Birding in the plague years

Rockin’ my sweet 3M N95 – those good old days (2019) in
Gangneung when horrific air pollution was the only reason for masks

  
  Geez, a year ago today I was prepping for over a month of footloose and fancy-free spring birding in the Yellow Sea. Those were the good ol’ days.

  I have seen a whole whack of articles lately gushing about how this is the perfect time to go out and look at birds. I’ll do that a little, but I’ll also do some ranting, scolding, and hand-wringing.

  I’ve been watching this drunk skinhead of a pathogen slam-dance its way through Korea for a few months, through the eyes of friends, trying to prepare, and let people know this was coming. They may have turned the corner over there, and we can too, but not if we don’t take this shit seriously. The ‘West’ is not fully prepared for this. Not prepared between the ears. We are soft, wilfully ignorant, and stubborn – everyone thinks they know better than the experts. We don’t know better, stay home and wash your fucking hands, and be nice to one another. We are literally in the same boat, and it’s listing. We failed to change course, and now we’re scrambling around rearranging the deck chairs.

  Things are going to get pretty weird out there for a bit, dystopian even, but I reckon we’ll mostly get through it, albeit bent and battered. Perhaps some folks will have the scales fall from their eyes on the other end of this. Just maybe it’s time for a major rethink about a lot of the ‘big stuff’ we don’t normally have the time nor willpower to take on – those giant gears that churn behind the curtain…the beast that devours habitat and people’s lives, and shits out corporate profits. It should make you furious. We have some free time now, so think about it.

  Good thing I’m a misanthropic, anti-social curmudgeon. This social distancing thing feels pretty easy for me, for the most part. If you’re cooped up, can’t bird, and are going nuts out there and need to talk to someone about birds, shoot me an email (spaces added in a vain effort to address to combat spam): mattpoll24 at gmail dot com.

  Or, better yet, leave a comment on this post – there aren't a lot of comments on here, and I certainly don’t get to talk about birds enough on an everyday basis. Where are you in the world? What bird just flew past your window? 2020 target/nemesis bird? Worst dip? Drop a link to your bird-nerd blog. Comment!

  Spring is almost here, I can smell birds on the wind, they’re on the horizon and down a few dimly lit trails. Migratory birds will continue to fly from the southern hemisphere to the far north as they always have, because they must push their blood into the future.

  It is indeed probably time to get out and go birding. Do it! Life is (very) short. Breathe deeply in through the nose, and out through the mouth…but not right next to anyone. Keep calm and carry birds. Nope. Keep calm and bird on.