The Spark Bird

Ask a birder anywhere and they’ll tell you about their spark bird.  For some it can be something exciting like a hawk, owl, or eagle.  For others it can be something colorful like a warbler or oriole.  For still others, it could have been an ordinary feeder bird at a friends house.

A spark bird is the bird that really turns someone into a birder.  It’s the gotcha moment that you remember for the rest of your birding like.  Even famous birders wax eloquent about their spark birds in their books and articles.

So how come I can’t recall a spark bird?  I didn’t get started into birding until I was in college.  I was taking a class largely because a girl I was really into was taking the class.  It also filled a science elective so I was OK.  The prof let you get extra credit if you went birding with him early on Sunday morning.  7:30 AM early.  For a college student, that was torture.  You know you are in a college town when the local restaurants offer their breakfast specials until 2:00.

The girl suggested we go birding.  I spent several weeks earning extra credit using a loaner pair of binoculars.  20 years later, the girl is long gone but the birding remains.

I remember the girls name was Heather.  I cannot remember the name of the prof.  And I cannot remember a spark bird.  I remember really enjoying the time outside, the thrill of the hunt, and using the field guide to sort out new identifications.  I also remember the feeling that coursework and science can have real world applications which help me to put my studies in perspective.

So am I missing something by not having a spark bird?  I don’t think so.  Instead of having a spark to light the birding fire, I prefer to think of myself as a case of spontaneous human combustion.