Flashback Friday: Confessions of a Travelling Bird Nerd

I've been a bird nerd for a very long time. When I look at my travel photos, I am often struck by how many bird photos I have in my various albums. Yet, many of my nearest and dearest were quite shocked when I confessed to being a Bird Nerd early in the pandemic times. I started putting out bird feeders and making weekly visits to our local bird sanctuary during the worst of pandemic restrictions. I'd always liked birds but now I decided to learn to photograph them to prep for a future African wildlife safari. Once I started photographing them, I got hooked on learning how to identify them and their various ranges. Due to my travels, I have discovered that I have a pretty impressive birder's "Life List", which is possibly the nerdiest list I've ever created. Many years ago, I worked on helping develop curriculum that honoured Indigenous principles of learning. During that project, I was honoured when an elder of the Musqueam Nation identified the Heron as my Spirit Animal. I see herons everywhere I go. My nearest and dearest connect me with the birds so herons do a lot of prodding/nagging for me. It is not at all unusual to get messages from friends and family that begin with "I just saw a heron and....". I love it.

Great Blue Herons are plentiful along my daily walking routes on the West Dyke Trail.

Today's Flashback Friday theme will feature some of the avian beauties I have been lucky enough to catch on camera during my travels. Some birds are fabulous models. They are still and pose beautifully in the open. Others (hummingbirds) can be jerks as they dart around, hiding deep within the shade and foliage, or aggressively doing their birdy things.