About My ‘Coming Out’ Confession
I remember the day in 1985 when I decided it was time to come out of the closet. For more than a year I had been secretly indulging in a pattern of behavior most people didn’t understand. I couldn’t hide it any more, I had to bite the bullet, to be candid with my friends and family.
No, it’s not what you’re thinking, it wasn’t the traditional closet “outing”. Nor was it anything criminal. I hadn’t become a Barry Manilow or Carpenters fan. But it was a public activity so there was always the possibility I would be seen. I had to ‘fess up.
So how would it go? One or two knew already. But I steeled myself and broke the news gently. It was worse than many people realised. Guys, I walk around the Scottish countryside with binoculars round my neck. It’s true, I’m a birdwatcher.
If I had grown two heads it would have been easier. There was much mickey-taking. And a lot of fairly dumb questions. But I continued to insist this was something I thoroughly enjoyed and eventually there developed a degree of disbelieving acceptance.
Fast forward 30 years and the climate has changed enormously. Most of the same people who sniggered at me can now name the birds in their garden. They can distinguish between the chaffinches, blue tits, siskins and robins that show up.
Bed and Breakfast establishments the world over advertise their premises as ‘perfect for birdwatchers’ or ‘a birder’s paradise’. Our feathered friends have not only become respectable; they are also big business.
The reason I got interested in the first place was straightforward. I liked escaping the city and taking countryside walks. I would see birds and wanted to identify the species. So I bought a field guide and took it from there.
On my first ever proper birdwatching day out I went to the River Don estuary in Aberdeen. I remember feeling a thrill when I was able to identify a ringed plover. Nothing has changed, all these years later I still get a kick out of seeing a ‘new’ species.
I miss watching birds in Scotland, it was relaxing and peaceful, an escape from the stresses of everyday life. I had favourite spots, notably the Ythan Estuary in Aberdeenshire and the Baron’s Haugh reserve near Motherwell.
People sometimes ask what is the attraction of an activity that probably seems odd to an outsider. I don’t know the answer. Perhaps we all have some sort of an inbuilt collector’s instinct – I have ‘spotted’ more than 300 species over the years.
Having moved to America, it is like starting all over again. With the exception of a few species such as starling, mallard and house sparrow, the birds in the US are all different. Just like the UK there is a massive interest, hundreds of ‘birders’ come to Arizona for spring and autumn migrations, and the economy benefits.
At nature reserves here, birds such as the one pictured, a black necked stilt, are common. In Scotland they are a once-in-a-lifetime rarity.
Many of you might still think I’m a weirdo but nowadays I don’t care so much. I’m perhaps a little smug that my secret hobby has now achieved a degree of acceptance.