Your guide presses a finger to her closed lips and the adventure begins. You follow her in silence as she leads your group into a dark forest that seems like the setting for a fairytale. Moonlight slips through tree branches, illuminating a path. When a shape shifts among the shadows, you stop to stare. Your guide calls into the dark, making. She makes a series of whistled hoots that speed up, like a dropped ball settling on the ground.
Silence.
Your guide calls a second time. Again, silence.
When your guide makes another series of hoots, this time there is an answer in the forest. Moving from shadows into the moonlight, a bird appears. Its wings flap with a brushing sound so subtle you aren’t certain you heard it. The owl glides in total silence and lands on a branch above you. Suddenly, the benefit of exploring the wilderness with a guide becomes clear. This moment, curated by expert naturalists with a keen understanding of the ecosystem around them, is unforgettable.
You will recall the large eyes blinking among the branches. You will remember how these inhabitants of a dark world were illuminated by the guide’s spotlight, their bodies glowing as they glided past you and vanished. Whenever you glimpse a forest at night, you will know it is filled with life that stirs when the sun disappears. You will listen for owls, and you may even call back to them.
Great Gray Owl
Western Screech Owl by Bryan Calk
Burrowing Owl
Long-eared Owl
Barn Owl
An Evolved Species
Evolution has equipped owls with fascinating adaptations. Velvety feathers with serrated leading edges enable silent flight, minimizing turbulence and dampening noise. Owls can swivel their heads up to 270 degrees, a feat facilitated by their unique neck structure with extra vertebrae and ample blood vessels. The forward-facing orientation of their eyes provides powerful binocular vision, giving owls exceptional depth perception for hunting.
Owls’ hearing abilities are equally extraordinary. The strategic placement of ear openings at different heights allows sounds to reach each ear at slightly different times, aiding in precise prey localization. The circular arrangement of feathers that forms an owl’s facial disc funnels sound to the bird’s ears, enabling the hunter to detect subtle movements. An owl knows when a mouse is sneaking through grass or a vole is tunneling beneath the snow.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Owl Prowls in the United States
Those lucky enough to experience an owl prowl report feeling intensely alive and closely connected to nature. Fortunately, you don’t need to travel far to find awe-inspiring owls.
The United States is home to 19 owl species, each among the most magnificent birds on Earth. Prowling for them, whether in deserts of the Southwest during spring or in snow-buried boreal forests in winter, provides a fulfilling adventure not far from home.
A spotlight illuminated a ghostly Barn Owl hunting over a field. In a sycamore tree, the group observed a Northern Pygmy-Owl, featuring false eyespots that confuse prey and predators alike. Spotted Owls were heard and seen roosting. Baby Great Horned Owls, near fledgling, jostled in a nest cavity in Portal, where Naturalist Journeys has its headquarters. Finally, the group was treated to great views of the world’s smallest owl, a raptor no larger than a sparrow, the Elf Owl.
Naturalist Journeys hosts guided tours in Southeast Arizona all throughout the year. Discover the bustle of spring migration, a rainbow of hummingbirds, wintering Sandhill Cranes and even a pair of resident Elegant Trogon along the way. And, of course, owls galore!
In February of 2025, participants on the inaugural Minnesota: Winter Owling Tour will search for Snowy, Great Gray, Northern Hawk, and Boreal Owls.
Snowy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
GReat Gray Owl
During these winter owl prowls, you can look for Snowy Owls, their pale plumage camouflaging their bodies. Their feathered feet are like fluffy slippers that insulate their skin from cold snow.
The Great Gray Owl that haunts the forests of the north is among the world’s largest owls by wingspan and body length, but weighs a mere two and a half pounds. Though this owl seems like a big ball of feathers, its powerful body can punch through hard-packed snow to snatch prey.
The Northern Hawk Owl is another impressive hunter of boreal forests. It has a distinctly long tail and behaves more like a hawk than an owl. While perched atop solitary trees in daylight, this predator can sight prey up to a half mile away.
The elusive Boreal Owl is also a sit-and-wait predator that hunts from perches. But it listens at night for creatures scurrying on bare forest floor beneath trees and tunneling through snow. This small owl with a square head peers through giant yellow eyes into the dark.
Short-eared Owl
Endless Opportunities
Optional owl prowls add intrigue to several other US tours. From seeking a Great Gray Owl in Yellowstone National Park, to searching for Great Horned Owls on a Kansas tallgrass prairie, to prowling the ponderosa pine forests of South Dakota’s Black Hills, venturing into the night world can be as exciting as traveling to an unknown country.
