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Birding as a Family
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Welcome to Episode 7 of the Bird Joy Podcast. This week, Dexter and Jason delve into birding as a family, sharing insights, tips, and heartwarming stories on how birding can bring families closer together and foster a love for nature.
The episode kicks off with tips for parents on introducing children to birding. It focuses on age-appropriate bird identification techniques and engaging activities that make birding fun for kids (like learning the pneumonic for the Eastern Towhee or finding non-birding joys of the space). It also highlights family-friendly activities like nature walks and DIY bird feeder projects, which are both enjoyable and educational.
They discuss the significant educational value of birding for children, including developing observation skills, learning about biodiversity, and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship. One fun way to do this is by introducing apps like Merlin and Seek. It's not just a fun activity; it's a learning journey for your little ones that feels more like Pokémon Go!
Inclusivity is emphasized, with advice on making birding accessible for all family members, regardless of age or experience. Practical tips for planning family birding outings include recommended spots, essential gear, and safety precautions. Your spouse may see a Schalow’s Turaco before you do, or your mom may spot a Snowy Owl in a parking lot in August!!
The hosts highlight the importance of connecting with nature as a family and the benefits of spending quality time outdoors. They also discuss opportunities for families to engage with local birding communities, join family-friendly events, and share their experiences.
Join Dexter and Jason as they inspire families to start their birding journeys together. Take advantage of the tips, stories, and resources to make birding a joyful family activity. Happy birding!
Listen, Share, Subscribe, Leave a Review, and help us spread a little Bird Joy! Thanks for listening, homies.
Be sure to follow our podcast on Instagram at @thebirdjoypd and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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Transcript
Bird Watching as a Family Activity
00:00:00
Speaker
What's good, bro? What's good, homie? How you doing? Good. I know i i know you had ah you had to be out with the family. I'm always thinking about family. And today, we're going to talk about family in regards to our favorite pastime and hobby and recreational activity, bird watching. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. It is a family. Yes, yes, it is a family. totally different experience when you have to take other people with you. And to be heard with the people that you live with or the people that you are spawned from, the people that you love the most in this world in most cases. So this should be a really, really, really fun episode. This should be a fun episode. And welcome to the Bird Joy podcast. I'm Dexter Patterson. And I'm Jason Hall. And this is the podcast for all the bird nerd homies out there that want to find a little bird joy. a little bird joy and today this one is for those of you especially trying to find some bird joy with your family guess we're both parents you know we were we were just chatting before we jumped on to start chatting just about family in general where there's always something going on with the family and I don't know about for you, but with having a family, birding is like sometimes much needed for like just that plain getaway to just go decompress yeah because the kids are yelling too much and the dogs are barking all the time.
Escaping Chaos and Connecting with Nature
00:01:32
Speaker
And you know what? I just need some time to go out in the woods and just do my thing. yeah And it's nothing personal to the family. True. true it's just you know You want to be doing something where you're not just a waiter to go get fruit snacks. Jesus. Hey, you know, dad, can i can I buy this video game or the TV's not working or whatever it is. So when those two worlds collide, you have family that wants to actually come participate in that with you. I've heard horror stories about it, but I've heard a lot more beautiful stories about it. um And I hope we can focus on those today. you know the best way to get out with the people you love the most and enjoy one of the things you love the most in terms of burning. Hey, what's more family than having chaos and beauty all at the same time? Hey,
00:02:24
Speaker
ah No, but we will focus on a good because like you said, I think there's way more good to going out with your family and especially bonding through birding. You talked about some stories and experiences. What are some that come to mind for you just in in regards to just the but you know And maybe not a specific story, but just that the bonus, the benefits of bonding through birding.
Bonding with Children through Birding
00:02:50
Speaker
One of my favorite stories is so my daughter when she was seven, it took her to this place near me called Peace Valley Nature Center and kind of introduced her to birding.
