Every year around late January, with its short, cold and often miserable days, I find myself thinking that perhaps I am getting a bit bored with birding. I can't muster any enthusiasm to get out of my warm bed, get out in the damp cold air, and see what's about.
From recollection, I am pretty sure I have felt like this each January for the last few years. I question myself, am I get bored of birding? After all I've been "really into" golf, fishing, astronomy and of course football (West Ham Utd season ticket holder for 20+ years in the past), but there's always been birding somewhere in the background. But now, birding is firmly in the foreground with the odd footy match squeezed in, and fishing and golf are nowhere to be seen, in fact the thought of either doesn't sound appealing at all.
Today on Birdguides I saw "Parrot Crossbill - West Sussex", a life tick, and I couldn't even get excited about that. Don't get me wrong, I have a couple of really good days out in Norfolk already this year, and I've even had a tick with the Spanish Sparrow, but I can't for the life of me bring myself to get out and stomp round The Chase or anywhere else locally and enjoy the local birds. I take my hat off BIG TIME to you local patchers, you put in a lot of time and effort, often for little reward, keep it up folks, your dedication is admirable.
On the plus side my lack of birding is providing time to do some great family stuff. Yesterday Jamie and I went to watch our local football team, Hornchurch FC, which was great; last weekend we all went to the cinema to see War horse and have dinner out. Today we met friends at Lakeside for lunch, again, which was nice and in the long run I must be racking up brownie points like billy-o! So once I've bucked my ideas up, shaken off the January birding blues, I'll be ready and able to get out there and enjoy my birding. Hopefully starting next weekend!
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You wait till those migrants start arriving soon, I bet you will be out more than you are in!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I find it harder to get out on my patch in this miserable winter weather these days, being a warm/hot weather type of person. Its one of the reasons why I keep two dogs because quite often I wouldn't bother to get out if it wasn't for them demanding walks.
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing it quite right, getting into family things at the moment and waiting until birdwatching rises back to the forefront of your interests, which it will, naturally. If you've got to force yourself to do something, its questionable wether you should be doing it.
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