Thought I’d start my year of newsletters with a sort of summation of why I like to do what I do. And, everyone loves a list!
* Birding by butt - Why get up and go out in the field when you can sit in a comfy chair in your backyard and watch? No need to stress about whether the birds you want to see will be there. Wait until they come to you. In my backyard in Seattle, while perfecting the art of BBB I have seen Mallards swimming on our flooded roof, crows harassing Barred Owls, Varied Thrushes poking for food, and Pygmy Nuthatches seeking insects, as well as many others. I know of one expert butt-bound-birder who has seen more than 50 species in his yard.
* Don’t like shopping, look up - As you trudge through the urban core with your partner, who’s seeking that perfect je ne sais quoi that only they understand, look up instead of inside. High atop many buildings is a veritable Noah’s Ark load of terra cotta and carved animals. Most common in this urban bestiary will be lions and eagles—who wouldn’t want to work in a building adorned with these symbols of grace, courage, and majesty—but you might encounter ducks and dragons; griffins and hippocamps; horses, walruses, and dolphins. Fabled, fantastic, and fun, this stone menagerie can relieve the ardor of most any shopping trip.
* Stuck in traffic - Plagued by packed roads? Instead of complaining, use the time to notice the wildlife exploiting this unique urban niche. Over the years, I have counted dozens of Red-Tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles perched on poles, branches, wires, and, once on a speed limit sign. One of the best ways to find them is to look for crows dive-bombing in their yo-yo like flight pattern. Or take the time to consider why there are so many fewer insects dying on your windshield; how geology affects where you travel; or how additional runoff from impervious roadways creates cattail- and horse-rich micro-wetlands. So much is going on that you might actually seek out traffic jams.
* Bad Architecture - Let’s face it, an oft-defining characteristic of city life is the ugly building. Escape this dire situation by focusing not on the whole but on the parts, specifically the building stones. Walk through any large city and you will find a range of rocks equal to the best that plate tectonics has assembled. In Seattle, I have seen limestone (with up to 8-inch wide fossils), granite, gneiss, travertine, marble, slate, and sandstone ranging in age from 80,000 to 3.5 billion years old, and from every continent except Antarctica. Plus, the builders have gone to the effort to clean and polish them for us.
* Celebrate the underdog - Who doesn’t feel better when they champion the overlooked or the down-on-their-luck? Cities are rife with such underdogs, most of which should earn our respect instead of scorn. Consider the pigeon, one of the easiest urban birds to observe. They are models of fidelity, learn from each other, and have unparalleled navigational skills. And, if you doubt me, here’s what Charles Darwin wrote to his friend Charles Lyell in November 1855: “I will show you my pigeons! which is the greatest treat, in my opinion, which can be offered to a human being.” So, next time you observe a pigeon, pay attention. Not only are you honoring a deserving animal, but you may be on the road to becoming the next Charles Darwin.
* Nature abounds - Nature shows would have us believe that the only places where life truly abounds is way out in some exotic place like the Serengeti. That is so wrong. Consider the fact that two rats are probably having sex fairly close to you right now and in about three weeks, she will give birth to between eight and ten pups. This time next year, your fecund, murine neighbors might have 15,000 descendants. If that’s not the abounding of life, then what is?
* Carbon Neutral - Tired of killing the Earth by driving to your favorite wild spot? In the city, nature’s but a walk, bike, or bus ride away, or even closer for BBB practitioners.
* Savor the Seasons - Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Each has its fans. In the urban environment, these four are merely the obvious, long acknowledged seasons but why limit yourself. Who wouldn’t rejoice and revel in the surfeit of seasons such as “AAAhhh, yellowjackets! No more BBQ;” “Itchy eyes, runny nose, and pollen;” “Splashed by rain puddle…again;” “Harassed by mother crow;” “Dry grass, why mow?;” and “Wet dog, where’s the towel?”
* Coffee - Who goes anywhere in the city without the comfort of coffee? A good coffee shop is rarely more than ten minutes away in the city, at least in Seattle, so you’ll never be at a loss for your caffeine fix.
* People are Animals, Too - Look for couples in their breeding plumage, neighbors asserting their territoriality, and children fledging from their homes. We may like to think we are different, but careful observation reveals the deep roots we share with those around us.
A shorter version of this appeared in Orion magazine (on their website).
Starting the year with a bang. I’ll be speaking with author and historian Judy Bentley tonight as part of the Words, Writers, Southwest Stories, presented online by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. The talk starts at 6pm and is one of them Zoom talks. Here’s where to register.
