After reading "Better Living Through Birding", I've started identifying birds via the Merlin app!
There's a concept of the "spark bird", the first bird that gets you excited about birding. The first bird I identified was the Great Egret, but I don't think it was my spark bird.
The author Christian Cooper points out how birding leads to an increased desire to protect the birds' habitat. Birding creates quiet communion with the outdoors. It's similar to bicycling in terms of being a gateway to increased social awareness.
Me: "Wow, I would never have started birding without Christian Cooper."
Aff: "He's your spark birder."
