S2, E29: A Skeptic’s Introduction to Birdwatching

I’ll admit it: I’ve never been particularly passionate about birdwatching. However, in this episode of Unpacked, I delve into the fascinating realm of birding and explore how it might transform your life.

Transcript

Aislyn Greene, host [in the field]: It’s 7:48. I'm about to embark on my first birdwatching adventure. I don’t have binoculars, and I’m completely clueless about what to do.

Aislyn: I’m Aislyn Greene, and this is Unpacked, the podcast where we unpack a complex travel topic. This week, I’m challenging myself to embrace birdwatching.

Dominik Mosur: I began birdwatching, or birding, back in 2001. So, that's about 22 years now.

Aislyn [in field]: That’s quite a long time.

Dominik: Yes, nearly half of my entire life—

Aislyn [in field]: Wow, that’s impressive.

Dominik: —has been dedicated to birdwatching.

Aislyn: That’s Dominik Mosur, a volunteer trip leader for the Golden Gate Audubon chapter. I’m at the entrance of the Randall Museum, where Dominik—or Dom, as my soon-to-be fellow birdwatchers call him—kicks off his monthly Birding the Hill tour. It’s a chilly, foggy morning in August, and there’s a weed whacker buzzing away nearby, which is honestly a bit of a downer. I’m here because, as I mentioned, I’m trying to dive into birdwatching.

To give you some context, my former manager at Dinogo, Jeremy, is an avid birder. We used to tease him about it quite a bit—affectionately, of course. (Right, Jeremy? We really do love you!) I appreciated his enthusiasm for our feathered friends, but I could never get too excited about them beyond thinking, 'Birds are great, let’s protect them.' I enjoy hiking and being in nature, but birds felt more like background noise. Then I moved to a floating home in Sausalito, and now I see birds everywhere—geese honking above, herons pecking at the mud, and gulls flying by, leaving their marks on my car.

While it didn’t completely shift my view on birds, I started to notice them in ways I hadn’t before. When we began planning this episode, I wanted to bring in an expert to entice listeners into birdwatching—and even me. Is birding a sport? That’s a question for another day. Unfortunately, the expert didn’t pan out, and I realized that if the goal is to appeal to non-birders, I’d be the ideal person to do it.

So, join me on this journey. For you, dear listener, I climbed a hill, listened to countless bird calls, downloaded bird apps, and interviewed experts—including my bird-enthusiast aunt. Am I converted? Stick around and find out.

Now, back to that weed whacker.

Aislyn [in field]: How long have you been joining these walks?

Birder: I think this is probably my fifth time or so.

Aislyn [in field]: What do you enjoy about them?

Birder: Dominik is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. He really knows everything about birds, in my experience. Plus, he’s an excellent teacher—he welcomes all questions. Even though we’re in a small area, there’s so much to observe, listen to, and discover. Oh, and this is my friend; it’s her first time here.

Aislyn [in field]: Oh, I’m also a newbie! Hi, how’s it going?

Bo: I’m Bo.

Aislyn [in field]: Hi, I’m Aislyn. Great to meet you! I’m also new to this.

Birder: That’s fantastic, that’s fantastic!

Aislyn [in field]: I love your bird earrings!

Aislyn: There’s a feeling of excited anticipation in the air as more people arrive. The group is about 11 strong, representing a diverse mix of gender, race, and age. As Dom gathers everyone and begins to speak, the weed whacker finally goes silent.

Dominik: Welcome, everyone, to our first Friday walk! August marks the end of the breeding season, and we’ll be on the lookout for the last juvenile birds still in their baby feathers. We might also spot some new arrivals and migrants that are starting to appear.

As long as the weed whacker doesn’t start up again, we’ll focus on sound identification. We refer to this as birding rather than bird-watching because we aim to find and listen for birds. Much of our detection relies on our hearing.

Aislyn: Dom then asks us to close our eyes and listen for 30 seconds. Initially, I hear only a peaceful silence. Then, I catch a twitter, a chirp, a deeper chirp, a whistling twitter, and even a car horn.

Dominik: Most birds have unique and distinctive calls. For instance, a house finch might resemble a purple finch in appearance, but their sounds are entirely different. A song sparrow and a savannah sparrow have completely dissimilar calls. By learning these calls, we can better locate them.

