Typically I’ve answered that I’m drawn most to those bird families that have evolved unique physical adaptations which allow them to fill special niches in the natural world. I usually cite owls (silent flight), woodpeckers (extensible tongue), and grouse (cryptic coloration) as my favorite families of birds, and in that order, but pinning it down to a single species within those three families would be difficult
I do always apologize for not answering the question with one of the more traditional favorites like a hummingbird or a warbler. They’re small, they’re colorful, and to see one well is to marvel at one of our planet’s living jewels, but I’ve never found them as interesting as individuals from the three aforementioned families.
If I were pinned down to a single choice within those three tribes, I’d probably go off in an unexpected direction. Most birders confronted with the “favorite” question churn through their mental rolodex and answer either with a bird which they have seen a lot and know quite well or a relatively uncommon bird which they have seen quite well, but only once or twice. Would you buy it if I told you my favorite bird was my nemesis bird?
Long time readers of this column will guess my answer is Ruffed Grouse. You can read all about it here: http://jimburnsphotos.com/pages/7-24-14.html. Here’s why Ruffed Grouse is my favorite bird. I know this species really, really well because in trying to find one (and see it well with the camera) for many, many years, I’ve done a lot of research and homework. I know everything about this species; where to find it, when to look, the differences in the two color morphs, etc., ad nauseam.
I recently read a story about a birding father and son who took several trips over several years looking for the father’s nemesis bird. After the father died, still never having seen the bird, Mountain Quail by the way, the son then spent several more years looking so he could finally scatter his father’s ashes over the bird’s territory. Birders of a certain age start thinking about things along these lines.
I’m not obsessed with finding a Ruffed Grouse, preferably a male on a drumming log, but I really should take a month out of my life and camp some spring in prime habitat. The thing is, I’ve seen Mountain Quail well, and Spruce Grouse, many a birder’s nemesis, has been no problem. Ruffed Grouse is widespread if not abundant, so you’d think, sooner or later, I would stumble upon one.
My friend’s question and my offbeat but honest answer have served to strengthen my resolve. My crystal ball shows me in northern Minnesota, around Sax-Zim, next April. Then, after I’ve photograph Ruffed Grouse, ask me again about my favorite bird, and I’ll be able to give you a straight answer.