The nocturnal wilderness awaits, and the owls are calling.
Imagine a wilderness so vast that no signs of civilization can be seen or heard. Lakes shimmer among grasslands and savannas, and rivers meander through forest corridors. This is Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland.
The wilderness that surrounds you seems timeless and immense. You lose track of how long you’ve been in the boat, searching the shores. As you gaze into rustling grass, you recall the camouflaged coat of an ocelot that you saw the previous night. The armored body of a caiman glides through waterways as you scan for jaguars stalking among the grasses, their spotted coats blending with dappled sunlight. A thrum of wingbeats snags your attention as cormorants, herons and egrets take flight. You see the scarlet flash of a Jabiru Stork.
A capybara shuffles down a mud bank into the river and paddles its pig-shaped body with webbed feet. This is the world’s largest rodent—and one of the jaguar’s favorite prey. You lean over the edge of the boat, peering deeper into the shadows on land, your eyes locking on every subtle movement.
Jabiru by Wes Larson
Gilt-edged Tanager by Wes Larson
Caiman by Wes Larson
Capybara by Wes Larson
Howler Monkey by Wes Larson
A True South American Safari
Recounting all of the natural wonders that you may encounter on a Pantanal tour in Brazil requires more than a blog post—it would take a book.
To start, ten times the size of the Everglades, the Pantanal sprawls from western Brazil into Bolivia and Paraguay. The Pantanal is like an enormous body with many organs, all of them united by the pulse of the Paraguay River and its tributaries. Here, the power of the Pantanal lies in its yearly rhythm of drought and flood. Seasonal rains force rivers to overflow their banks, revitalizing the parched plains, painting the landscape vibrant hues of green and blue. As the lifeblood of water courses through the Pantanal, a maze of lagoons and marshes form. When the rains stop and the floodwaters recede, the region dries. Fertile grasslands remain, leaving a feast for scores of hungry herbivores. These plant-eaters provide food for one of the world’s most elusive and charismatic carnivores: the jaguar.
This apex predator, one of the world’s largest cats, is the star of the show. But the Pantanal is much more than the jaguar. Naturalist Journeys has created a South American safari that encompasses all that Brazil’s Pantanal has to offer. Search for iconic species like jaguar, tapir and giant anteater and explore the weave of ecological connections in the tapestry of this wetland ecosystem.
Group by Jessie Hallstrom
Searching for Jaguars by Wes Larson
Wes & local guide – Dream Team!
Group Searching for Jaguars
Traveling with a Naturalist Journeys Guide
Naturalist Journeys combines outstanding lead guides with local experts to showcase the remarkable biodiversity of this region to travelers with insatiable curiosity. The success of past Pantanal tours at seeing wildlife and birds has been phenomenal. For many travelers, a glimpse of a single jaguar can be the highlight of a lifetime spent searching the world for rare wildlife. In 2017, a Naturalist Journeys’ group saw seven.
Naturalist Journeys’ guide and accomplished big carnivore expert, Wes Larson recounts his time on tour in 2023:
“We had simply incredible luck with mammals on our trip, particularly with jaguar sightings, and we had fantastic luck with jaguars hunting along the river, as well as a couple really special sightings away from the river. We had TWENTY Giant Anteater sightings, which has to be a new record, and some of our group got a great look at the smaller Southern Tamandua as well.”
Subsequently, birds are abundant on these South American safaris. Tours of Brazil’s Pantanal, when combined with an Atlantic Forest pre-extension, have recorded as many as 334 bird species.
Jaguar by Wes Larson
Hyacinth Macaws
Stay Among Locals
The Pantanal’s significance extends beyond the myriad species it supports. This wetland is a natural water purifier, filtering pollutants and safeguarding downstream ecosystems. It serves as an important carbon sink, absorbing greenhouse gasses and mitigating climate change. The Pantanal also nurtures local communities who have lived with its seasonal rhythms for generations.
Accommodations on Brazil’s Pantanal tours immerse travelers in a local way of life—you stay on cattle ranches, for instance. These working ranches have comfortable accommodations for guests and surrounding habitat with abundant wildlife.
