Bird Envy Vol. 1: My First Bird Walk ft. Noah Strycker
I have envied birds for as long as I can remember. Marveled at them for their grace. Their freedom. Their power. Countless childhood hours were spent in daydreams, staring out of windows - car windows, classroom windows…
Always skyward.
Someone noticed, for soon, my father had gifted me with a bird dictionary and encyclopedia. I remember poring over the beautiful illustrations by candlelight. Memorizing facts. Finding the humor in the peculiar behavioral habits of some of these birds. I wanted to share this knowledge and looked for a fun, easy method to infect others with my newfound bird frenzy.
So I created a board game.
Board games were popular in my household, especially when our electricity was cut of by the corrupt power holding companies, as was the norm in Nigeria.
When this happened, children would head outdoors with balls, bikes, skipping rope, and whatever genius, time-consuming ideas for games their imaginations could dream up.
At the time, my family and I lived in a housing estate made up of 1004 flats. My best friend, Lolade, lived a couple of flats down from ours. He visited frequently when there was electricity and sans electricity, so he became an unsuspecting test subject.
First he watched bemusedly, as I sifted through pieces of leftover cardboard from cereal boxes and discarded packaging material, for the right base for my game. I took inspiration from the famed board games - ‘Snakes & Ladders’, and ‘Monopoly’. Type A tendencies reared a meticulous head, as I drew and redrew grids until each line was perfectly even, weighted, and leaded. Dice were hand selected, and playing cards with my fun bird facts, were laminated with Sellotape.
Next, I made him play, and proceeded to scold him anytime he missed a trivia point or got a detail wrong. All in good fun of course. Needless to say, but his patience and sense of humor were the healing balms for our relationship. Lolade couldn’t understand why I would invest so much time trying to perfect a game few in Nigeria would have the interest for, when I was already very good at games like Chess, Scrabble, and Backgammon. Bless his heart for humoring me anyway.
Several years later, my childhood best friend and I have lost touch with each other. My ‘Bird-Watching 101’ deluxe variety pack, is also nothing but a fond memory. I am now at a Leica Store Miami event, listening to this birder talk animatedly about his “Big Year”.
Noah Strycker was an interesting man at first reckoning. Tall, slender, upbeat, with mischievous twinkling blue eyes. As he tallied off each bird counted, complete with a brief rundown on the name, location spotted, and behavioral quirks and habits, I found myself tapping into the realms of joy brought on by a not too distant sense of nostalgia. His lighthearted narratives of exotic birds, risky adventures, and birding companions were captivating to say the least, as was his sense of humor.
The next day, those in attendance were invited to go on a bird walk with Noah Strycker.
I was eager to sign up for the journey.
At 0600 hrs, The Crew Gathers.
Five different alarms were set in order to make this appointment. Not because 6:00 AM is too early to be up and ready for a birding adventure, but because we’re talking about doing this on a Saturday, without prior psychological and emotional prepping or planning to do so. Cheers to spontaneity!
Views from Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
People from various stages of know-how and birding experience, gathered at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne. We took in the sights, the smells, the sounds, and made small talk with a fisherman on the bay.
On The Watch.
While I was no expert on birdcalls, I felt incredibly excited to discover that each bird call was unique to the bird. I particularly enjoyed the story of the catbird, and how the males mimic the songs from other birds picked up during their migratory route.
These fragments of “other birds’ songs” are strung together in a harmonic kaleidoscope to woo the female catbirds during mating season. Apparently the females judge a male’s potential as a mate depending on the intricacy of his song, for this insinuates he’s well travelled.
A true bird of the world!
Here are some birds I was able to capture while out on the watch. The neighborhood lizard also proved rather photogenic.
The Magnificent Frigatebird.
Can You Spot the House Wren?
The Osprey.
The Northern Parula.
In 2015, Noah set a record for a worldwide Big Year of birding, seeing 6,042 of the world’s estimated 10,400 bird species in a continuous journey spanning all seven continents, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
He documented this journey on his blog, ‘Birding Without Borders’, which is also the title of his third book. Snippets and reflections on his adventure can be viewed HERE by virtue of the Audubon Society. Noah is currently working in collaboration with National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, on a new book called ‘Birds Of The Photo Ark’.
Mr. Strycker is especially known in his presentations for celebrating the ways that birds unite and inspire us, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Special thanks to the Leica Store Miami, and to the Tropical Audubon Society for making such an insightful, eye-opening experience possible. And thank you Noah - for your stories, your courage, and for your photographs.
CREDITS:
Words and Photographs by Adenike O. Akinbisehin.
Additional photographs provided by Kirsten Vignes, and Leticia De Mello Bueno.