My Timing is Perfect

May 10, 2026Spring migration is so fast and furious that it’s easy to slip into the idea that I should hurry, do more, go more, and generally try not to miss out. Funny, isn’t it? When the cornucopia basket is overflowing, the fear of missing out grows stronger!It’s like when you have a bug……but then you drop a bug……and you have to catch the bug again. Summer tanager playing with his food.Birding culture certainly encourages this. Pass a birder during migration and the most common question is, “Have you seen anything good?” There are rare bird alerts, and I’m aware that every birder in the county has seen the Swainson’s warbler hanging out not too far away. The chestnut-sided warbler is not technically “rare”, but I’ve never seen many of them before and I have this year!I also learned a long time ago that “chasing” birds never works for me. My practice is about my relationship with the place, not about checking things off a list. There’s nothing wrong with a list at all, and I’m not…