Let me introduce myself:

I started birdwatching back in 2006 while vacationing in Hawaii with my family. I had picked up a field guide entitled Birds Of Hawaii, and I was hooked. I started marking off birds in the guide and noting where I saw them. This was just the beginning. When I got back to the mainland, I picked up Field Guide to Birds of North America  by Kaufman and continued marking off birds everywhere I went.  I love the fact that you can see birds in any state, or environment.  I was visiting the Cape May area in New Jersey when my husband suggested that I take my empty bird aviary/gazebo in the back yard and turn it into a wild bird aviary. That man of mine has great ideas! I hung all kinds of different feeders in the gazebo and created a bird buffet of sorts. I'm in my hammock most mornings, binoculars and bird book in hand, enjoying the stillness. I do believe that this is the reason so many folks enjoy birding. In our society, "stillness" is highly underrated, and everyone is just too busy. It's when we stop, look at the beauty and complexity of nature, that we truly commune with our creator. 

"Be still and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10