Often we went on foot between rides. One day, as we walked beside a rock wall, a little bird with a red front kept pace with us, skipping along the top, as if it liked our company. An old man we met on the path noticed our interest in the bird and told us it was a robin, a great favorite of the British, and the most familiar bird in English gardens. Little did I know that one day I would keep a life list of all the birds I'd ever seen, and that the European Robin would hold a place of honor at the top of the list. Many bird watchers keep such a life list, noting each new species they discover, along with the place and the date.
Birds are creatures of location, and no two locations are exactly alike.
So when you travel to a part of the world that you've never been before, you can be sure you'll find birds that are new to you. Even close to where you live, a habitat you have not explored before will provide fresh birds for your life list. Adventures that the years might have erased remain alive because they are memorialized in an entry on the life list. It's only a list of names, places, and dates, but to me my life list reads like a novel. I will share with you a few short chapters from my life list, the story of my life.