Máistir Nádúraí: Spring Pandemic Lessons

"What we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts."

― Thomas Henry Huxley

Bay-breasted Warbler

A cursory search of the Internet on “pandemic birding” will yield literally hundreds of stories and articles about people rediscovering Nature via birdwatching during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It was quite noticeable this past spring that more people were hiking and/or birding the Pheasant Branch creek corridor than ever before. But I didn't let the influx of people take anything away from my seasonal ritual of neotropical songbird observing. Certainly, there were times when I wanted to be alone; it was still relatively easy to find places far off the beaten path where one could. Honestly, if one couldn't, then I don't think they really tried ― it was also an opportunity to discover new trails.

Spring Beauty

Is it such a bad thing that the pandemic rendered more potential conservation enthusiasts? All across America, more and more people have been going on excursions into the great outdoors. Perhaps there's a chance that some them will see what birders have been shouting to protect for several decades. Or maybe not. But to decry the uptick of people as an annoyance seems a bit selfish and childish. When I think back to 2020, I reminisce about how Nature and her grandiose gifts seemed better than ever ― the perfect antidote for all the shenanigans and depressing stories being hammered through the airwaves and Internet, 24/7. I don't really recall being irked by all the new trail users ― surprised, but not incensed.

Sauk Prairie State Natural Area

Spring 2021 may very well present a similar increase in folks getting out into Nature. COVID cases are going down in Dane County once again, but it's still worse now than it was at any time during spring migration. We made it all the way through summer with just 2 people in my age group (50-59) dying form the virus in my home county. We're at 10 now. Still, given the recorded number infected and recovered, there's around a 99.7% chance I would survive it. Heck, I may have even had it back in April. Thus, I am not sure just how much I'm going to allow something largely out of my control control what I do. To be sure, it's somewhat more difficult for it to have much of an impact on a veritable solitudinarian.

Willet

Though the landscape here is presently covered with snow, I thought I would post some unpublished photographs from the Spring of 2020, the Pandemic Spring. These photographs predate restarting my blog in June after the 550 day hiatus. I was out there all that while; sometimes with a few cherished friends, but mostly alone with my my backpack, gear, binoculars, camera, observing, recording … living in the present moment with Nature's gifts. They're not mine to say who can and cannot enjoy them.