Finally , I note what looks like some birds of prey soaring high above . I describe them to Greg via text . “ Turkey vultures ,” he informs me , a very common bird in Rhode Island .
And that is it . I walk for another hour and see nothing else of note . I start to wonder , am I actually birding or am I just walking with binoculars ? I ask Greg . “ I think it ’ s about the intent you set out with ,” he responds . “ If you go out trying to see some birds and you don ’ t see any , that is birding .” I think ( I ’ m birding ), therefore I am . “ Exactly ,” Greg affirms . I try again in Roger Williams Park , one of the best urban birding locations . After a mile or so of fruitless walking with binocu-
lars , I spot a small bird circling around a tree branch , seemingly foraging for insects . I even manage to lock in with the binos and spend a few moments observing . Again , I text Greg a short description of its appearance and behavior . ( He swears he loves when people do this .) Probably a chickadee or nuthatch , both very common in Rhode Island . But still : I did birding , right ?
More than birds or even people , I become fascinated by an existential question : What ’ s the difference between birding and not birding ?
I live near Roger Williams Park . I ’ m there almost every day , passing the same family of swans every time . Is that birding ? Probably not . But what if I have my binoculars because I ’ m intending to bird ? According to Greg ’ s theory , that would be birding — but that feels too easy .
“ Do you count them ? Do you count their offspring ? Would you know if some were missing ? If the answer is yes to any of these questions you are birding . And if it ’ s no , well , real birders hate invasive mute swans ,” says no less an authority than Sue Palmer . “ Either way , you notice them . That makes you a birder .”
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94 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l NOVEMBER 2020