, so I had support learning the basics and getting set up, which didn't take long. Lo and behold, my new plants quickly attracted new birds. And that's when it happened.
One day I was innocently planting new flowers in my yard and a few weeks later I had a DSLR camera, was uploading bird photos to iNaturalist to identify them, and going on walk breaks at work and local parks on the weekends to spot more.
Now, just 6 months later, I'm listening to birding podcasts, reading textbooks about bird biology and publications about conservation efforts in North America, taking a bird photography course, and I try to go out birding every weekend for at least a couple hours. I've learned a ton about natural history, climate change, biology, evolution, and conservation. I've also met several other birders while out and about which has been really fun.
Birding has jump-started a new era of physical health, reconnecting with nature, my desire to learn, and my social activity.
A year ago, I never would've guessed that I'd become a dedicated birder, but it shows how much can change in a year when you follow your true curiosities and passions!