Blue-throated & Red-throated Guans by Wes Larson
Houseboat by Jessie Hallstrom
King Vulture by Wes Larson
Agami Heron by Wes Larson
After a successful safari day in the Brazilian sun, you can relax in the afternoon shade beneath ranch trees. Sip a cool drink as you watch a cobalt blue Hyacinth Macaw, the world’s largest parrot, crack open palm nuts. On the ranch grounds you might add more birds to your life list, which could include species like Greater Rhea, Toco Toucan, and Helmeted Manakin. Or you might opt to just sit back and enjoy the spectacle of so many birds and other animals new to you but common to this bounteous region.
Naturalist Journeys offers several tours to the Pantanal each year. Click the links below to learn more and experience a truly wild haven at the heart of South America.
Steam rises from the sun-warmed earth. A rainstorm just ended as suddenly as it started. Parrots fly above the forest canopy, winging their way across a sky that turned cerulean after being rinsed by rain. The thunder of a waterfall blends with a howler monkey’s roar. Butterflies drift between blooms that sweeten the air, and dragonflies zoom from pool to pool. The wet skin of a frog gleams in the sunlight. It’s Green Season in Central America, wildlife is everywhere, and crowds are nowhere to be found.
Yellow-throated Toucan
From May through November, during what’s known as Green Season in Central America, landscapes are lush. Travelers tend to avoid the region during this rainy time of year—but birds and other wildlife certainly don’t. Natural beauty in this “off-season” may be more abundant and photogenic than during popular travel months. Also, the reduced demand lowers travel costs, making this emerald gem of a season even more alluring.
Let’s debunk some myths and delve into why Green Season is the perfect time to explore the natural riches of Central America.
Green Season Myth #1: It’s all rain, all the time.
The Green Season does see more rain than the dry months. But mornings are often clear, with clouds building in the afternoon. It rains most days in Green Season, but rain rarely falls all day. Instead of continuous downpours, bursts of rain tend to give way to sun-flooded skies. The lush colors and shifting light offer welcome relief from the dust and glare of the dry season—and provide ideal conditions for photographers.
The moods of your photos in Green Season may change from moment to moment. Swirling mist wraps its tendrils around trees. Then sunlight filters through a cloud, creating a golden glow that permeates the forest. When a window of clear weather opens, you capture an image of a Scarlet Macaw, its colors crisp against the blue sky.
If you dream of photographing verdant rainforests and cascading waterfalls, Green Season will delight you. Imagine standing in the cool air left by a rain shower, aiming your lens at a toucan or motmot. Clouds drape across distant mountains, and a rainbow arches over flower-strewn trees to meet the sparkling sea.
In the evening, while sitting on the veranda of your lodge, you watch lightning lash the jungle. The flickering bolts illuminate bats. The next morning dawns clear, and birds outside your window wake you.
Green Season Myth #2: Birds are scarce.
You may miss some winter migrants during Green Season. However, the impressive diversity of resident birds in this region will be on full display. When rain awakens plants from their dusty slumber, they produce greenery, flowers and fruit. Insects like beetles, katydids and butterflies take advantage of the burgeoning plants, drawing birds into view as they feast on this bounty.
The most satisfying way to experience the biodiversity of Central America is to be there when rain nourishes the region, bringing the tropical landscape to a full and flourishing life. Iconic resident birds—from the Lesson’s Motmot in Belize to the Yellow-throated Toucan in Costa Rica to the Golden-collared Manakin in Panama—will be there with you to celebrate the renewal brought by rain.
Sunrise courtesy of Arenal Observatory Lodge
Fiery-throated Hummingbird
Lamanai Ruins
Keel-billed Toucan
A Hidden Benefit
Traveling during Green Season isn’t just about seeking the natural beauty of Central America and finding budget-friendly deals. It’s about supporting communities. The rainy months offer an opportunity to experience vibrant cultures, engage with locals and savor the spirit of Central America. You’ll enjoy a relaxed atmosphere free of crowds, while also bolstering the region’s vitally important ecotourism economy.
Renowned biologist E.O. Wilson stated, “Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.”
For people in Central America to preserve the natural wealth of their rainforests, they must be able to make a sustainable living. When you choose to travel in the off-season, you boost businesses when they need it most and help local people thrive year-round, contributing to a promising future for rainforest protection. This hidden benefit makes the secret gem of Central American travel shine especially bright.
A few weeks ago we asked our guides what their spark bird was … and what fun was to read their responses. We sent out a newsletter to our clients so they could read about our guides’ spark birds and asked clients to send us theirs. What a fun response! Take a read below to learn about our guides’ spark birds and the spark birds that got our clients hooked on birding.