00:03:03
Speaker
with me right and you know my wife came as well this is before we had our son and um you know she was dressed in a pink tutu and some purple tights and like a hoodie and like her little adventure shoes and we were just you know frolicking really you know we were frolicking through the forest i was grossing her out by eating leaves like messing around with her and You know, we had some little binoculars and it was about this time of year, actually. And there was a ton of Eastern Toby singing. And I remember at the moment that I explained to her like, hey, and when you hear that drink your tea, that's this burden. I like shoulder a picture. Right. And for the rest of the outing, you know.
00:03:45
Speaker
every time she heard it she would repeat it drink your tea and she just had fun she didn't keep a checklist she didn't fret over not being able to identify something we just went for a great walk in the forest and she found a way to experience that space as herself But to this day, she still remembers that mnemonic right of drink your tea. She probably can't even tell you what bird it's from, but she remembers the experience. And that for me is enough, right? That's a positive experience. That was one. That's probably my top birding memory with my kids, at least so far. I agree with you. And for me, it was the I get that question a lot, but they're like, well, how do you get kids into birding?
00:04:26
Speaker
And I think it's a great question. And what I always tell people is I allow them to be kids. Yes. Right. I don't I don't I don't tell them to be quiet. I don't tell them to not run. I don't tell them. What's this? What's this? What's this? Like I i i literally try to make it as low pressure as possible and treat it as just a normal outdoor. We're outside. We're just outside, we're enjoying nature and you're going to be a kid and I'm going to allow you to be a kid. yeah And I kind of started there and I remember when I first started going out birding, it'd be, it'd be especially this time of year. I'm looking outside and it's all sunny and I'm like, yeah you know, we start getting out more.
00:05:07
Speaker
And the kids noticed that, like, hey, you know, you're kind of going out a lot. Like, where are you going? You know, this must be interesting. Mind your business. This is grown folks business. Yeah, yeah grown grown folks, grown folks exploring here. Yeah. But then that curiosity of them just kind of like, what's that up to? I use that curiosity to my advantage. Kids are so curious, which I love. yeah And that really does, lends it lends itself well to the outdoors and as a whole, but especially for birding. So getting them outside was really cool. And I remember we're we're at one of my favorite spots and I'm sitting here looking for migrating sparrows and and and different things that are coming through at the time. and they
00:05:51
Speaker
the first thing they see and at this spot, there's this huge tree. Like it's huge and it's, it's meant to climb. Like no joke, like it's low. It's got these huge branches and like literally easy access for the kids. And then as a parent, you're not all like super nervous because like they're pretty low to the ground. Like these big branches and the kids are climbing in safely. And I remember both of them just flying to that tree and I could see it. It's just like, literally it's like, Engrained in my head, I see them just running to this tree. And to this day, every time we go there, what do you think they do? They run to that tree. So it's kind of like their thing, where it's like, we're at my spot. You know? Yeah. Yeah. That's your thing. You know, that's your thing. And that's what I do. Like, literally, that is my strategy, is I let them be kids. And along the way, they may ask, Dad, what you looking at? Yeah, I'll tell them and I'll explain it in very similar to you where you're talking about what you did with your daughter and you taught her the song. Yeah, like it's, you know, I really can't second that statement enough on letting kids be kids, right? Cause it's very easy for us as adults to, you know, we get a little egotistical sometimes with what we want to impart to our children as if, as if they are not their own person, right? And
00:07:09
Speaker
I always said with burning, I wasn't going to force it because I feel like if I forced it, it wasn't going to happen. you know And I wanted to and wanted it to be natural. you know And both my kids are curious enough that if they wanted to pick it up as a hobby, they could. right I know they could. that They're confident enough to do that. But that's because I've never said, hey, Robbo, Robbo, I'm your old dad. Get up at 5.30 in the morning. I'm going to drag you out to the forest to go look at birds like when they didn't want to. That's not the way to do it. You know, it's not the way to do it. And um curiosity of children, you know, just speaking about that, like you said, it's naturally there for most of them. Right. And so my son, who's six, he, you know, he's more interested in running and hiding from me in the forest, which is terrifying.
