It's a common sentiment among birders that this hobby isn't really about the birds. We want to connect with nature, and birds provide the best experience. Unlike mammals, there are a lot of birds and they're relatively easy to see - and less dangerous. Unlike insects, bird species can be readily distinguished in the field. Unlike fungi and slimes, birds aren't disgusting.
But while birds are Goldilocks' "Just Right" porridge of the animal world, it doesn't mean birders aren't interested in everything else out there. That's why I think the Maryland Biodiversity Project is such a cool idea. The idea is simply to catalog all the living things in Maryland. So far they've got more than 10,000 species in their checklists - more than 3,300 with photographs. The volume of life is incredible - from fish to ferns to fleas and fungus.
A real sense of wonder and excitement pervades the site - headlines in the news section breathlessly report a new bee record or that 217 species of scarab beetle have been added. It's a lot of fun, and enough to make a jaded mid-summer birder want to get back out there and turn over logs. If you've got a bunch of hours to kill, lose yourself in the species photos of some random classification, and remember what it feels like to have your eyes opened to a world of creatures you didn't even know existed.
Bird Names, Geography, and Reality
20 hours ago