Profile — Birding

Posted in People on May 14 2008, by Plant Talk

Every few weeks an employee or friend of the Garden takes a quick stroll around the lush 250-acre grounds and writes down his or her thoughts. This week, Debbie Becker, who leads bird walks at The New York Botanical Garden, took time to discuss her passion: bird watching. Debbie leads a free bird walk every Saturday at the Garden from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Birding is a contagious passion for many. Once bitten by the birding bug, it is hard to find a cure.

Different seasons bring different birds, but birders always remain the same. I can tell when I start my walk who is there for the glory, who is there for the guts, and who is looking for their life bird. Birders who bird for their life list are an anxious bunch—you can see it in their eyes, their unfamiliarity with the Garden’s grounds, all they really want is their life bird. They know I know and yet the simple formality of introduction is often prolonged as I can see their eyes growing larger as I mention the birds we may see on the walk today. When I get to their bird of prey (so to speak), it is as if a light ignites in their brains and washes their entire being in glory. I know the feeling.

Great-horned owls are a treat for even those who have been coerced into birding that day. GHOs are large—no binoculars needed—and provoke the spookiness in us all. The owls are always the first request on any bird walk. This year we had nesting GHOs that produced two chicks. You would think there was a religious happening in the woods as people came from far and near to pay their respect, gasp, and smile at the sight of the female GHO on her nest. (The male, who is usually quite social, has not made much of an appearance this time around—camera shy, I suppose.) The pilgrimage to the owls is a short walk, but for those who are anxious, they will run ahead of me, looking back to make sure I am coming. Again, they know I know. We are, after all, birders. It runs through our blood the quest for the life bird, the good bird, and the really good bird. We are the Peeping Toms of the forest, meadow, and shore, always hoping for a really good look.