Forbes.com article about birding

An Associated Press article about "extreme birders" appears on Forbes.com today. I never tire of seeing mainstream-media coverage of birding in all of its variations.

The nut graf:

What the three baby boomers have in common is an expensive passion for birds shared by countless others with the wherewithal to pursue it from Antarctica to Zimbabwe. While the cost of chasing birds to the far corners of the earth is high, virtually everyone afflicted with this obsession says the rewards - beauty, mystery, awe and longer lists - are well worth it.

The article cites Phoebe Snetsinger, who set a Guinness Book world record for seeing 8,450 species out of the world's almost 10,000 avian species. Her son, Tom, appears in the article and says:

"In addition to seeing these incredibly beautiful and diverse birds, ranging from flightless penguins to little tiny hummingbirds, it takes you to places that are just stunning and show a diversity of life and the diversity of this planet," he said. "Birding is a lens to look at the world. It guides me to places I'd otherwise never go."

No doubt many of us feel likewise, whether we travel the world or explore reams of information while at home.