The Muse is Loose

If you are trying to enjoy birds and don't have a good set of binoculars you are missing out on many birds to see. Binoculars are a must for serious birding. You don't have to spend a fortune. Some cost $2000.00. A good set for birding can be bought for $200.00 or a little more (or less). What did birders do before binoculars? John James Audubon, the great naturalist/ bird artist of another century, took his bird looks as he held them in his hand. Are you ready for this, bird lovers? He brought them out of the sky with a shotgun! Were we to try that today and get caught the penalty could be quite severe. Jailing or a heavy fine, or both! But we don't need to do that with the binos and spotting scopes available.
Did you know that more than 600 species of birds have been identified in Texas alone? Some of them have only been seen a few times. Texas is a great birding state for many reasons. One is it's diversity, with seashores, marshes, prairies, wooded pine forests, rolling hills, mountains, and migration paths for traveling birds in the spring and fall. In the Valley at two of the better birding sites in the entire country the feds are preparing to fence it off and give it to Mexico in the effort to close our borders. I don't know about that. My life bird count is rather meager next to the really good birders like my friend Robert Edwards. He has over a thousand, having lived in other countries. He is fun to bird with. My total is 499. I am hung up there. Won't you please send me a new bird? How about a.... harlequin quail from the Fort Davis area! Take a look at the birds today.