My grandparents came to watch my sister and I when my parents left to spend five nights in Miami. It was Friday, my first full day with my grandparents. We were sitting on the back porch when a female cowbird flew into the yard. My grandma pointed it out and we watched birds for a bit before it was time for school. That's when I took my first interest in birds: May 11, 2013, approximately 8:00 AM. North Park Village was the first birding spot I visited, which was with my grandparents the very next day. I remember walking the loop from the entrance and back, and my grandparents told me about the birding experiences they had the day before while I was at school. They told me they saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak, which was one of the highlights of their trip. My grandpa showed me a picture of the bird on his phone. We were just nearing the end of the loop when I spotted a bird sitting in the tree above my head. I saw the bird my grandpa showed me in the photo. The bird has a thick bill, black back and a patch of rose on the breast. I pointed and yelled "Look look! The rosemary bird!" My grandparents chucked, then put their binocs up. I spotted my first bird.
Last May, my grandparents met us in Panama. When I was there my grandparents had the room next door, and we would sit on the balcony and point out birds in the trees to each other. In four days of birding we picked up 127 species. It was the best four days of my life, to be able to bird with my grandparents in such an amazing place. My grandparents are the reason why I am so in to the birds today.
Last May, my grandparents met us in Panama. When I was there my grandparents had the room next door, and we would sit on the balcony and point out birds in the trees to each other. In four days of birding we picked up 127 species. It was the best four days of my life, to be able to bird with my grandparents in such an amazing place. My grandparents are the reason why I am so in to the birds today.
Some of the best local birding I do is on the Illinois Young Birders Trips. The Illinois Young Birders Club is for birders from ages 9-18. Matthew Cvetas, the leader of the club, is a great guy with lots bird knowledge. Because he lives in my hometown, he tells me about bird sightings in the area. Josh Engel, who is also one of the leaders of the Illinois Young Birders Club suggested the top birding hotspots around the world, which greatly influence our year of travel. I would often write them an email with a photo of an unknown bird asking for helping with IDs. Instead of writing back with an answer, they would ask: What color are its legs? How is the bill shaped? How broad is the eye-ring? They were teaching me how to ID new birds for myself.
In addition to Josh and Matthew, I learned a lot from all of the bird guides I met while traveling around the world. This is a picture of Dan, my favorite guide, and I birding at Mizenhead Peninsula, the southernmost tip of Ireland. Dan and I set out on a wet and rainy morning and walked around in fields, beaches, mudflats and even people's backyards. He was so determined to track birds that his enthusiasm and passion was contagious. I think we both had a great time birding that day.
This is Rui, my guide in Portugal, and I birding at Tagus Estuary. From Rui, I learned the importance of a good field guide. When we were looking at coots, Rui looked at every detail in the field guide for about 30 minutes, searching for details to confirm the Red Knob.
Here is Steve, my dad and I birding at Huay Tong Tao Lake in Chang Mai, Thailand. I met Steve through Birding Pals, an online birding site that connects local birders with travelers. It was a great morning and extremely kind of Steve to take us out for free to share his love for birds. It's a generosity I hope to share one day. I am still in touch with him today.
Uthai and I birding at Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand. We stood at the highest spot in Thailand and even found a bird endemic only to the summit at Doi Inthanon, the Green Tailed Sunbird. It's considered one of the best birding spots in all of Asia and we saw 54 species!
Ladong and I birding at Phnom Krom, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ladong has only been birding for a year, but really knew his stuff. He knew every bird call which was how we located most of our birds. Just by sound we were able to ID 41 species.
Sue and I birding in the rice fields in Ubud, Bali. Sue was not only a bird expert, but a wildlife expert which made birding with her one of the highlights of our entire trip. The coolest thing we did was suck the nectar out of honeysuckle flowers like sunbirds and hummingbirds do! Sue understood not just birds, the environment in which they lived.
Chris and I birding at Kasai Rinkai Koen. Chris was pretty tough on me: no matter how good my sightings were, he was unimpressed because I failed to take notes. He stressed the importance of this fundamental birders' task.
Jacob and I birding the famous Pipeline Road in Panama. I found the most species with him and it was by far the best birding I did on my trip. He would force me to slow down and not jump to conclusions. Like Matthew and Josh, he asked me to explain what I saw before making an ID. With his help, my grandparents and I managed to spot more than 100 bird species.
Cesar and I birding around the jungle surrounding the town of Sierpe, Costa Rica. Cesar was late meeting us and it was super hot. My dad and I were a little annoyed that he was keeping us waiting until we saw him huffing down the street on a crummy old bike. We spent the day walking the jungle because he didn't have a car, something we tend to take for granted. He was good birder and with his help, saw Scarlet Macaw, Cinnamon Becard, Bronzy Hermit and Costa Rican Swift. It reminded me that some of the best birding can be done in your backyard.
I learned so much from these guides and my fellow birders. I'm grateful to all of them, but the person I appreciate most is my dad. He takes me on most of my birding trips, waking up early on the weekend and standing in the cold or hot weather while I bird. Even though he's not a birder himself, he still does it to support me. He and I have found all sorts of cool birds for the area. We have seen Western Kingbird, Snowy Owl, Common Ground Dove, etc. My Illinois list is around 200, but without my dad it would probably only at 100-110.
When I got back I had a cool experience I never wrote about, which was a behind the scenes tour of the Field Museum. On display for the public is only 1% of all the birds they have, and I got to see the rest of them! Peggy Macnamara, the artist in residence, brought me behind the scenes, and then John Bates, one of the ornithologists showed me around (this was extra nice of him considering that it was completely impromptu). He showed me around and opened drawer after drawer of stuffed birds. I was also able to watch the ornithologists work. It helped me to understand a little about what ornithologists do, which I hope one day, will be my future.
When I got back I had a cool experience I never wrote about, which was a behind the scenes tour of the Field Museum. On display for the public is only 1% of all the birds they have, and I got to see the rest of them! Peggy Macnamara, the artist in residence, brought me behind the scenes, and then John Bates, one of the ornithologists showed me around (this was extra nice of him considering that it was completely impromptu). He showed me around and opened drawer after drawer of stuffed birds. I was also able to watch the ornithologists work. It helped me to understand a little about what ornithologists do, which I hope one day, will be my future.
Finally, I hope to one day be a mentor myself. Starting next Spring, I'll be leading free bird walks on the Evanston lakefront trail for ages 8-13. I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience and hope to inspire new birders.