My Class Is "For The Birds!"

I've been taking a birding class for the past few weeks and really enjoy it.  Now, with that said...it's also infuriating!  I'll explain...I love seeing the birds (when I can find them!) and hearing their calls (even though I can't identify them!)  I've come to realize that birding requires two important traits -

1. being an audible learner

2. having endless patience

Both of which, I suck at!  I'm trying to have good spirits about it and I'm getting better...all but, the bird calls.  I swear, I'll never get good at that!  I hope the class I'll eventually teach, will be at a time that all the birds are asleep!  My instructor can hear a tiny peep and he knows the species, the coloring, the field marks, the plumage, the migratory patterns, the gender - it's so humbling!!!

These couple of pictures are of my class. We take a three hour hike each class and whereas I've been to all the attractions so far, I have not known of the hiking trails. They are fabulous! We are surrounded by a lot of hidden areas to hike. Eventually, I'd like to go with Matt and Chico.

Each week, someone wins the Eagle Eye award. That goes to the student who not only spots a camouflaged bird, but a rare one at that.  I told my teacher yesterday that I think there should be a new award called, the  Blonde Award. Guess who'd consistently be the winner of that one!?  I swear, last week, I heard a "chip, chip" and excitedly I asked, "What's that bird?" My instructor looked at me and said, "Seriously?" Feeling a bit nervous I replied, "Um, gulp, yeah." He laughed and said, "Kirsten, that's a chipmunk."

This week I was looking for an orange bird. Moments into my quest I thought I had spotted it. Everyone's binoculars turned to where I pointed and was promptly told that I had managed to find a...wait for it...a fishing bobber.  Seriously, I suck at this!

There is another enrolled student in our family - Chico! You may recall last week in dog training class, he got high marks. He also won the contest, "Who Stole The Cookie?" since he was the remaining dog to hold his "stay command" and not be diverted by a cookie. Today was a different story. He was one of the first dogs to eat his cookie and he had a much harder time concentrating. But, he still understood the new commands and did well. I'm such a proud "mother!" And let's face it, he's a much better student than me since he didn't hear a chipmunk and say, "Hey, what type of bird is that?"