Birding and bonding with my parents on a book trip

Birding with my Dad and Mum at Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Center, Florida, January 2024.

Beginning 36 years ago, my parents taught me to use binoculars, pay attention to the world around me, spot-the-difference between species in the field guide, listen to bird songs, and love being outdoors. Now, when they visit the US, I get to show them around my adopted county, sharing with them birds I’m the “expert” on. And when I go back to Australia, they’re the experts (no quotation marks needed in this case!) on the local birds. (It’s one of those actually delightful role-reversals of parents and offspring…!)

I’ve done lots of traveling just with my sister, which is always super fun. And I’ve done a bit of traveling just with my Mum. But I’ve never travelled with just my Mum and Dad before. Living on the other side of the planet from them for the last eight years no doubt made it even sweeter.

It was a wonderful week. Calm, encouraging, patient, birdy, appreciative, cooperative, reflective, and insightful.

I didn’t know before how many of my Dad’s turns of phrase and frameworks of interacting with the world I have absorbed.

I didn’t know before that my Mum is a sneaky chip monster, and will quietly eat two whole big bags of chips in the back seat (over several days…!) without offering you any…!

We scoped out lots of book-worthy places, chased a few lifers, appreciated birdy boardwalks through cypress sloughs and water reclamation facilities, marveled at macaws, drank the best fruit milkshakes on the planet, and enjoyed each other’s company.

When I asked them what their Top Three Highlights of the week were, Mum (who is pretty even-keeled and not really at all gushy or lovey-dovey) said she loved watching my delight at watching the awesome Blue-and-yellow Macaws we found squawking and soaring around a city park in Miami. Awww…

I’m already looking forward to the next time we get to do this.