I remember this documentary. Birders: The Central Park Effect (2012)

I remember the list he has about what he enjoys about birding. it comes to mind every time I photograph birds!

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2310157/ https://twitter.com/joshuapotash/status/1265338098256424973

I was thinking of it just this past Saturday.

Here’s someone else who remembered the list and wrote up an article about it!

http://natural-history-journal.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-joys-and-benefits-of-birding.html?m=1

It was this Saturday morning when I got these.

and these.

Sadly, there’s no shortage of folks who get freaked out and do inexcusable things to strangers like what that lady did to Chris Cooper.

They exist everywhere! https://twitter.com/teddscofield/status/1245840515876126720

I think about Mr. Cooper’s list when people give that eye-rolling, what’s that weirdo with the cameras doing, kind of look.

It actually helps, thinking about his list, to ignore those folks. Sometimes at least.

And sometimes you get to capture moments like this. #purejoy

I hate that this lady freaked out and threatened Mr. Cooper’s life in the manner that she did. I loathe how she treated her dog as well.

Pro tip: treat a dog with love and they will be your best friend, best gage of strangers ever, and will try to lay down their life protecting you.

They may slobber the “strange man” to death but odds are they won’t if the dog senses a threat.

When Mr. Cooper describes the Unicorn Effect and the thrill of the hunt (without the violence and bloodshed of killing) that is EXACTLY what I felt when I captured my first Great Horned Owl in the wild!

I’d never even seen one in the wild in 40+ trips around the sun.

Though I doubt either of them will see this thread, on the off chance that Ms. @melodyMcooper sees this, please let your brother know I’m really glad there a people like him in this world who just enjoy it for its own sake.

I think of his list from that HBO documentary a lot.