Alright, let’s talk about that ‘hawks 2013’ thing I got into. It wasn’t anything official, just something I decided to do myself that year.
Getting the Idea
It started pretty simply. I think I saw a big bird circling overhead near the park one day early in 2013. Could’ve been a hawk, maybe not. But it got me thinking. I figured, why not try and actually watch for them? See if I could spot them regularly. Sounded like a decent way to spend some quiet time outdoors.
The Actual Process – What I Did
So, I didn’t buy any fancy stuff. Found an old pair of binoculars in a drawer, grabbed a cheap notebook and a pen. That was my kit.
- Finding Spots: First, I just started going to that same park more often. Then I tried a spot near the edge of town, overlooking some fields. Sometimes I’d just sit in my backyard if I had a spare moment.
- Looking Up: Lots of just… looking up. Neck got sore sometimes. Mostly saw pigeons or crows at the start. Felt a bit silly occasionally, just staring at the sky.
- Taking Notes: When I thought I saw something interesting, I’d scribble it down. Stuff like ‘March 15, afternoon, big brown bird, high up, sunny‘. My notes were terrible, honestly. No real system.
- The First Real Spotting: I remember it was maybe April or May. Clear day. Saw one perched on a telephone pole. It was definitely a hawk, bigger than the usual birds. Stayed there for ages. I just watched it through the binoculars. That felt like a win.
- Keeping At It: I tried to go out maybe once or twice a week if the weather was okay and I had time. Work was crazy busy that summer, so I missed a few weeks here and there. Had that whole issue with the basement flooding too, that took up a lot of energy. But I tried to stick with it when I could.
Learning Bits and Pieces
I didn’t become some bird expert. Far from it. But I started noticing things. Like, how they glide without flapping much sometimes. How they seem to like hunting near roads or open fields. I think I saw maybe two different kinds regularly, but telling them apart? Still tricky for me. My sketches in the notebook were hilariously bad, looked like blobs with wings.
Wrapping Up 2013
By the end of the year, I had this notebook half-filled with scribbles and dates. Looking back, it wasn’t groundbreaking research or anything. It was just my personal little project. The real takeaway wasn’t about the hawks themselves, really. It was about the process. Just deciding to do something, showing up, paying attention. Even if you don’t really know what you’re doing at first. It felt good to have this little record of time spent, just observing.
It taught me patience, I guess. And that sometimes, just doing a simple thing consistently is rewarding in its own way. Didn’t need fancy gear or big goals. Just had to get out there and look up. That was my ‘hawks 2013’ practice.
