Member since: November 12, 2017

In 1993 my Aunt got my brother (twin) and I a bird feeder and a Peterson's Field Guide to Eastern birds as a Christmas gift. We put the bird feeders up that winter and couldn't believe the birds we were getting in our city yard and we were hooked from there. We grew up across the street from the Oaklane Reservoir and our house had a second floor porch on the front which looked in to the reservoir so we could get all kinds of ducks and gulls right from our bedroom in the city which was awesome. Hundreds of ducks/geese would fly in every night to roost. We started exploring parks that we could ride our bikes to and go birding for hours. We lived on the edge of Philly and MontCo so we did most of our birding in MontCo thinking Philly didn't have a lot to offer but now I know that is far from true and I do most of my birding in Philly now. My brother and I would always bird watch when ever we could but there were years when we might only go out a couple times because we were young and having fun with friends who didn't bird. We were lucky enough to get to spend summers in Cape May at my Aunt's shore house (same one who got us in to birding) and then later on our family got a place in the mountains right out side Hickory Run State park. We would spend hours hiking through Hickory Run in the summer looking for birds and exploring. Once we were old enough to drive we would do day trips to places a little further out. We went to W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences and we both got in to Horticulture and loved learning about trees and shrubs and design. We were lucky enough to get to do the first high school summer internship that Longwood Gardens started and we met some great birders that worked there. We really got in to Native plants and especially ones that attracted birds. My brother moved to Montreal, Canada about 10 years ago and I miss my birding partner but now I get to go north and do some amazing birding. We are competitive with each other when it comes to birding and always try to out do the last best sighting one of us got. Some of my top spots to go birding are Heinz, Carpenters Woods (I live 2 min from here) or anywhere in Fairmount Park, Pennypack, Schuylkill Center, FDR Park, Peace Valley and Green Lane.