Monday, Aug 18

Dear Reader,

We’re all birders now, aren’t we? At least, that’s how it seems in Dot’s world, where friends and family who formerly had zero interest in our feathered planet-sharers are suddenly cocking their heads and wondering aloud, “Is that a Great Crested Flycatcher?”

And while Dot is a great fan of the Merlin app (yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve become a broken record about my new favorite app), I was struck by something conservation biologist and birdwatcher Derek Lovitch wrote in Scientific American, noting the surge in interest in bird watching since the COVID pandemic and the resulting tech tools to facilitate our new favorite activity: “I wonder whether, by relying on technology to this extent, we are losing out on the most important tool for birding — and perhaps life in general: the power of observation.” Lovitch, who is also co-owner of Freeport Wild Bird Supply in Maine, noted that “Birding is a chance to turn off our devices and use our senses, to breathe fresh air, to connect with the natural world, and immerse ourselves in the now, the moment, the bird.” 

Observantly,

Dot