My Spark Bird
It is not uncommon for life-long birders to have had a "moment" where a single bird "sparked" their interest into becoming a passion.
And for those such birders, it is also a moment that they always remember.
For me, my "spark bird" is the Bluejay.
I grew up in a mid-century house on a large lot that had lots of plate glass windows in every room that truly brought the outside in.
I was about 11 years old when my eye caught a flash of blue flying amongst the silver maples in our backyard.
On this particular summer day, I grabbed my dad’s Bausch and Lomb binoculars that were there by the window and focused on a Bluejay that stopped in the tree. I was fascinated by the colors of this bird, many shades of blue (my favorite color) with smart markings of black and white for definition.
I was hooked then and there, and thus began my lifelong fascination to observe birds. I began to set up a bird feeding station outside my bedroom window, and eventually my dad and I worked on creating a small pond to attract ducks and other wildlife that came to drink at our little watering hole. In addition to feeding birds, my other favorite pastime was grabbing the binoculars and going out into the adjacent fields to look for birds and observe their behaviors. As children we were fortunate to grow up in a semi rural neighborhood, consisting mostly of horse farms, with lots of undeveloped fields and woods to explore by walking out our back door. The surrounding fields and woods were our wonderland; our entertainer, our babysitter, our fantasy adventure land, fun time with our dogs, an escape from reality, a way to heal and for me, a chance to observe and learn about birds. I fondly remember finding my first meadowlark nest tucked away on the ground, the twilight dance of the woodcocks that graced every Ohio spring, the evening grosbeaks visiting my feeders and the May mornings by the creek full with multiple species of warblers. All of it started by my discovery of a bluejay.
To this day I still love my Blue Jays, and for that matter all the birds in the Jay family. I love the command presence of these birds - their loud colors and their strong voices. They are smart, inquisitive, and sly at times when they imitate a hawk call. I want to hope that they are generous to the other birds when they push the seed off the feeder with their bills but I think they are only doing that to get at the peanuts in the mix. When traveling, I love seeing all the other jays, there are so many great ones around the world.
For Roger Tory Peterson, the northern flicker was his spark bird. It was the bird that created the passion in one of the greatest contributors to the hobby of birding. His bird field guides, first published in 1934, were groundbreaking editions and for many decades were the gold standard that provided an accurate system for bird identification. By developing the modern field guide through his observations and drawings, Peterson set the stage for millions to know their birds and thus enjoy the art of birding.
“It was a [northern] flicker, tired from migration. The bird was sleeping…but I thought it was dead. I poked it with my finger. Instantly, this inert thing jerked its head around, looked at me wildly,, then took off in a flash of gold. It was like resurrection. What had seemed dead was very much alive. Ever since then, birds have seemed to me the most vivid expression of life.” Roger Tory Peterson
Do you have a spark bird?
My spark was the blue bird !