Watching Shorebirds near Folly Beach
September 7, 2008 – 7:14 am
Shore birds in a mud flat near Folly Beach
Yesterday Kathy and I had the pleasure of bird watching with a very knowledgeable birder, Kathy Woolsey. For two hours we braved the blazing mid-day heat and the stinging pain of sand fly bites in an attempt to spy something we hadn’t seen before, the Marbled Godwit. As an amateur birdwatcher I can scarcely tell the difference between seagulls let alone other shore birds, so for me the experience was almost laughable. The longer I looked out at the flock of a hundred or so birds, the more they seemed to look alike. Sure they were different sizes and shapes, some were black and white while others were tan and brown, but as a group they just looked like nondescript shore birds.
For a while I tried to capture them on camera so I could study them later but I quickly got discouraged. The flocks were too far away to catch them sharply. As I watched the two Kathy’s climb deeper into the mudflat discussing the various differences with a level of knowledge that I’ll never seem to master, my mind began wandering down another path. At first I thought “who really needs to know the name of every bird?” But they did know and they enjoyed trying to teach me. So I tried to adopt their enthusiasm. It didn’t work. The more they discussed this marking and that eye bar, the less I really cared. They all seemed beautiful to me whatever their individual species. I liked the way they gathered together en masse. Despite their individuality they all foraged together in the mudflat. At one point a bird that looked very similar to a Seagull but was really a Tern let out a very odd call. Within a few minutes he was joined by the same type of bird. They touched beaks as if in greeting and stayed together for the remainder of our visit.
- A flock of Semi-palmated Plovers et al
It got me thinking about people. It is often said that opposites attract but alikes stay together. I wonder if that’s true. I know conflict makes you grow and I enjoy a good debate, but I truly savor being in the company of others who share my views and my interests. Joining together strenthens my appreciation for things as we learn from each other. I may never know the name of all those shore birds, but with friends like Kathy, I won’t need to. I’ll just make sure to bring her along. If you wish to enjoy what we saw, take a drive down Folly Road towards the beach and hang a left at Peas Island. At high tide, the birds are closest to the road and easiest to see.
