Look-Back Discovery

While looking for a picture I had taken in the past but had no recollection where it might be, I was searching through old folders of photos. Had I known back in 2020 that I would quickly become an avid backyard birder, I would have set up a far superior strategy of archiving all those images. Had I known how much I would learn about using a camera to capture those images, I probably wouldn’t have processed the raw files the way that I did. Here’s where a friend of mine would say, “yeah, and as a kid if you had know how potent gravity was, you probably wouldn’t have tried to make that leap over the creek!”

New Years Eve isn’t the time to beat myself up about past miscalculations. That’s especially true because the journey of looking for that old picture also resulted in a few other discoveries. The revelation for this post is about the Hairy Woodpecker.

Entering a new hobby is sure to present lessons one never assumed were “important.” When I began to communicate with “Birders” for assistance in identifying a species of bird I filmed, I came to know that certain birds seemed to hold higher status versus others. For example, I learned that presenting a photo of a Hairy Woodpecker seemed to elicit far more “congratulations” comments that sharing photos of a Downy Woodpecker, even when the image of the Hairy woodpecker was grainy and of very poor quality. Posting an image of a Downy rarely received accolades beyond a simple “Like” even if it was a lovely image.

That can be because a specific species is a rare find. But, the Hairy woodpecker is not a rare species, or one that is at conversation risk or otherwise more special in any way than a Downy woodpecker. However, they are described as being less gregarious as the Downy Woodpeckers that are frequently visitors to backyard feeders, especially when their favorite food are offered. Hairy Woodpeckers are described as shier and more likely to fly off when humans approach. For Birders that seek to mark a check-off list of sightings, the Hairy provides more challenge.

Back to the big discovery! As I was scanning the thousands of photos I have tucked in hundreds of file folders, I noticed a lovely image of a Hairy Woodpecker. I was thrilled because it was a very high quality image and, in my recollection, I only had a few very grainy pictures of Hairy woodpeckers. I wondered why I had no memory of taking the picture. Then, I looked at the file name. “4-11-21 Downy Woodpecker 4567.” I didn’t remember it because back when I took it, I lacked the skills to discern it from a Downy.

Today, when I found the photos, I instantly discerned not just that wasn’t a Downy Woodpecker, but that it was a Hairy. That made me smile.

Below, I offer a comparison of a Downy (left) which I filmed this year and the Hairy that I filmed in April 2021 (right.) I chose to tilt the image of the Downy so that the orientation of its head was similar to the Hairy’s presentation. Can you see the difference in the length and the relative thickness of the Hairy’s beak?

Finding the mislabeled photos prompted me to look deeper into my old files. In doing so, I realized how much I have learned in so very many ways. Another brilliant moment I experienced was how much joy I have experienced since my first jaunt around the farm with a camera in my hand. It was just a few months after recovering from back to back shoulder replacement surgeries which freed me from the pain which had been preventing me from doing so. On that first trip, I captured images of a male and female Orchard Oriole. They were so beautiful, that it made me ache to see what else I might discover. SInce then, I have not stopped pursuing this new hobby.

I’ve read that one way to remain young (or combat getting old) is to continue learning new things. This is my New Year’s wish for you and yours;

Prioritize seeking joy above the mundane chores of nearly existing.

Go about learning something new.

Engage in a passion that you have put off yet ached to embrace for far too long.

Or begin on a journey that you have only discovered even exists but wholly enlightens you.

Let 2023 be your Best Year.