Hey, birders! I’m the newest member of The Nemesis Bird blog. I’m a young birder and naturalist from eastern Pennsylvania, where I live on an old farm with a wonderful view of the Kittatinny Ridge, a well-known hawk migration corridor. I have been interested in birds for as long as I can remember, and have since become fascinated with everything else in nature, including insects and native plants, and with nature photography.
A lot of my work with birds has been with the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, where I conducted a four-year bird survey, lead bird and butterfly walks, and, for the past three summers, have worked as an intern creating interpretive brochures, conducting plant monitoring in the grassland restoration area at the site, and helping with the annual ecology camp for middle school students.
My interest in birding extends beyond everyday bird watching. I have competed in four years of the World Series of Birding, two years on 1000birds.com team, one year with the ABA Tropicbirds, and one year on the Subadult Skuaz (we won the youth division!). I have also become “addicted” to yard birding. I love finding new or unusual birds right in my own backyard, so I spend a lot of time birding and watching the sky from the yard. My yard list currently stands at 180 species, including some great species such as Tundra Swan, Virginia Rail, Hoary Redpoll, and 31 species of warblers! Every year, I conduct a “bit sit” in my yard on Columbus Day weekend, which has become another extremely fun birding activity for me. This year The Big Sit! is on October 9, and I can’t wait!
These “serious” birding events have hooked me on a challenging, yet fun and exciting aspect of birding—identification of birds in flight. I sometimes find myself spending more time watching the sky for birds passing over than looking in the trees for grounded birds! As a contributor to The Nemesis Bird, I hope to share some of the things I have learned about birds in flight so that you too can explore this unique part of birding! Thanks to Drew for inviting me onto the team of this awesome birding blog!
Thanks for reading and expect to hear from me soon!