Giving thanks for birds and birding in general

Birds give us so much, enriching our lives almost every day when we take time to notice. The hobby of watching, counting, and finding birds is rewarding, too.

In 2024, I began a list of the things I appreciate about birds, birding and birders, writing them down as they popped into my head. Some are silly and trivial, but all are personally significant. A few summon memories from my earliest days as a birder — even from before I became one. It’s been a fun exercise.

This is my Thankful List, and just like any other list involving birds, it’s sure to grow.

I am thankful for:

The welcoming ways of the birding community.

Spark birds, including my own, a Hooded Warbler seen 30 years ago.

All the sounds that Blue Jays make, and bugling flocks of migrating Sandhill Cranes.

Birdy T-shirts, socks and hats. License plates, too.

Monty and Rose, and all they inspired at Chicago’s Montrose Beach and beyond.

Canada geese in the V formation.

“Kingbird Highway” by Kenn Kaufman.

The excitement of rare bird stakeouts.

Homeowners who share rare birds with strangers bearing binoculars, spotting scopes and long-lens cameras.

Young birders and those who encourage them.

Nature centers with busy, well-stocked bird feeders.

Stores like Wild Birds Unlimited in Lisle.

Nemesis birds, and the challenge of finding them.

Being home when a Worm-eating Warbler visited my yard.

Birding trips to new places.

Unplanned “chases” that end in success.

Birders with superpowers, like those who can identify gulls and shorebirds.

The staff and volunteers of DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in Glen Ellyn (formerly Willowbrook).

Birding’s accessibility. What other “outdoor pursuit” can be done from a chair looking out a window?

Being able to see and hear birds almost anywhere, at any time.

Great-horned Owls in the neighborhood, hooting in the dark.

“Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen, the perfect children’s book.

Local forest preserves — vital green space for resident and migrating birds.

The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio.

Postage stamps that celebrate birds and other wildlife.

Lifers and Yardies.

Heated bird baths.

Old field guides with obsolete bird names.

The Indiana Dunes Birding Festival and those who make it happen.

Common birds that show us something new.

Good binoculars for $200 or less.

The “dawn chorus” in April and May.

New books about birds and birding, and anything written by Scott Weidensaul.

The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

The special colors of birding, like the throat of a Blackburnian Warbler.

Bird-a-Day calendars.

Birds with fantastic names that I might never see.

Golf course managers who care about habitat and conservation.

Merlin, eBird, and the All About Birds website. Thanks, Cornell.

Living on a major North-South migratory flyway.

Beer and wine labels with birds on them.

New-to-science species that are still being discovered, and “extinct” species that are rediscovered.

The chance that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers are still out there.

People who lead bird walks.

Ornithologists and naturalists who share their wisdom.

Christmas Bird Counts and Countdown Dinners.

Cardinals on Christmas cards.

Red-headed Woodpeckers that overwinter (and good mast years).

The comeback of Bald Eagles.

Buzzard Day in Hinckley, Ohio, and Turkey Day in the United States.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reiter’s column appears regularly in Neighbor. You can reach him via his blog, Words on Birds.