OUR GUIDES’ SPARK BIRDS
Indigo Bunting by Doug Greenburg
INDIGO BUNTING “My spark bird was an Indigo Bunting. I was in high school, working two days a week on an internship at a local nature center my senior year. I was engrossed in spring wildflowers and in working on pressing the latest discoveries when my friend burst in and says, you MUST come out and see this! She pointed up and my bins connected with this turquoise gem, throwing his head up in song from the pitched roof of our historic schoolhouse. I was convinced and have been birding avidly ever since.” — Peg Abbott
Green Woodpecker by Pieter Verheij Photography
GREEN WOODPECKER “The (Eurasian) Green Woodpecker was probably the first that got me really hooked. I was on a school trip, aged 9 I think, to the county of Cheshire in mid England (UK) to a big stately home. There were big gardens, parkland with deer, well-groomed lawns. You’ve see those places in TV shows where the lords and ladies sip tea! Anyway, during the lunch break I sneaked off with a pal of mine to try to get close to the deer, we ignored the ‘Keep Off the Grass’ sign and crossed a lawn.
Suddenly a green-coloured bird shot up from the grass, making loud alarm calls as it bounded away before landed again on the grass not on the trees. I had never seen one before but I knew what it was: Green Woodpecker; I looked it up later at home and read that it is ‘often terrestrial and eats ants.’ Wow, a woodpecker that spends most of its time on the ground. I was hooked.” — Gerard Gorman
Cedar Waxwing by Steve Buckingham
CEDAR WAXWING “A single Cedar Waxwing.
For a young boy, growing up in the magical woodlands of Maryland, it began with a single waxwing.
Exploring forest next to home, my older brother Rob gathered a wealth of information and experience for his Boy Scout “Bird Merit Badge.” I was always one barefooted step behind him. With his quick keen eyes, and accurate directions, he revealed wondrous beauty to me.
Fresh morning air, slight humidity, spring 1969. Above, a canopy of mixed deciduous hardwoods, below, a lush and diverse under story, found us immersed in what we delighted in the most. DISCOVERY!
Suddenly, there before us, calmly perched, a single Cedar Waxwing. Confiding, exquisitely plumaged, well-tailored, regal. Through my astonished eyes I felt nothing could have been more beautiful. Beholding this gift, dappled in soft sunlight, I stood motionless, gazing at a creature that would have an immense impact upon my life, forever. It was unfathomable to me that anything so exotic existed outside of a book, a zoo, or a jungle, but there it was, gazing back through black mascara bordered by fawn blush.
I made its acquaintance realizing its every subtlety. The appointment of color, the adornment of “wax” droplets on the tips of the wing feathers and an expressive crest crowning the bird, held my undivided attention. From that point on I only wanted to see more.
And so it has been, for my entire life.” — Keith Hansen
American Goldfinch by Michael Murphy, courtesy Unsplash
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH “My spark bird was a Goldfinch. I was out running and a flock of breeding plumage American Goldfinch flew across my path, landing in a small tree. I thought, as many non-birders do, we have canaries in our area? That’s when I started looking at birds differently.” — Pat Lueders
Eastern Phoebe by Hugh Simmons Photography
EASTERN PHOEBE “Which bird got me hooked on birding? So hard to say, since nature drew me in at a very young age. I quickly learned to identify most of the common backyard birds one would find in South Florida from Anhinga to White Ibis. I did not “rediscover” birding until right after college, after walking to a local park and seeing an Eastern Phoebe perched on a fence. The thrill of seeing something I had studied in a book beforehand, researching and learning about it, then seeing it in the flesh—well, I was hooked again!” — Carlos Sanchez
Yellow-throated Vireo by Carlos Sanchez
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO “I had been birding (far beyond my general enthusiasm for the whole of the natural history world…) for just over a year with Jim, who had recently moved to the Central Coast of California. Jim got me into looking at birds, the smaller birds, you know, the ones way up at the tops of the trees. And with all the vagrant traps on our patch of the coast, we were having a blast finding all sort of migrants that fall, including an exceptional nice mix of vagrants.
Jim had invited a number of friends from the Central Valley to join us on the coast and bird some of our favorite vagrant hotspots on 3 October, 1981, the peak of fall migration. So early that morning we met Keith Hansen, his brother Rob, Dawn, Gary and others and started north from Morro Bay. Most all of us were in our twenties, and the energy was palpable.
