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Fifty Years in the Same Direction with Birds — A life in nature rarely reveals itself through milestones. It is shaped — in returning, again and again, to the same instinct to step outside. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Fifty Years in the Same Direction with Birds

A quiet reflection on fifty years spent observing, moving, and remaining outside — not in search of answers, but in search of direction.

Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

March 24, 2026 – 2 min read

What's Next?

The Hidden Gift of Dipping — <i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A Rock Ptarmigan in the alpine landscape where it belongs. A master of camouflage, and so far</em></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> a bird that has managed to stay just out of my sight. © </em></i><a href="https://ebird.org/profile/NjQwOTAw/world" rel="noreferrer"><i><em class="italic" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Katarzyna Kucharska</em></i></a>

The Hidden Gift of Dipping

Some birds stay on our lists for years — not because they are rare, but because they refuse to appear when we look for them. The Rock Ptarmigan has done this to me more than once, and in doing so taught me something unexpected about birding.

The Slender-billed Curlew I Knew Might Vanish — And Did — The European Turtle Dove is still present in parts of Europe — but far less secure than its song suggests. © Rudi Petitjean

The Slender-billed Curlew I Knew Might Vanish — And Did

I understood extinction in theory. I did not believe the Slender-billed Curlew would finish within my lifetime. Now another familiar bird stands on that slope.

A place to stand still — Calm, observant, and content to remain at the margins — where noise thins out. © Gyorgy Szimuly

A place to stand still

A quiet reflection on observation, stillness, and birds as a discipline of attention, marking the opening of the Bird Observer site.

Welcome (Back) to Bird Observer — One of my favourite bird photographs, taken during those times when I lay in liquid mud to capture intimate moments with my favourite birds – the shorebirds. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Welcome (Back) to Bird Observer

After a long pause, Bird Observer takes flight again – with new stories, field reflections, and the same love for birds that first inspired this journey.