This post is a potpourri of stuff. While driving north back to Minnesota, Molly and I often listened to podcasts. Our favorites tended to be How I Built This and This American Life. Yesterday afternoon I learned about “Spark Birds” via This American Life. I was not familiar with the term, but basically a Spark Bird is the bird that helped you personally get hooked on bird. A Spark Bird need not be exotic. What bird was your Spark Bird?
For me the bird was a Blue Jay. While hiking in the woods as a young child I heard a noise which I could not even identify as even being a bird. The sound was not a typical “jay song”; perhaps it was the “musical queedle-queddle” described by my IBird Pro app… Regardless, the sound made this young boy hike deep into a thicket where I discovered the source of the song, a Blue Jay. I was now hooked on birding.
My Spark Bird: The Blue Jay 
In the Spark Bird episode of This American Life, the famous birder Noah Strycker, talks about his Spark Bird … a 13 minute interview about his love of Black Vultures! The National Wildlife Federation also has a neat article from late last Summer about folks and their Spark Birds.
Now the other part of this post … finding warm winter gloves. A number of you suggested battery powered heated gloves which I tried a few years ago. When the heating system failed on a cold day, I vowed to only use natural materials. I may be overly cautious. I’m sure these types of gloves have improved.
I also received an email from Robert H. who recommended I read a recent post by Bryan Hansel about Winter gloves. Somehow I had missed Bryan’s recent post n gloves, but interestingly enough I already have a pair of gloves on order which are reviewed by Bryan. If you don’t know Bryan Hansel, he is a fantastic photographer who lives up in the Grand Marais area. Should you ever want to increase your photography skills, Bryan teaches both “in person” and “online” photography seminars. Check out his web site.
Finally, like myself, Bryan lives in northeastern Minnesota. He understands severely cold weather. Most of the reviews for products on Amazon and other websites are well intentioned, but from people who don’t truly experience super cold weather. In NE Minnesota it is likely that at some point in the winter the mercury will plunge to -30F or worse (not including chill factor).
Once again, What was your Spark Bird and Why? Leave a comment.
There is a picture in my office of 5 year old me (dated 1962) with a sparrow perched on my finger. The sparrow’s name was Chipper. I am not sure if it was a chipping sparrow, but I now will refer to it as my Spark Bird.
My “spark” bird was a chickadee. I was teaching Sunday school and had to make up my own lesson. I found a sweet description of the cheerful nature of chickadees and how despite adverse conditions, like our subzero temperatures in the northland, they continue to sing and flit about. They are survivors! They are still my favorite visitor to our birdfeeder.
When I was a little girl I found that if you make chickadee sounds, they’ll “talk” back to you. They are my spark bird… hardy, ambitious and cheerful!
I’d have to say great gray owls are my spark bird. I feel fortunate to live within an hour of Sax-Zim bog. Being at the bog has brought so many different birds into my life. Owls fascinate me.
very nice reading this. i don’t have a spark bird, just have always loved birds since childhood. wish i had one to share. safe travels back north