The birds near me are mostly crows, pigeons, and sparrows, but occasionally I'll see something more rare. Crows and sparrows are particularly fun to watch, as they are much smarter than I think most people realize.
1 - Advanced Squad Leader. Why? I dunno. I think it started as a challenge - ASL is allegedly one of the more difficult wargames. You play defined scenarios with win/loss conditions. WWII chrome aside, I came to realize it's a great puzzle game.
2 - Scouting memorabilia. This started because I wanted to go through ALL (extinct, defunct, current) the Boy Scouts' merit badges, complete the requirements, and then hand-embroider an accompanying badge. I ended up reading way more than anyone should of early Scouting history (pre-1908/"Scouting for Boys") and associated movements. That led me to discovering the Lone Scouts of America, founded by the first president of the BSA, William D. Boyce, in 1915. They were a separate organization from the BSA until 1924, when the Boy Scouts bought the org. Anyway, I became quite charmed by the LSA - a big part of their program was 'contributing' to their national organ, Lone Scout Magazine, and various 'tribe' papers put out by individual boys. So then I decided to go through THEIR program, and started collecting their various degree pins and booklets, as well as LS Magazine and tribe papers. It's still a long-term goal to get a lot of this stuff scanned and online - there's very little out there.
3 - ham radio. What a rabbit hole this is. They call it a 'hobby of hobbies' - it's definitely led me to sub-hobbies in learning to solder, learning Morse (currently enrolled in the CWOps Academy), electronics, kit-building, 3d-printing, and dreaming of designing my own RF circuits. Note, I have no background in any of this, so it's really been a learning experience. It's really been mentally stimulating in a way I haven't felt in a long time.
I also organize Women in 3D Printing meetups.
My hobby energy fizzled out in my late 20s, but I've spent my 30s trying to cultivate deep and joyful interests.
I think what set me on this path was talking to a man in Germany who meticulously noted timings at a train station. He kept a little notebook and went into a great deal of depth about the local trends he noticed. Example: a certain train tended to run 2 minutes behind due to long boarding times at the previous stop, which was due to a wheelchair sports group. I think he tried to advocate for extra attendants on that particular day/route.
As they say, you can't find a motorcycle parked outside a psychiatrist's/therapist's office.
Also with experience, a motorcycle rider becomes a part-time mechanic, a part-time weather expert and part-time criminal.
Be careful out there. Wear your gear and ear plugs. Tinnitus is forever.
All that gear made me less inclined to stop and enjoy the places I visited. It was a hassle to change into normal clothes. With the car or bicycle it's not a problem.
For shorter trips I prefer my bicycle. I can go on nicer paths, inside cities and on public transit. I can fly anywhere and take my bike with me.
Put simply, there's always a better mode of transportation. There is of course the life expectancy aspect, with all the close calls over the years.
I still rent motorcycles abroad - I saw Nepal and Morocco on a motorcycle - but I no longer try to cross the continent on mine.
I was fine, thankfully. I'm about to sell my last motorcycle, though. Given current tech, I believe it's time to optimize for longevity.
Had a couple of close calls already - you tend to realize how incompetent a lot of people are in driving (and how they even passed their practical driving test in the first place...)
Because they're in the junkyard with their driver on a cold slab.
I don't keep a list or anything, I just like observing the local wildlife, which makes it a really easy hobby to maintain (and I hesitate to even call it a hobby more than just something that brings me a sense of wonder, like seeing stars at night).
This summer I quit videogames, thus making time for other activities like repairing my clothes, thinning our woodlot, planting native meadows in our yard, and reading a lot more again (as I did as a teenager before I had a computer). I also spend more time writing and talking with friends.
Another activity I quit and reversed is acquisition of shit/stuff (depending on perspective. Thank you, George Carlin); I've sold or (mostly, because it's easier) given away a significant amount of what I now see as clutter, physical as well as mental, given how much of my attention was being diverted by all these potential things I could be playing with. I count the "Kondo'ing" as a hobby because it's been going on for the last thirteen years. I'm down to a few boxes of journals, letters, art, and photos, along with similar on my computer, which will probably take another few years to finally reach a peaceful equilibrium.
Back to birds: I left a paint rinse bucket on the back porch last year and found one morning the local Pacific wren floating dead. They had been a regular visitor on the porch, and I feel sad every time I remember the harm my ignorance caused. I'm more careful about things like this now.
I've taken up drumming, it's quite nice. I've also taken up going to various seminars that are interesting to me and connecting with people there, but it's not a hobby per se.
Haven't you heard? Birds aren't real.
I've always been into electronics related projects. I'm currently working on setting up a FLIR lepton on a Pi Zero 2 and mini lcd screen. It's taking me forever.
Now, that they have gotten older and do not require so much attention I finally manage to attend local group meetups regularlly. And I also find teaching both children news games quite enjoying for both parties (me and them :)).
This also enabled getting back to board games collecting - it was quite pointless without playing them. My collection went past 100 titles quite quickly and is still getting stronger every month.
Last year I started roller skating. It's way more fun as an adult than as an awkward kid.
Airsoft is great because it is equal parts kick-ass and camping, it's also exercise disguised as fun.
Needle felting is a more creative outlet that can also be done while watching TV or listening to music. More relaxing for sure.