It’s February in Ohio, not normally
a great time to go birding (unless you like freezing) but it’s somehow hovering
around 50 degrees. I got up this morning determined on spending the first part
of this gorgeous day going on my first real bird outing that wasn’t related to
work. I had to drop the dogs off for their dental cleanings so I was already up
early (February is dental awareness month for pets) so I talked my roommate
into it and out we went. We grabbed our gear, dropped the dogs off, and went to
the Pickerington Ponds Metro Park for our long overdue outing.
Before I left the house I went through a mental list of
things I needed to bring with us to experience a successful excursion. I felt
really confident that I had everything. My checklist consisted of a hat,
gloves, hiking boots, binoculars, field guide, and of course another person in
case I got hopelessly lost. It seemed like a very well thought out list but you
might notice two things missing from it: cell phone and water. Yep, I forgot
both of those things. Lucky for me my roommate had a phone but neither one of
us thought to bring water. Most people who know me would tell you that I would
forget my own head if it wasn’t attached so I’m used to going without a supply, but water is not something you want to hike without. You can forget anything
else but you should never ever forget your water. I know this. I worked in
South Carolina last summer but in my rush to enjoy the day I completely spaced
and left home without it. When hiking having water just isn’t for drinking you
can clean your hands with it, wash a cut or injury, and of course use to wash
out an eye. It’s for drinking and/or first aid and leaving the house without it
is a rookie mistake but surprisingly easy to make. Not having it could have
been dangerous if the weather was warmer or one of us had gotten hurt. We, of
course, didn’t realize we forgot our bottles till about half a mile down the
trail and I remarked that I was feeling thirsty.
Aside from being ridiculously
forgetful it turned out to be a lovely outing and totally worth the drive time.
Pickerington Ponds is a beautiful place no matter the season and it’s large
enough where it doesn’t feel crowded. It spans 1,600 acres and consists
wetlands and woodland, which of course would be the type of land you would
expect to see near a pond. All in all we spotted various types of sparrows,
downy and red headed woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, various ducks and
geese, a red-tailed hawk, and some other common birds.
This was the first birding walk
that I went on that I wasn’t being led around by an expert so I felt
inexperienced and of course the lack of water didn’t help me feel any more
confident. However, I am glad I learned my lesson in this type of weather
rather then forgetting my water while walking in the summer heat. Next time I’m
keeping my water bottle in my backpack and I’m going to be double-checking
everything before I walk out the door.
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