what was your first bird? [View all]

[cab67]

I've been on DU for a while, but didn't realize they had a birding group until just now.

Random question for fellow birders - what was your first bird? I don't necessarily mean the first bird you ever saw (probably house sparrow or pigeon for most of us) - I mean the bird that got you started in the avocation.

I can still clearly remember the bird that did it for me - white-breasted nuthatch. During my freshman year in college, I was snowed in with my grandparents (who lived in the same town as my university) for Thanksgiving break. They had feeders set up in their back yard. I was struck by the handsome blue-gray and white bird that scooted along tree trunks and came in for suet. My grandparents had an old copy of Peterson's field guide, so I looked it up. A red-breasted nuthatch showed up later that day, and the fact that two such striking birds could be found in a populated area really grabbed me.