Have you ever seen a full moon rise into the night sky and want to capture the beauty of the
moment with your camera phone? Then you’re disappointed to see the actual image of a blurry, round light much smaller than what you see in person.
That’s the same results we often get while birding. Online and in Facebook groups amazing
photos of birds, eggs, and hatchlings are shared by amateur and professional photographers. If they can do it, so can the Bluebird Experience team…right??
Expectation: “Bluebirds and Apple Blossoms” by Mike Bons
Reality: “Bluebird in Tree” by Krista Lambrecht
Taken in drive-by form from Krista’s car at Phillips Medisize in Eau Claire, WI.
Expectation: “Bluebirding in Style”
Reality: Biking to our Bluebird trail wearing tall socks to ward off ticks
Expectation: Photo by Claire Talbot
Reality: Hoping to see new eggs or babies in a nest box and coming across a House Sparrow
nest to clean out instead
Expectation: Photo by Itamar Campos the Brazilian landscape and nature photographer
Reality: Bluebird Experience team member, Val, patiently waiting with her iPhone camera for
the momma bluebird to return
Expectation: Bluebird feeding their young
Photo from Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch
Reality: Bluebird high tails it out of its nest after we are a little too loud when approaching the nestbox
Expectation: Bluebird sits on Kim’s finger in Dresser, WI. They’ve been friends all Summer and she named him Sparky.
Reality: Shelly has so many birding supplies, no hands are left to hold a bird
So what have we learned? Every person who watches birds has their own style and dedication to the hobby.
There are many different forms of bluebird monitoring from having one nest box or a whole
bluebird trail. From taking notes on paper to keeping points in your head, taking photographs or no photos, it just depends what part you are drawn to participate in. Expectations can get the best of us, especially if we expect more than what is realistic to create based on our abilities and tools.
No matter your birding style, what we are best at is making it fun and encouraging everyone to have their own Bluebird Experience.
No matter the expectations, everyone’s new reality is safety. There’s so many face masks for
birders – Shelly found hers at Wild Birds Unlimited in Frankfort, Kentucky!
Val found her mask on Etsy's HeatherFeatherCraft
Resources
Moon Photo: “A Full Easter Moon Rising” by Dave Dickinson
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/how-bright-moon-exactly/
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