Aislyn: And so the walk begins. Our group of 11 includes three little girls. As we walk down a gentle slope toward a grassy area with tennis courts, I notice that each girl is equipped with a pair of wooden binoculars. Even the kindergarteners have binoculars! I feel so unprepared. But it doesn’t matter because we’ve just spotted our first notable bird: a red-tailed hawk.

Dominik: I made a little agreement with him. I said, 'Stay in that tree until the group arrives. It’s foggy, and we need to spot a red-tailed hawk.' You see that first tree at the top of the playground? He’s perched right up there. That’s an adult red-tailed hawk, and he looks a bit damp.

Aislyn: As we continue our walk, we pass the tennis courts and head towards a community garden. The environment suddenly feels alive, and we start spotting birds all around us.

Dominik: We’ve also got a mockingbird and a hooded oriole nearby. Let’s get a bit closer so you can see better, but keep your ears open for that chatter.

Aislyn: We also encounter something very iconic to San Francisco.

Dominik: Look, everyone, here comes a parrot! It’s a red-masked parakeet. There are two of them! Check out those distinctive wingbeats.

Aislyn: Those wingbeats are so choppy! I’ve never thought about that before. I’m beginning to grasp what Dom meant when he said that bird-watching opened his eyes to the world around him.

Dominik: I’ve always enjoyed hiking and being in nature. But when I realized that beyond just appreciating the views and open spaces, there are hundreds of birds to see, identify, and learn about, it changed everything. It made the world seem completely different and far more fascinating. There’s never a dull moment as a birder.

Aislyn: Birding the hill is essentially an urban bird walk. We’re right in the heart of San Francisco. It’s true that as you start to focus, layers of life reveal themselves. What might seem like an ordinary grassy park, where people play fetch with their dogs or enjoy a game of tennis, suddenly comes alive with sounds and sights.

Dominik: I enjoy urban birding because it makes observing nature in densely populated areas so accessible. The birds don’t seem to mind our presence and can adapt to living in smaller spaces. As long as we’re not actively disrupting their lives, they continue their routines even in bustling cities like San Francisco.

Aislyn: Dom believes that all birds count, even those we might dismiss or try to shoo away while we’re having lunch.

Birder: Oh, look! What’s that large bird over there?

Birder two: What is it? Oh, just a pigeon. A rock pigeon, to be exact.

Dominik: Don’t underestimate them! This actually highlights an important lesson. Once, I pointed out some starlings flying overhead and exclaimed, “Hey, everyone, check out the starlings!” One participant remarked, “I don’t pay attention to starlings; they’re not native. Who cares?” But two months later, she emailed me saying, “I think I saw purple martins in Golden Gate Park.” I asked her if she was sure they weren’t starlings, and she insisted they were different. The next day, she admitted, “They were starlings.” And I told her, “That’s why you should observe starlings.”

Starlings resemble many other birds, and it’s crucial to learn their appearances. Once you recognize a rock pigeon, you’ll eventually be able to identify a band-tailed pigeon too. So here, we don’t judge—every bird is important for our study.

Aislyn: As we walk, I start to realize this feels just like learning a new language. There’s a cacophony of sounds around me, but I can’t make sense of any of it, which can be quite frustrating, especially for one of the kids on this hike who’s starting to feel it too.

Little girl: I can't see it. Mommy, I can’t find it!

Aislyn: That first moment when you realize you can identify a word or phrase is so incredibly rewarding.

Little girl: I see it, Mama! There are some birds up there. Hi, Jiggly!

Aislyn: We say farewell to Jiggly, and Dom reminds us that improving—learning this language—is all about practice.

Dominik: If you're observing a bird up close and it starts to take off, try to follow it for as long as possible. Familiarize yourself with its appearance from various distances and angles. That way, I can look up into that eucalyptus tree and confidently say, “Oh, there are seven house finches.” It’s not because I possess some magical vision like a superhero; it’s simply due to my experience observing house finches from 5, 10, 50, and even 100 meters away. Over time, you build that familiarity and confidence to identify birds at what might seem like an astonishing distance.

Aislyn: What else do you need to know or have in order to become an expert birder? We’ll discover that after the break.

Kara Cook: I’m Kara Cook. I serve as the rooftop biologist for the Southwest region of Florida. In case anyone is curious about what a rooftop biologist does, I focus on shorebirds and seabirds that nest on gravel rooftops in Florida.

