When I was a child I would spend hours staring at my father’s (and my grandfather’s) thick Audubon Field Guide to North American Birds. The book was textured on the outside, almost like snakeskin, and the interior was filled with birds, arranged beautifully by color. I had only seen a few of the avian creatures – the usual Northern Cardinal, chickadees, sparrows and jays that frequented my grandparents’  bird feeder. 

My life has become way more bird-centric since then. I play a board game called Wingspan that definitely caters to birders/ornithologists (players must construct a bird sanctuary) and I find myself identifying birds wherever I go. My eagle eyes (haha) tend to impress those around me, but would probably be scoffed at by a long-time birdwatcher. Because I can’t get out much to improve my standing, I spend my time looking at memes like these, made by bird enthusiasts on Facebook and Reddit. Hopefully y’all will enjoy them, too.