Last Saturday, I went on a proper birdwatching trip after a long time.
As a kid, I used to sit quietly in our backyard and watch the wild birds or the different parrots we had in our aviaries, like Lovebirds, Budgies, Ring-necked Parakeets and Cockatiels. I would stare for hours, observing their behavior, making up stories in my mind, and even doing some light experimenting with how they would behave when they got new treats, toys, or roommates. It made me so happy. This was my escape.
Back then, I didn’t even know birdwatching was a thing, but I learned a lot just by observing. It even introduced a 9-year-old me to the topic of homosexuality... Yep!
And now I can’t continue without elaborating on that one, can I?
We had a beautiful Lovebird with mixed colors of bright yellow, green, and blue. We knew he was a 'he,' and my mom called him Casanova. When I asked her why, she said he’s so gorgeous the other lady birds will instantly fall in love with him. We put him in a large aviary with male and female birds, and to my surprise, he only liked the male ones. He even paired with a wild-colored male, and with great confusion, I saw them do the typical Lovebird ‘mating dance’ of making clicking sounds, scratching their heads, and then mounting each other turn by turn. I even tried putting him in a separate cage with his choice of different females. But, nope. He only wanted that wild-colored male. So I resigned my mission to convert him and he lived a long, happy, childless, gay life.
A Casanova look-alike picture I found on the internet (source: San Francisco Zoo)
The topic of homosexuality was more taboo back then. So, when I was a bit older, I was confused about why my peers made such a fuss over some people being homosexual. I thought it was normal. I had already concluded that once in a while, some birds were gay, especially the most beautiful ones, so I inferred it would probably be the same with humans🤷🏻♀️.
Anyway, back to the topic of birdwatching. I went with a group led by Michelle Pors-da Costa Gomez. She is currently not permanently residing on the island anymore, but she is still secretly my local idol (not so secretly anymore aye, haha). She’s kind & brilliant—like a walking encyclopedia about birds and nature of Curaçao in general. She's also an awesome writer and a fantastic wildlife photographer.
During our first stop we went to the 'dam di Kura Piedra’. At first glance one might think, what is there to see?
But the magic of birdwatching happens when you sit quietly and patiently wait for the nature around you to acclimate to your non-threatening presence so they can continue with their usual life. And with some help of good binoculars and/or a camera, you see a whole world unraveling before your eyes.
We stayed there for more than an hour, or was it longer? I don’t even remember. But it flew by just like that. There was a moment where I looked around and really soaked in how we were all mesmerized, without being on our phones, scrolling life away, we were perfectly content (even though the weather was HOT🥵that day). It felt like a mindfulness exercise, one that can help you come back to the here and now and just enjoy the moment.
I was happy to see a former student of mine on the trip, but I wished more kids and teens knew about this type of magic. This is actually a great activity for families to do—not just for the quality time together and the healing effects of just being in nature, but also as a detox exercise from those devices and the high-paced world of social media. Bet you if done consistently it would even help kids with their memory, capacity to focus and overall mental health. And the science agrees with me: you can read more about that in this article.
"In order to see birds, one is necessary to become a part of the silence" - Robert Lynd
I used to go on hiking and birdwatching trips with my two older kids when they were younger. When I came home, I told my 15-year-old about my day and asked her if she wanted to join me on the next trip, just like the good old times. But as expected, this is what I got:
Nevertheless, I thankfully have a toddler with whom I will certainly be watching birds all over again. She is already an expert at saying ‘para,’ ‘galiña,’ and ‘bai palomba!’ #proudmom.
Here are some tips if you are thinking of trying birdwatching with your younger kids:
Start small: Begin birdwatching in your immediate surroundings. Look together through the window, sit on the porch or in the garden, and just look, listen, and point out.
Listen carefully: Do you hear any birds calling? Ask your kids to mimic what they hear. If you can identify the bird, great! If not, it doesn’t matter; you’re training their observational skills. But, you can also use a smartphone to record bird songs and calls. Later, try to identify them using apps like BirdNET.
Spot and describe: Look around and try to spot some birds. When you see one, ask your child to describe it. What colors do they see? Is it big, small, or medium? How is its beak shaped? Are their feet long or short? This can be a fun exercise, and you can also try drawing and coloring the bird together.
Keep a record: Have a paper and pen (or an app like eBird) handy. Once you spot a bird, see if you can find more of the same kind and count them together.
Categorize and count: Take it a step further by categorizing the birds and counting how many of each species you see. If you have a birdwatching book or app for reference, this will come in handy. I would, of course, recommend ‘Vogels van Curacao’ by Michelle Pors-da Costa Gomes & Leon Pors. Otherwise, for the sake of the exercise, you can make up temporary names for the birds and continue with your observations.
Behavior: Talk about what the bird is doing. How is it moving? Is it interacting with other birds or its environment? Is it eating, sunbathing or preening (grooming) itself? Just describe what you see.
Bird Bingo: Say upfront which birds (or colors of birds) you are going to look for. You can also make a bingo card with different types of birds or bird behaviors (hey💡, maybe I’ll make one and post it as a freebie on my website, stay tuned!). As your kids spot each item, they can mark it off. This adds an element of fun and competition.
Take pictures: Encourage your kids to take pictures of the birds they see. To do so, they have to get as close as possible to the birds, which requires patience. They can take it a step further by wearing clothes with neutral colors that blend into the background, avoiding strong cologne, and even making their own makeshift birdwatching shed in the yard from old wood and leaves.
Go for a walk: It does not have to be in the mondi; a walk in Punda or at a playground will surely spot some birds. But my favorite place for a light stroll in nature when they are young is Den Dunki (Sorsaka) and Kabouterbos.
Don't expect these activities to entertain them for long. The younger the kids, the shorter their attention span, of course. But if done regularly, you should see an increase in the time they spend observing. Don't let it be stressful; just play with them. Remind them to use whisper voices when looking at birds and avoid sudden movements, as these can scare the birds away.
People only care about what they know and find important. By doing these exercises, you are also instilling love and appreciation for nature in your kids ❤. And if you are worried about your kids learning about homosexuality through birdwatching, don't be. They might see some unusual behaviors, but the chances of that link happening are small (let's say, I was a very curious & peculiar kid 😅).
Let me know if you try any of these and how it goes! Share your experiences in the comments.
Happy birdwatching!
-Robyn
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