And it was that energy that made it one of the most memorable days of birding for me. Along with hordes of western migrants, we had a sublime group of eastern vagrants at every stop that morning. But the bird of the day that gave us all a lot of “Green Valley grins” was that Yellow-throated Vireo at Pico Creek, just glistening in the bright, early morning sun…” — Greg Smith
Black-capped Chickadee by Doug Greenburg
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE “My spark bird, the bird that got me hooked on birding: Probably the Black-capped Chickadee. When I was a teenager my dad would take me hunting and I’d tag along, not so much for the hunting part but because I liked to be in the woods and spend time with my father. I remember one cold morning being in a tree stand waiting for a deer to walk by and being surrounded by silence and then …. chickadees. They were landing on branches all around me and even on the railing of the tree stand.
Since then I seem to have a magical connection with them. I’ve pished them in close many times, had them answer my chickadee call, and even had one land on my hand and try to pull a hair out of my knuckle. They are in New Jersey all winter and always bring a smile to my face when they land on my feeders.” — Rick Weiman
Cedar Waxwing by John Duncan, courtesy Unsplash
CEDAR WAXWING Woody describes his first spark bird in his blog post on Conservation Catalyst:
“Long ago, a Midwestern boy was assigned patrol duty at his elementary school. His crossing was the farthest one from the school in a peaceful area overhung by crabapple trees. One fall morning during a lull in crossing activity, he noticed birds moving through one of the Crabapple trees. Upon closer investigation, he saw a dozen gorgeous yellow and brown-cast birds with crested heads and brilliant red and yellow accents feeding on crabapples. The birds seemed tame.
Early the next morning, he rode his bike to his crossing and found several trees swarming with even more of these birds. He got to within ten feet of them as they feasted on crabapples. He stood transfixed for an hour.
After returning home, the boy searched through the family bird book and found the birds he had been seeing close up and by the dozen. They were Cedar Waxwing.
There was something intoxicating about all of this. Later in life, he discovered that because the birds were eating over-ripe crabapples, they were indeed intoxicated. This made them tame.
This boy has been watching and studying birds ever since. As you may have guessed by now, this boy was me.” — Woody Wheeler
OUR CLIENTS’ SPARK BIRDS
We’ve kept our clients’ spark bird stories anonymous for their privacy.
American Redstart by Doug Greenberg
AMERICAN REDSTART “The spark bird for me was a disaster. I was in my pre-teens and living in Chicago in the old community of Pullman and had ridden my bike to what was known as the dump. It was actually an industrial land fill in the wetlands and prairie areas near Lake Calumet on Chicago’s far south side. While wandering about I spied a bird on the shore of a small pond. So I did what kids do, I threw stone at it. I hit it. And killed it. I was devastated and fascinated by the beautiful animal I had destroyed. It was either a Mourning Dove or Killdeer. I can’t recall. But I never threw another stone at another bird. My deed haunted me.
But then an epiphany occurred for me. A few years later while working on a landscaping project in a well-tended yard in a well-tended residential neighborhood the world of birds opened up for me in the flash of a Redstart darting amongst shrubbery right in front of my nose. WOW. What was that. Where can I find a book? Holy cow, I wanted more. I was hooked. But it sure was an odd situation being the only birder in a 1950s big city blue collar high school.”
Black-crowned Night-Heron by Sandy Sorkin
NIGHT HERON “When I was in grad school at UNC, my boyfriend taught me about birding. I wasn’t hooked yet though. I couldn’t even tell you the first birds I observed. But then we took the long drive to the Everglades. At the first pond, there was an immature night heron. After identifying it on my own (with a field guide of course!), I was hooked. I mean, really … that red eye!”
Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Peg Abbott
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD “I guide here in the DC area and my spark bird is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I was the gardener at our school and I wanted them to come over the roof of the school and into the courtyard. I planted Bee Balm in a large 4×4 bed, then set a feeder with fresh sugar water in a red-colored dish-like feeder. I kept it clean. They came early much to my joy and I got a video of the bird scaffolding from the Beech tree to the feeder. I set up a presentation in power point for the after-school kids and talked about how scientists found out how they fly.
We still don’t know how they hover. Physics students from UC Davis were having a break on the patio at the school when they saw some Hummingbirds and wanted to know the physics of their flight. They made an experiment and they filmed it. The middle schoolers were fascinated. They were happy to see that we had hummingbirds coming to the school. It was a treat. I will always be surprised by these tiny but mighty birds.”
