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insectsin thebark.I don’tusuallymakea concertedeffort
tospotbirds,butthewoodpeckershowsitselfremarkably
often(andveryaudibly)in myneighborhood.Theother
day,oneliterallyfellatmyfeet.I waswalkingwithmy
partneraroundourcommunitygardenanda young
woodpeckerfelloutofa treeandintotheditchright
in frontofus.Ourrescueattemptwasheroic,running
throughnettlesandfishingthebirdoutofthewater.
Butsadly,thelittlepileofsoggyfeathersdidn’trecover.
Dayslater,allI sawwerea fewredfeathersin thegrass
asa sadreminderofthisdoomedrescuemission.CHILDHOODPASSION
MennoBentveld,presenterofa TVandradio program
aboutanimalsandtheenvironmentin theNetherlands,
is noticinga risein interestin birds.“Through my work,
I learna lotaboutthemandit’smakingmeappreciate
themevenmore,”hesays.“Asa child,I was already
fascinatedbybirdsandnature.Wehada vacation home
onthecoastandwerealwaysoutdoors.We walked in
thedunesandwouldgoonexcursionswith the ranger.”
Bentveldfeelsluckytonowbeabletodevelop his interest
in a professionalcapacity.“I’mconstantlygoing on
excursionswithexpertswhotellmea lotabout their field.
I wasrecentlyoutandaboutwitha professor of animal
ecology.Heis researchingtheEuropeanpied flycatcher
(Ficedulahypoleuca) andsaidthatmanymigratory birds
aresufferingfromtheeffectsofclimatechange. When
theycomebackfromAfricatobreedhere,they need to
beabletocatchcaterpillarsforfoodwhenthey’re raising
theiryoung.Butbecausetemperaturesarerising, the
caterpillars are emerging before the bird eggs hatch, and
the birds are missing out on their most important food
source. But not the pied flycatcher. Instead, it’s returning
from Africa three weeks earlier. Isn’t that incredible? I also
find the flight of migratory birds an amazing phenomenon.
Some fly tens of thousands of kilometers. The common
swift [Apus apus] can stay in the air for two years; they
even eat and sleep up there.”OWL STRUCK
Now, spotting birds is not a very serious affair to me. I
don’t even have a pair binoculars and I don’t feel the need
to camp out in the bushes waiting for rare specimens. For
me, birdwatching is more of a reminder that I have to take
time to stand still and look around. When birds cross my
path and show themselves to me, I experience a moment
of happiness.
But I have to admit that I did actively search for the
brown owl (Strix aluco) I heard calling in the middle of the
night the other day. Its call was coming from close by, and
I was determined to find it. We had just come home from a
great concert, but when I finally caught sight of that owl,
high in a tree, that was the real highlight of the evening.‘For me, birdwatching is a reminder that I have
to take time to stand still and look around’FURTHER READING (AND PLAYING)
‘The Robin: A Biography’, by
Stephen Moss
‘Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since
Darwin’, by Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny,
and Bob Montgomerie
‘Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing our
Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins,
Woodpeckers, and Other Wildlife’,
by John M. Marzluff
‘H Is for Hawk’, by Helen Macdonald
(see also page 102)
‘Life List: A Woman’s Quest for the
World’s Most Amazing Birds’, by Olivia
Gentile. Also look for Gentile’s
feature, ‘A Feminist Revolution in
Birding’ online.
‘The Art of Mindful Birdwatching:
Reflections on Freedom & Being’, by
Claire Thompson
Bird Bingo, by Christine Berrie, is
a beautifully illustrated bingo game
featuring 64 bird species from around
the world.
TEXTJEANETTE JONKERLINOCUTPRINTSJAMES GREEN, JAMESGREENPRINTWORKS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK