Wow, we had very similar trajectories to birding! I'm from Michigan and my
parents were great fishers. I started fishing early in life and it was my
passion, but I also watched birds. I got a BA from U of Michigan in biology
with emphasis on fisheries. I started flyfishing when quite young. I found
myself carrying binoculars on the stream to also watch birds. I finally
realized I was more of a birder than fisherman when I would trail my rod in the
water as I walked in streams looking for birds. I have fished very few times in
the intervening 30+ years. I still like fishing, so I guess I need a clone!
Gerard Lillie
Portland, OR
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Subject: [obol] The Gift of Magpie - Short Story
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
