What is and isn't a Special Interest

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I'm still agonizing over possible symptoms, but I'm pretty sure I have special interests, but are they really? I guess I will describe some of this stuff to get opinions:

BIRDS: I loved birds starting in 6th grade when I found a bird book in the school library. I basically shortly afterward memorized all the birds in the book. I drew birds on my homework and also tried to make assignments about birds. The teachers even gave me some bird books and magazines. This broadened a bit to plant books, etc... but it was still mostly birds. I eventually in high school started volunteering at the nature center and spending a lot of time there. In college, I majored in Zoology and eventually had several jobs in Ornithology (bird science) and teaching. Now I live on disability, but I still have lots of bird stuff and keep a life list of all birds seen. I don't spend as much time on birds than I did, but I try to read stuff everyday and learn something new.

Others too, but you get the point. Is this special interest level, or is it even more intense than this?

That's pretty intense. It sounds like a special interest. It's consistent through time...seems to be your thing! Cool! Question, have you set up a bird-watching thing at all, like a feeder and a small garden? That's what my parents do. It's one of their hobbies.

I used to have a uber setup, with all sorts of different kinds of feeders and feed, but I live in an apartment now.

Funny, but as a kid, when I first saw Dark-eyed Juncos, I misidentified them as Black Phoebes, so for a while I thought a western flycatcher had come in a large flock to southern Michigan

It definately sounds like a special interest but if I compared it to me, my special interest would be a particular type of bird rather than just birds.

Yeah, definitely a special interest. It doesn't sound as intense as some (the focus one one bird would be more common) out there but a special interest nonetheless.

My specialis interest is sci-fi, mainly Doctor Who. I watch it, read, collect it and will talk non-stop about it.