Aislyn: Isn't that an amazing job? However, Kara, who resides in Tampa, admits she wasn’t always a birder.

Kara: I actually took an ornithology class during my final year of undergrad at the University of Missouri. So, I’ve been considering myself a birder for about nine years. Growing up in a more rural area, I was surrounded by birds in my yard, but it wasn't until college that I really got into birding.

Aislyn [interview]: That’s great! What was it about that class that made a difference?

Kara: Oh gosh, um. It was such an eye-opening experience. Birding really gets me outside and immerses me in nature, which helps alleviate my stress. You never know what you might encounter when you head out—it’s always a delightful surprise.

Aislyn: During our conversation, Kara shared something that truly gave me goosebumps. I had asked her how birding has altered her perception of nature.

Kara: It’s made me much more attuned to my environment. I’m constantly listening and watching for birds, whether I'm walking into Target or enjoying a day at the beach. It's awe-inspiring to think that some of these birds travel thousands of miles, stopping right in front of me to forage or just be themselves. It feels almost magical.

Aislyn: That was genuinely a lightbulb moment for me. The notion that I could unexpectedly encounter a bird on a long journey is just incredible. If nothing else convinces you to try birding, I hope that sense of serendipity will. But our discussion wasn’t limited to these magical moments in nature; Kara also had fantastic advice on how to get started and what gear you need. (It’s minimal.) You can probably guess the first piece of gear—it's what all the birders, even the kids, had around their necks on my hike.

Kara: A simple pair of binoculars is extremely helpful. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars. A pair of 8x42s or 8x30s will work perfectly fine.

Aislyn: If that sounds confusing, don’t worry—I felt the same way. But I discovered it’s actually quite straightforward. In the examples Kara provided, "8 by" or "8x" indicates the magnification power, meaning anything you look at will appear eight times closer. The "42" refers to the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters—the larger the lens, the more light it can gather. Kara mentioned that you can find a decent pair of binoculars for around $40 to $50, but before you buy, check out your local library.

Kara: I came across a fantastic program where some libraries lend out birding backpacks. These typically include a field guide and one or two pairs of binoculars.

Aislyn: So now that you have your binoculars, Kara recommends two additional things. First, get a field guide for your area—we’ll include a link to one in our show notes. Second, download a couple of apps.

Kara: One of my favorites is Merlin. It’s incredibly user-friendly. If you see a bird but aren’t sure what it is, you can answer prompts about its primary colors, size in comparison to other birds, and its behavior—like whether it’s on the ground or perched on a wire. You also enter your location, and it’ll generate a list of likely matches.

Additionally, there’s an audio recording feature. If you hear a bird singing, you can hit the record button to capture its song.

Aislyn: Kara is also a fan of eBird, the app Dom used to log bird sightings during my bird walk on the hill.

Kara: It’s primarily for maintaining your own lists and functions as a citizen-science app where you can share your sightings.

When you visit a park and document all the birds you see during your walk, you can submit that data to their database. You can also add audio recordings or photos if you wish, and it creates your own species list.

Aislyn: She mentions that one of the best features of eBird is its hot-spot map, which is perfect for new birders to find out where the birds are congregating. However, there’s one piece of gear you really don’t need.

Kara: You don’t need to have a camera to enjoy birding.

Aislyn: However, there’s a reason you might spot birders using cameras.

Kara: If you have a camera with a decent zoom, take a picture of the bird. It can serve as a reference for later, allowing you to look it up in a book or guide once you’re back home and identify it more accurately if you couldn't in the field.

Aislyn: Once you’ve gathered your gear and are eager to head out on your own, what’s the next step? How does one begin birding?

Kara: I usually move at a slow pace, focusing on observing and listening for birds. There’s no need to rush; I suggest keeping quiet and avoiding loud conversations, which can help you become more attuned to the sounds around you. Listening for bird calls can guide you to where they might be, making it almost a meditative experience.

Aislyn: Kara advises that if you’re new to this and don’t have easy access to beaches or large green areas, simply visit your local park. If you feel overwhelmed or prefer some guidance, you can always join a tour like I did.

Kara: Look for a local Audubon chapter or a birding club. These are excellent avenues to connect with others who are also new to birding and eager to learn. If you're interested in having a mentor, you can find someone who can teach you about the birds in your area, and they often take you to the best local spots for birdwatching.

