Why birds?

Continuing GHRs thread, my interest in birds I think is rooted in the fact that they are all around us, comparatively quite easy to watch, full of amazing variety, challenging to identify and understand but not impossibly so, and so indellibly linked to the changing seasons. It certainly wasn't to help me win friends and influence people (generally) - it amuses more people I meet than it inspires, but either way it's a conversation piece! (and no-one can fathom my diverse hobbies of birding and triathlon....)