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Steve Glover
Regional Editor for North American
Birds
1. Hooked on birding:
Please describe:
a. How you became interested
in bird watching. I originally took a class during college
at a local jc. I did horrible but I was hooked from the
start.
b. What you did to increase
your bird identification skills. My early bird watching was
basically going out on hikes in the local regional parks
with a pair of cheap bins and a Golden Guide. It was several
years before I birded with any organized groups or other
birders. So essentially it was a lot of trial and error
(emphasis on error!).
c. Why you continue to enjoy
bird watching. Birding seems to give me about all I need in
a hobby. I travel to lots of places nobody else has ever
heard of, I can either spend some alone time or go out with
a group of friends, I can contribute as far as knowledge,
and I can teach others.
2. Field of Dreams:
a. Share one of your
memorable birding experiences in Stanislaus or Merced
County. The best time I ever had down there was a Big Day
with Jim Lomax, John Luther and Kent Van Vuren. Sure we beat
the record (though it remains vulnerable!) but the weather
was great (no wind!), the company was enjoyable and we saw
lots of great birds.
b. Identify a birding
location in Stanislaus or Merced County that you enjoy going
to and explain why you like to bird there. Santa Fe Grade
Rd. has always been near the top of my list, partly because
the birding is so good and partly because it was one of the
first places I birded with an organized group. Del Puerto
Canyon is also up there for the same reason.
c. Identify a birding spot
outside of Stanislaus or Merced County that you enjoy going
to and explain why you like to bird there. Though I hate to
be predictable, you really cant beat the Salton Sea if you
are staying in the state (as long as it is less than 110
degrees!). The feeling that there might be a rarity around
every corner (and there often is) is exhilarating.
3. A Few of My Favorite Things:
a. Pick 2 or 3 Stanislaus or
Merced County bird species and explain why you look forward
to seeing them. On the valley floor in winter it has to be
the big flocks of waterfowl. In the spring it has to be the
migrants in Del Puerto Canyon as well as Costas Hummingbird.
b. What bird species that you
have not already seen in Stanislaus or Merced County would
you would like to find next? In Merced it is definitely
Wrentit! In STA it is mostly scarce migrants like
Olive-sided Fly and Swainsons Thrush.
c. What is your favorite bird
field guide that you take with you in the field (or have in
your car)? Again, at the risk of being predictable, you cant
beat Sibley though Natl. Geo. runs a close second.
d. What kind of equipment
(binoculars, telescopes, cameras, etc.) do you take along
with you while birding? I have a pair of Leica 10x50s and a
Leica Televid.
4. Dear Abby:
a. What advice would you give
to a new bird watcher? The quickest way to improve your
birding skills is to find a really good, patient birder that
is willing to take you under their wing. Or a group of them.
I always wonder how fast I could have improved with a good
mentor in my earliest birding days.
b. What suggestions would you
give to a parent to help them encourage their children to
become bird watchers? My suspicion is that the kids of
birdwatchers who actually become birders in their own right
are the ones whose parents leave them alone. It may be easy
to put bins a the hands of a baby while still in a crib but
keeping them interested through high school is the tough
part. In the end I suspect it is a bit of a crap shoot.
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