Pileated Woodpecker, courtesy Unsplash
PILEATED WOODPECKER “My ‘spark’ to birding (never heard that one before) was many years ago, as a young teenager, early 1970s, when an older family friend, in upstate New York … who knew Roger Tory Peterson (too bad I never met him!) took me out for birding in the summer, Catskills, wee hours … and my first Pileated Woodpecker, so spectacularly beautiful, that was it, I was hooked … birding ever since, in a fun way, even now easy to do in Virginia, without any crowds!”
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by Doug Greenburg
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER “I grew up with a father who was an avid amateur ornithologist so (by osmosis?) I was pretty familiar with common birds of Massachusetts and was accustomed to noticing birds even though I was hardly a birder. In my early 40s I was sitting on our deck in the mountains of North Carolina with my leg propped up as I recovered from minor surgery. I noticed a small active bird in the shrubbery in front of me.
With nothing better to do I went and got binoculars and eventually identified the bird as a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I was quite surprised that I had never even heard of this bird, let alone seen one before. Right there in my yard was a bird that was new to me! That got me wondering what else might be around and things took off from that.”
Baltimore Oriole by Doug Greenburg
BALTIMORE ORIOLE “My father was a birder. It didn’t catch on with me right away (I was really into snakes earlier). Then in the spring of 1953 a pair of Baltimore Orioles built a nest in the willow tree in our backyard. I had seen pictures of them but never expected to see them in person. After all, they were Baltimore Orioles, and we lived in Massachusetts. I was thrilled to have such colorful birds nesting in our backyard. From then on I started looking through field guides, and I was hooked!”
Immature Bald Eagle by Bob Hill
BALD EAGLE “When I was in college, I was home for Christmas break. I was invited by a family friend to attend the Christmas Bird Count in Butte County, California. I had never been particularly interested in birds but I thought, what the heck, I didn’t have anything better to do. I figured I would just go for half a day. However, I couldn’t believe how fun it was and loved the whole day.
A couple of days later, I got to go birdwatching again with the trip leader, Eleanor Pugh, who was a pretty renowned California birder. We went to the Oroville Forebay, and she spotted a raptor in a tree and set up her scope. She looked through it and said, ‘I’ll let you all look at the bird and see if you can figure it out.’ Lo and behold, it was a mature Bald Eagle. We all got a great look at it, and then it took off and flew right over our heads.
This was a transformational experience for me. Not only did I become a lifelong birder, but I suddenly knew I cared deeply about the environment. I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do for a living, but I knew I wanted to make a difference. I became a land use planner and helped implement the Coastal Act in Sonoma County.”
Red-shouldered Hawks by Sandy Sorkin
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK “A Red-shouldered Hawk—seen on a vacation to Florida in 1993, in a state park in the center of the state. It was at face height, about 15 feet away, observing me and not afraid. So beautiful. I had no idea what it was. After the trip I asked a client of mine who birded with her husband, what it might have been. From her suggestions, the Red-shouldered Hawk was the right bird.
I told my husband, I really liked looking at birds, and I want to keep doing it. We found the Audubon Society online, and by good fortune, the San Fernando Valley chapter was very active with 10 field trips every month. We started coming on the field trips, standing next to someone with more experience, and in a few months we were totally into birding. My husband at first felt that it was going to be an activity for old ladies, but when he came to a field trip, he saw it was about 50% men, and they were typically competitive like men in most sports. BTW, we were both in our early 50s already.”
Cedar Waxwings by Gary Bendig, courtesy Unsplash
CEDAR WAXWING “So, what is it about Cedar Waxwings? Two guides said they were their spark bird, and I smiled when I read that, because they were my spark bird at a very young age. Whole flocks of them used to descend on the toyon bushes of our Southern California house. They were magnificent, albeit a little reckless if they ate berries that had fermented on the bushes!”
Wood Duck by Doug Greenburg
WOOD DUCK “My spark bird was a Wood Duck. I was running past a small pond in the Berkshire in Massachusetts when I noticed a family. That was it—I was off and traveling the world.”
Scarlet Tanager by Doug Greenburg
SCARLET TANAGER “Seen from our boat on the dappled creek shore was a bird that caught my attention. It was a gorgeous deep red, with jet black wings. Searching my memory banks for its identification was no help so soon thereafter I bought a field guide. The first of many, many, many books and a now 30 year avocation feeding, watching, traveling, and learning about birds.”
