Like many birders, the more I’ve gotten into to birding, the more I’ve wanted to add to my “Life List”. For those not familiar, a “Life List” is the list of birds that you have encountered in the wild.

Different people track their life lists in different ways. For me, I don’t typically count it unless I can catch a photo of the bird or am 100% certain of my visual ID. Though I do use eBird and Merlin to track what I have seen – though it’s not comprehensive as I have bird species that I saw prior to getting more into birding or species that I got to see growing up in other parts of the US.

Since I am constantly trying to add to this list, I go out in search of birds. And to be honest, I’m not always successful. I often find that if I go to a place expecting to find a particular bird, I have no luck. But when I am not looking for it – boom – there it is… Right out in the open.

Or I end up finding other birds or things I was looking for. An eagle sitting in a tree near its nest. A Great Horned Owl family because I wondered what had the other birds in such an uproar near dusk. A new flower that I have no idea what it is. A view I’ve never noticed before. Being present has its perks. And sometimes in pays off when we aren’t expecting it.

Like my “nemesis bird”. Meet the most recent one – the Lazuli Bunting. I have been trying to see one of these birds for over a year. Only catching a fleeting glimpse once when I was in a hurry. And then suddenly, while not looking for them at all (was trying to find one of the Common Yellowthroats I was hearing EVERYWHERE), I notice a flash of bright blue atop a stump in the meadow.

At first, I wasn’t sure of my identification, as we have Western Bluebirds in the same area. But once I was able to get a closer look (with my camera, not hiking off-trail), I noticed the colors weren’t right for that. I quickly snapped as many photos as I could, to help me confirm my idea later once I was no longer under the summer sun. Now I shall have to find a new bird to seek on these trails

When I go to a space expecting what nature will show me, I could see the experience as disappointing for not leading to exactly what I hoped. But the more time I spend outside, the more I have found joy in the unexpected and surprising. Hoping that each experience might lead me to seeing something new or noticing something I hadn’t before. I end up learning more than I likely would have otherwise. Being present is the purpose and the reward of letting nature find me.

Want to learn more? Check out this post about the wonders of observation!

Until next time, Happy Exploring!
– Kirsten, the NW Naturalist