Paul Illick
Early Member Stanislaus Audubon Board of Directors

As a kid born in China in 1920, when I was 6, I was curious about the life of plants and animals that I saw. My dad's book Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America by Frank M. Chapman helped me in taxidermy work (I ended up being one for the Smithsonian Institution) and being excited that birds could sing and fly and make beautiful nests. Then becoming friends with H. Caldwell author of South China Birds (1931). It became so much more than "bird watching", I was entertained in enjoying nature while I hiked the countryside and met new people, plants, animals, geology, weather, etc.

My advice for new bird watchers would be to enjoy and write down notes on anything and everything - then use them to investigate your library - from weather, all animals, plants, geology, etc.

Thoughts:

When attending our American School, Hillcrest, in China from 1926 to 1936 I had a group of teachers who were "dumb" to "excellent" The "dumb" ones didn't seem to care about us, only themselves and grades. The excellent ones were interested in developing our sapiency and helping us join in enjoyment of education and appreciation of life.