Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

With enough time and money, dedicated birders can compile “life lists” (of species they’ve observed) numbering in the thousands.

11— Their lists are their life experiences. When they look through the list they can relive the incredible memories they’ve had traveling the world, going to exotic places, and seeing incredible things.

Russell Roe, managing editor of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, wrote about “big listers” for the August / September issue. These folks exceeded the 8,000-bird level; only about two dozen people in the world can claim this accomplishment. Why so few? Chasing after the big list affects more than just the birder.

11— You do hear tales of birders who spend months on the road, and miss their family’s birthdays and strain their marriages and everything else.

What motivates these people? Roe says for one subject in his article named David Shackelford, it was a chance encounter with a bird.

23— David Shackelford grew up at Pedernales Falls State Park, and he told the story of having this encounter with a Golden Cheeked Warbler. He was climbing up a cliff to get a closer look at a plant. And he heard a Golden Cheeked Warbler; it landed on his finger. He just had this incredible connection to this bird. To me, he was always trying to relive that connection by going out and trying to find all these birds in the world.

Read this article in the August/September 2013 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.