Fun and educational! I know the local birds intimately and know how to find them.
I teach birding classes, lead educational scheduled birding field trips, and create personalized birding and nature experiences in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area.
22/11/2024
I've been really busy with field trips and tours lately, among other things and haven't posted here much, but I could not NOT post about this amazing bird today: Santa Fe County's first, and New Mexico's furthest north, Streak-backed Oriole. A lovely adult female who was first photographed during the snow storm 2 weeks ago by a non-birder through her kitchen window! Yesterday, a neighbor who is a birder saw the bird and got cell phone pics which she posted to ebird as a Bullock's imm male. I saw the pics and thought of Streak-backed because of the time of year it is. I immediately texted her (Deanna Einspahr) - fortunately for all of us birders around here she is a birding friend and has taken my classes. Within an hour, Deanna, T Jay Adams and I were at the spot and the bird popped right into view! It spent the next 40 minutes eating Virginia creeper berries off a coyote fence visible from the sidewalk. Such a thrilling experience for many bird lovers here! And fun to have played a role in identifying and documenting this very rare bird which is now being seen by many from across the state
29/09/2024
Very interesting
by David SibleyThe separation of Chihuahuan and Common Raven has long been recognized as a significant identification challenge. Both species are entirely black, with very similar structure and voice. Known field marks all involve subtle and subjective differences, and in every one of these, there i...
28/09/2024
Laurens Halsey found this rare juvenile Sabine's Gull yesterday in Santa Fe and alerted others. I was just heading out the door for some grocery shopping and decided to take a detour to the golf course to see this bird. Success and a late dinner of frozen pizza! Sabine's Gulls breed in the Arctic tundra and mostly migrate and winter on the ocean. A few birds stray inland most years and end up ponds or lakes, like this bird did. Too bad I didn't get a photo in flight, the wing pattern of contrasting black, brown and white triangles is stunning!
23/08/2024
Took a group from Coho Ecovillage out to Finley this morning. The highlight was an American Bittern that really put on a show.
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Personalized small group birding and nature experiences in New Mexico and Southeast Arizona, designed for YOU, half a day to a week in length. Focus is on fun field adventures and on learning about the local birds and ecology. In addition to the usual birding tour focus on finding the birds you want to see, I can teach you how to identify the local birds by sounds only (birding by ear), how to use the practice of mindfulness to make you a better birder (mindful birding), and how to hone your birding sills over time.
I’ve been birding and leading birding field trips for over 45 years, starting out with the Tahoma Audubon Society in 1972. At age 8, I was blown away by the majesty and beauty of a Pileated Woodpecker in the backyard. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by birds. Four years later, a field trip with a wildlife biologist hooked me as a birder. During an Audubon field trip at age 12, I became captivated by their songs and sounds, and I quickly became a self-taught expert in ‘birding by ear’. My passion for birds is in my blood, so to speak, and I bring this enthusiasm and curiosity to my tours and to getting to know my clients as well.
The first half of my life I worked as a biologist - in field ornithology, vegetation ecology, and conservation. I specialized in ornithology at The Evergreen State College, and a decade later got a Masters in Ecosystems Analysis from the University of Washington. I also have extensive teaching experience at the college level, in government agencies, and with Audubon Master Birders (birding by ear classes), as well as guiding wilderness experiences.
In my mid-forties I felt a calling to work more with people and I moved to New Mexico and got a Masters in Counseling, and birded extensively in the area, learning the birds of the Southwest more intimately. I lived and worked in Santa Fe for 8 years before moving to Southeast Arizona in 2015. I established Take Flight in that area and led many a tour during 2017 and 2018 in the Sky Islands of Arizona. More recently, the migratory winds brought me back where the Rocky Mountains meet the Southwestern deserts and the edge of the Great Plains, in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area.
Take Flight Birding & Nature Adventures evolved out of my interests in birding, nature and people, as well as the amazing birds of the Southwest. Ecology is woven into Take Flight both through education about the local ecosystems and avian ecology, and through taking a green approach using natural, organic and sustainable products in the business. My long-term spiritual practice and extensive experience and training in ‘Nature Therapy’ and ‘Eco-psychology’ also allows me to offer experiences of deeper connection with nature involving mindfulness, Forest Bathing, or earth-based ceremonies. Mindfulness can enhance the birding experience and make you a better birder.
I would love to introduce you to (or take you deeper with) the birds, the ecosystems, the gorgeous landscapes, and the birding hot-spots of the Southwest!
Fun and educational! I know the local birds intimately and know how to find them.
