Reckless Driving
I looked up as I drove through my residential neighborhood, and I nearly drove off the road. In fact, I did, but thankfully there was a driveway convenient for such a turn.
In this case, it was another sighting of a Eurasian Collared-dove that caused my sudden change in route. I saw the bird fly across the road, and having never observed one in flight, had to confirm my suspicions that it was an ECDO. If it flies like a dove and is shaped like a dove, just what might it be?
There are two other doves much more commonly seen in Stephenville: Mourning and White-winged. I have been practicing on identifying them quickly, as walking, perching, and flying, they can appear quite different even within species. My recent observations to that effect made the addition of ECDOs a welcome complication, though their lighter color makes them much easier to distinguish.
As I noted in a previous post, I am excited to see them here, because they are another interesting thing I can be looking for even as I drive to work. I'm trying to build on my record of ten different species in the half-mile drive/walk to the Humanities building. That reminds me; this post was supposed to be about driving.
Three years of birding have not had a positive effect on my driving. It is so frustrating and disappointing to have such a good opportunity for birding alertness wasted by the necessity of getting somewhere on time and preserving the safety of those on the road, including myself. Especially in this area, I have seen a number of hawks (or some sort of raptor or accipiter or whatever is the catch-all expression for that type of bird--bird of prey, maybe?) while driving, yet I remain an utter simpleton regarding the identification and appreciation of these birds beyond the Black/Turkey distinction. They all certainly seem unwilling to come out if I do stop the car and look up for ten minutes.
This is the challenge that makes birding irresistible to a competitor like me. I will not be bested by the evasive little creatures. They will succumb to being recognized. In the meantime, whoops. Heh heh. Better keep my eyes on the road.
In this case, it was another sighting of a Eurasian Collared-dove that caused my sudden change in route. I saw the bird fly across the road, and having never observed one in flight, had to confirm my suspicions that it was an ECDO. If it flies like a dove and is shaped like a dove, just what might it be?
There are two other doves much more commonly seen in Stephenville: Mourning and White-winged. I have been practicing on identifying them quickly, as walking, perching, and flying, they can appear quite different even within species. My recent observations to that effect made the addition of ECDOs a welcome complication, though their lighter color makes them much easier to distinguish.
As I noted in a previous post, I am excited to see them here, because they are another interesting thing I can be looking for even as I drive to work. I'm trying to build on my record of ten different species in the half-mile drive/walk to the Humanities building. That reminds me; this post was supposed to be about driving.
Three years of birding have not had a positive effect on my driving. It is so frustrating and disappointing to have such a good opportunity for birding alertness wasted by the necessity of getting somewhere on time and preserving the safety of those on the road, including myself. Especially in this area, I have seen a number of hawks (or some sort of raptor or accipiter or whatever is the catch-all expression for that type of bird--bird of prey, maybe?) while driving, yet I remain an utter simpleton regarding the identification and appreciation of these birds beyond the Black/Turkey distinction. They all certainly seem unwilling to come out if I do stop the car and look up for ten minutes.
This is the challenge that makes birding irresistible to a competitor like me. I will not be bested by the evasive little creatures. They will succumb to being recognized. In the meantime, whoops. Heh heh. Better keep my eyes on the road.
1 Comments:
Yes, INDEED! Keep those eyes on the road:-)
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