Member since: August 29, 2018

Hello. After quite a bit of "hemming" and "hawing", I finally took the plunge and joined the DVOC. I was introduced to birding when I took an Ornithology class taught by Reid Bush back in 1977 at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. Part of the curriculum required students to get outside to sharpen their neophyte identification skills. Although I was using pretty mediocre optics, that class opened up an entirely new and wonderful world for me. Since that time I have become an avid birder, and I bring my bins with me pretty much wherever I go. I have a favorite local farm, field, pond and forest loop I often "escape" to which includes portions of Williston Preservation Trust tracts located in Chester County. I also enjoy getting over to Ridley Creek State Park, Hawk Mountain, The Heinz Refuge and the many spectacular areas in southern NJ from Forsythe NWR down through the Cape May hot spots. All of these areas are relatively close and pack a punch. Birding has exposed me to the natural world in an intimate and exciting way. I often feel like I am engaged in active meditation when I am in the field. Totally focused, yet patient and at peace, everything matters, the wind, the temperature, the clouds and angle of the sun, and of course all of these aspects of nature come together to frame the beautiful birds and their songs, and relate in an intimate way to successfully identifying a species. It is an extremely challenging yet supremely satisfying hobby for me. Cheers and happy birding!