I slithered along the forest's floor like a snake. At the tender age of 8 and skinny, I probably was no more disruptive to the wild woods than the garter snakes that shared this sacred ground.

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Catlike, nearly motionless, I inched ever closer to the circle of bobwhite quail before me, nestled in the snagglethorn hell of the huge clump of multiflora rose on the edge of the mighty Rouge River.

The little birds were slightly quivering, ready to explode into a dizzying whir if this strange, creeping predator got any closer.

My Wham-O slingshot was poised. A hand-picked, beautifully rounded pebble was in its deadly pouch. Would this stalk do more than educate me about this fascinating gamebird? Or was I actually going to get a shot at one of these delicious little featherbombs?

The intensity of the standoff was electric. I doubted I could take it any more.

A bright male redwing blackbird sang to my right as it bobbed on a bending cattail, and a stunning red male cardinal landed in the bushes just a couple of feet to my left. I heard the funny chirping of a nuthatch as it hopped up a small oak tree nearby. Now, I could see the distinctive black masks of the cock quail just in front of my face.

My first gamebird

I was in heaven. My aim was true and I shot my very first gamebird that morning in the wilds of Skunk Hollow, within a few miles of the Detroit City limits.

The meal my father guided me through after that first kill is a powerful memory of my adventurous youth. But scrumptious roasted quail was not the only bird I digested that fall day. For my mind was like a sponge, gobbling up every sight, sound, flutter and spiritually invigorating encounter with every indigenous avian Blood Brother of the wild.

I have always been spellbound by wildlife, and birds have played a huge role in my quality of life.

My little suburban rivercourse was home not just to those bobwhite, redwing blackbirds, nuthatches and cardinals, but also to juncos, chickadees, song sparrows, English sparrows and thrushes. It hosted house wrens, Downey woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, flickers, bluejays, ringneck pheasants, crows, starlings, grackles, cowbirds, catbirds, mourning doves, larks, tufted titmouses, warblers, finches, cedar waxwings, Baltimore orioles, hummingbirds, screech owls and barn owls.

It had the occasional snowy owl and great horned owl, redtailed and red shouldered hawks, kestrels, kites, Coopers hawks, pigeons, cranes, herons, snipe, woodcock, ruffed grouse, gallinules, killdeer, nighthawks, mallards, wood ducks, geese, and I must admit, a few species that I never did definitively identify. But how I tried.

To this very day, as a gung-ho hunter, I turn my radar up to maximum every day of my life so I don't miss a single feathered friend, whether afield or downtown. I simply love all wildlife and continue to be fascinated by birdsong and activity all around me.

Connecting with children

Having the blessing of connecting with children through various youth charities and programs, plus the natural attraction we have experienced through our "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild" TV shows, I find that with a little bit of direction, each and every child with whom I spend time picks up on the natural interest in wildlife.

Since various species of birds abound, they represent a ubiquitous and dynamic carrot to get kids interested in pragmatic environmentalism. Where birds flourish, quality air, soil and water benefit. Kids get that right away

Celebrating my 59th hunting season also means I am celebrating a long life of birding.

When you hunt with the bow and arrow as much as I do, you tend to pick up on everything around you, and birds entertain me now more than ever before.

All across North America and southern Africa, my family thrills at every bird that shares our wildground. I feel a kinship with all naturalists and do all I can to inspire everyone I know or meet to get to know the wild a little bit better.

Once a deeper appreciation of the wild takes hold, and it will, the call to stewardship is heard more clearly and the duty to be an asset to our good mother Earth resonates profoundly.

Some birds are more delicious than others, but each and every encounter with each and every bird cleanses the soul, and I for one cannot get enough of it.

Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television show host.