What a difference a year makes.

During 2007 people often asked if I was "burnt-out" yet. Had the year of chasing birds, going on ridiculous 800 mile roundtrips for single species of birds, missing some of those birds, and just the constant time in the field taken its toll yet. I had talked to people who had started such quests and given up part way through because it just became too much. But, all I thought about as the year went on was how quickly time was going and how soon it would all be over. All I wanted was to see another species of bird and keep my number growing as each day passed. I think this kept me sane during the 217 days I spent birding for at least an hour in 2007. But what a difference a year can make. Here I sit on a Sunday morning, looking at the neighbors feeders, relaxing in the warmth of a house, no need to go chase a bird, and in all honesty I don;t have that itch to get out and go look for birds right now. It took a year but that burnt-out feeling caught up.

Granted I have been out birding this year, I haven't gone to southern Utah. I haven't birded outside of Salt Lake County in fact. I don't despise birding, and I do enjoy being in the field. But at this point it's hard to look forward and think where do I have to go from here? How will birding Utah continue to be exciting after 2007? I guess we will just have to see what 2008 brings and what hooks me back in to obsession. My guess is it won't take much, and as this winter funk leaves and the warmth of the spring arrives I will be right back where I was a year ago, the crazy guy chasing rare birds because he wants to, not for some record (okay I did want to chase those birds last year, it was a lot of fun!).