Aislyn: Alternatively, instead of joining a tour, consider participating in local projects. In Tampa, for instance, there are monitoring projects for various species, from scrub jays to raptors. Being part of a club or project is also a fantastic way to meet fellow birders, who, as Kara notes, tend to be incredibly friendly.

Kara: It genuinely feels like a large community. You encounter numerous people who share an interest in birds and nature. It's a joy to be out with others who appreciate the same passion and enjoy observing what birds appear each day.

Aislyn: My aunt Cheryl echoes this sentiment. Living in Florida, she is an avid birder and has been volunteering at her local wildlife sanctuary, where she dedicated 20 years of her life.

As I wrapped up this episode, I thought it would be great to give her a call and see what insights she might share. During our conversation, as I updated her on my birding journey, she began to tell me about one of her favorite birds.

Aunt Cheryl: Chimney swifts are my absolute favorite birds. These tiny black creatures have cigar-shaped bodies and small black wings, and they fly like the Blue Angels. They consume thousands of mosquitoes and nest in chimneys, which is how they got their name. They are quite affectionate towards each other; if one is feeling under the weather or is younger, the bigger swifts might gently cover them with their wings. They’re truly caring little birds.

Aislyn: I looked up chimney swifts, and they are indeed incredible! They manage to eat, drink, and even mate—all while flying! Plus, Cheryl participates in the annual Audubon bird count every February, which she finds meditative, just like Kara mentioned.

Aunt Cheryl: On the day of the bird count, my mind is solely focused on birds. I don’t think about anything else, and I don’t feel bad—I just feel... it’s a liberating experience that gets me out there.

Aislyn: That’s how I’ve always felt after a long hike, both during and after. Cheryl believes this meditative experience helps us forge deeper connections with the world around us.

Aunt Cheryl: I believe that if you step outside and look up instead of down, you’ll start noticing a multitude of fascinating things around you. This can help people form a stronger bond with their environment.

Aislyn: The more we engage with the world, the more we feel compelled to protect it, right?

Aunt Cheryl: When I see those long formations of geese and hawks flying overhead, I think about ensuring that their destination is safe. And when they return, I want to be sure they still have suitable nesting sites for the summer.

They simply need food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, many of those essentials are dwindling.

Aislyn: So here we are, transitioning from a serene birdwatching experience on a foggy San Francisco morning to potentially making a difference in the world. Such is the impact of birding! Just like Dom told me at the start of my very first outing.

Dominik: If you allow it, I believe it can transform your life.

Aislyn: Has my life changed? Am I officially a birder now? It's still a bit too soon to tell. I haven't bought binoculars yet, but I did download the Merlin app. Just the other day, while on my usual walk, I spotted a small brown bird fluttering out of a tree. I paused to observe, and as it flapped its wings, I noticed blue feathers underneath. I pulled out the Merlin app, entered what I saw, and felt a thrill when I identified it as a female western bluebird—my very first bird on the list! More importantly, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for the incredible lives of the countless birds around us, often unnoticed. Like us, they are travelers journeying vast distances. As Kara said, there’s a hint of magic in that.

On the topic of Kara, my respect for the dedicated bird enthusiasts has grown immensely. These are the individuals who watch, count, and protect these stunning creatures. So if you find yourself resistant to trying birding after all this inspiration, consider making a donation to the Audubon Society or another wildlife organization—that's a great way to contribute.

Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure! I’ll keep you updated on my birding journey. We’ll include links to birding resources on Dinogo.com in our show notes, along with the Merlin app. If you're interested in finding your local Audubon chapter, check out visit.audubon.org. And for those in the Bay Area wanting to hike with Dom, visit randallmuseum.org/birding-the-hill. You can also follow him on Instagram @dominik.mosur. See you next week!

Eager for more insights? Head over to Dinogo.com and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Our magazine is @Dinogomedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you'll return for more fascinating stories. Subscribing makes it easy! You can find Unpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Please rate and review the show to help other travelers discover it. We also want to hear from you: Is there a travel dilemma, trend, or topic you'd like us to delve into? Reach out at Dinogo.com/feedback or email us at unpacked@Dinogo.com.

This has been Unpacked, a production of Dinogo Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with music composed by Chris Colin.

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