Sandhill Cranes are a pretty exciting yard bird, as are cardinals and chickadees when it comes down to it. It’s fun to mix birding with other outdoor activities, as well as regular meals, coffee breaks, and even happy hours, because you never know when a pair of Giant Canada Geese might appear.

One of our readers offered a somewhat novel idea, along with an example, and even a bird list. Mike wrote me from southeast Wisconsin that he had created a new birding activity: Happy Hour Birding on his patio; and he shared that “My birding experience was incredible! A total of 107 Sandhills flew overhead during 100 minutes. The largest flock of 25 cranes crossed silently in a perfect “V” only 75 feet directly overhead. He and his wife Susanna also tallied 62 Giant Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, 1 Northern Cardinal, 7 Mourning Doves, and 1 Black-capped Chickadee.”

Mike added that while sitting in his patio chair listing yard birds, he also “enjoyed 2 Sam Adams Octoberfest beverages, the 75 degree weather, and a beautiful Wisconsin sunset.” Pender was really excited, and why not – it was one of those magic times that make you want to relive it again and again. But that’s why so many of us enjoy birding – because it’s bendable; birding works its way into many facets of our lives and changes our focus with the mere arrival of an interesting bird, a colorful species, a flock of cranes.

It’s easy to tie birding into almost any activity. For example, in addition to Happy Hour Birding, how about Breakfast Birding while enjoying the view from your dining room, kitchen, patio, porch, or a chair with a feeder view. Likewise, let’s try Brunch or Lunch Birding; and Dinner Birding could be planned at a lakeside restaurant, a lounge with a mountainscape, an outlook picnic area. Gosh, you don’t even need a dinner to go to these places when it comes down to it, but don’t forget your binoculars.

A family outing is a natural to plan as a birding activity when you can share a hike, a picnic, and fun bird sightings along the way. Mixing in a little birding is a great way to celebrate a birthday, and it can also be as simple as a birding coffee break at the office or your worksite. Of course, a birding class at school, or during virtual schooling, or home schooling is a natural, especially when classes or students participate in Project FeederWatch.

Another aspect of the many ways we can mix birding with other pleasures is to enjoy some levels of athletics with a birding focus, including cycling, hiking, daily walks, canoeing or kayaking, backpacking and camping, a seabirding day trip if you are near an ocean.

There are certainly many other activities we can weave some birding into, and actually, a little Happy Hour Birding sounds pretty good about now, and with your binoculars within reach, think about some other ways to enjoy birding while enjoying life at its fullest on a daily basis.

Article and photos by Paul Konrad

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