I think each of us probably remembers what inspired their interest
in birds. Here is my story.
Before birding I flyfished catch & release for 30 years. I fished for
steelhead in the Coast Range and warm water fish from a float tube in
Willamette Valley ponds. My favorite fishing though, was for large rainbow
trout far, far away in eastern Oregon.
I was on a trip to a remote area to fish a small stream I had discovered
nearly 40 years earlier. I kept the spot to myself and always had a special
retreat eight hours away. It was 25 years before I saw anyone else. We
waved, thumbs up, and went in opposite directions. It was that kind of
place.
A dozen years ago, a pair of Black-billed Magpies followed me along the
stream for the better part of a day. I guessed they were magpies. I'd seen
a picture somewhere. They kept their distance, but each time they perched,
it was a little closer. Eventually they sat calmly 25'' away if I was
sitting down and not moving.
I could see their intelligence & curiosity. They would look at me, hone a
bill, then look at each other. It was fun. They were beautiful. They were
mesmerizing. I wished for the compact binoculars I left in my truck.
As I took a lunch break, they were hanging out nearby. I wolfed a sandwich,
then dangled my legs in the cold, clear water and lay back on the grassy
bank. Nirvana. I drifted off...
Suddenly I came out of it. My first thought was, "What is a 62-year-old
doing hiking in steep, rugged country, 6 miles from camp, 20 miles from a
highway with only two birds for companionship?" Pushing his luck was my
answer.
I knew then and there, it was time for a change, something a little more
tame, as interesting and hopefully a lot closer to home. But what could
possibly replace my love of fishing?
On the 8-hour drive back to Salem, a mind can wander. I kept thinking about
the magpies. How exciting it had been to share their close proximity and
antics. Then I realized they had also given me a gift, the answer to my
question: "Think birds!"
Happy Holidays!
Jon Hazen
NE Salem
--
"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by
his fathers, but borrowed from his children." - John James Audubon
