Not too much on the birding front. Last Saturday we went with Barb over to Lake Michigan by the Muskegon area. We did the same trip last year but five weeks earlier in the year. The timing made a big difference for birding.
First we hit the breakwaters at Pere Marquette Park. Fourteen degrees with a wicked north wind. It was bitter. Can’t understand why Molly never wants to go with us. We were hoping for some surf or black scoters and some grebes but no luck. Barb got an eared grebe but Lise and I missed it. Lise did get a lesser scaup too.
After getting beat up by the wind at the breakwater we hopped over to the ever popular Muskegon Waste Water Treatment Plant. Renowned around Michigan as one of the go to birding places in the state. I believe it’s listed as an official Important Bird Area by Audubon. Last year we had numerous raptors including snowy owl, rough-legged hawk, golden eagle and many bald eagles. We didn’t see any of them this trip. We did get belted kingfisher and killdeer for the year. Bunches of good looks at horned larks and we saw a couple snow buntings too. And lots of gulls sitting on the snow like it was sand.
Ring-billed gulls pretending they’re on the beach.
A herring gull realizing he isn’t on the beach.
Then we headed to Grand Haven for another attempt at scoters or grebes. Again no luck. Lots of people taking an afternoon stroll on a snow covered beach and an ice covered pier. Tough crowd.
A March afternoon at the Grand Haven beach.
The places Barb takes us birding.
Yes, we walked out there.
Lately I’ve heard a number of references about the 10,000 hours to greatness thing. It’s an idea put forth by psychologist Anders Ericsson and made fashionable by author Malcolm Gladwell. The idea is that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something. So what am I looking at if I want to master photography, or pool, or birding?
If I were to practice pool for continuous 24 hour days, with no eating, sleeping, or potty breaks, getting 10,000 hours would take 1.416 years. That’s 9.912 in doggy years. If we assume a typical 8 hour work day, getting in 10,000 hours would take 3.425 years, assuming no weekends, eating, potty breaks, or sleeping on the job.
Now it’s time for the reality check. I get about 20 minutes a day to practice pool. At that rate it will take 82.19 years to get in my 10,000 hours. Looks like Willie Mosconi’s 526 consecutive balls record will stand for the foreseeable future. Things like tonight’s water polo parents meeting are going to stretch that 82.19 year number out a bit too. Unless I get started real soon, becoming both a great pool player and a great photographer is looking a bit unlikely.
I do think there are some holes in the 10,000 hour logic. 10,000 hours of running, over any time period, are not going to get me a four minute mile. A permanent injury would be a possibility, but not a four minute mile.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 