The Most Avid Bird Watcher

Bird watching is not just a passive, relaxing activity!  Many avid bird watchers compete for entitlement yearly.  This sport is called The Big Year, and it involves locating the most species of birds across certain areas.  And this is no minor competition.  People travel all over (one guy went 161,332 miles by plane, car, boat, bike and foot) to reign supreme as the champion for that year.

Now certainly there is some appeal besides the obvious excitement of witnessing hundreds of beautiful birds.  An excuse to travel across the country, dine on a variety of mouth-watering foods, and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature as you hike into exotic places doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me!  And, if you don’t have the time (or the money) to take a year off of your normal life to participate, you can get a visual about how intense this sport can be by watching the movie appropriately titled The Big Year, which was created off of a book, which was inspired by a true story.

As bird crazy as humans can get, I do not know anyone who gets as excited as my dog does when she spots a bird.  If she is inside the house, she is frantically scratching at the door trying to get out.  If she is already outside, she will lay still and focused; her eyes fixated on their every movement.  As soon as the birds take off in flight she is suddenly running and leaping through the air–I swear she thinks she can fly!  Her tongue will dangle out of her mouth and the biggest grin (yes, dogs do smile) will remain plastered on her face.

My dog loves visits to grandma and grandpa’s house because it means she does not have to be outside or at the window to enjoy her favorite activity.  She spends hours sitting in front of the aviary watching and listening.  Often, she will prop herself on her hind legs, with her front paws leaning against the aviary hoping for a closer look at her fine-feathered friends within.  Although she gets reprimanded for this behavior, the aviary is sturdy enough with double-paned plexi-glass windows to be able to withstand her uncontrollable energy, and any resulting scratches from her paws.

So there you have it! Bird watching is not just experienced outdoors, and participants are not always human! Luckily, our aviaries are built sturdy to withstand my over exuberant dog, and are designed to promote a mellifluous, and stimulating environment for the beautiful birds within.