00:07:59
Speaker
but For a variety of reasons a variety of reasons, but he's also, you know, I realize he's so much closer to the ground than I am. So he's looking that little stuff. The snail yesterday on one of our walks, he was mesmerized. You know, he hasn't quite grasped the binoculars yet, but that's okay because his hearing is is is good, you know, fortunately, and and he's so he's able to listen. But I find that letting him be the decision maker on what's important when it comes to birds, allowing him to view birds at our bird feeder outside, right? And then he'll run and tell me like, I don't know what it is recently, but he's been obsessed with like telling me when there's morning doves outside. And I think it's just because it's the one that he recognizes and he can remember the name of. So he's excited to tell me when it's out. there
00:08:45
Speaker
Right. And recognizing that of like letting them grasp onto that to that piece, you know, is really the best part of it. Yeah. I mean, I think curiosity letting them be a kid is great, but it doesn't always last too long, does it? Right. Like we can't always take them on a three hour bird outing. No, no, there there are some other things
Engaging Kids with Technology in Birding
00:09:04
Speaker
involved. And I love that he's like, give them some sort of ownership of the experience too. What I would do is they, my kids love the technology too. So I would say I showed them the Merlin app, I showed them seek, and then I would allow them to be the ones to actually use the phone as we're out there. I like that. so I don't use it at all. I will say, Hey, can you do me a favor? I'm going to open up this app and it actually records bird songs and it tells you what the bird is. Can you hold onto it for me and let me know when we see something new or when we hear something new, tell me what the bird is. They go crazy over that. that's being in control of the Merlin app and be like, oh, we got this now. I love that. We got this one now. We got this one. It turns into a whole new experience. It's like you said something about like Pokemon, like real life. pokemon Oh, yeah. that it Now it has really he has a Pokemon vibe. Yeah. It's like, hey, dad, did you hear that one? what Where is it? Yeah. Now, yeah now they put me into the let's go, you know, let's find, you know, like on the spot.
00:10:12
Speaker
You gotta find that one. You gotta find that one. you know You're good at finding birds. Let's find that one. So I'm like, let's go. And let's find it. So i'll I'll put them in control of the Merlin nap. And that has been really, really cool. Keeping their attention where it's like they are getting a little bird, even though they're running around and being kids, they don't realize that they're being educated about birds and bird behavior and songs and calls and And it's so funny because like, before you know it, they'll hear it again. They'll say, Oh, it was this similar to drink your tea, right? Where they are literally hearing some and knowing, Oh, that's a red wing blackbird. And I'm just cheesing. Your heart is about to burst out of your chest. I get it. I get it, man. To this day, like if Maximus runs to me and tells me there's something outside the bird feeder, like I'm always so proud. and I drop whatever I'm doing and I go look at it. I don't care if I'm in a meeting for work or whatever. like Those five minutes of just going to check that with him means everything. yeah so but i i Dude, I love that application of Merlin. i have never like That's the first time I've heard that of allowing
00:11:24
Speaker
Children to hold it and make an experience for themselves out of it. Make a game out of it, right? And it's a way for them to connect. yeah It's got pictures that pop up, right? Like that's, that's really good. I'm definitely stealing that. And I certainly encourage our listeners. Merlin is free. And it's easy enough for them and these kids these days, they can do so much stuff for technology that I couldn't do at that age. So they should be fine operating it. That's, that's awesome, man. Do your, do your, do your kids have any, uh, favorite birds or experiences like that? They do. And it's funny because it's through Merlin where they learn new birds where they're like, Oh, I never, I never knew this one.
00:12:04
Speaker
before. And then kind of in that curiosity of the kid, which I ah love. That's why I think it's so important to get kids early yeah and and get them involved with burning because it's like, They are so curious. They are the perfect birders. They really are. They really are. They're the perfect birders. and and And it's, you know, you pretty much have until they're, I think late teens to really capitalize on that and bring birding in a way that is palatable for whoever they're becoming as a person. You know, I had
00:12:42
Speaker
a group of kids yesterday from some organizations down in Wilmington, Delaware. And we went to a place called Russian Woods Preserve to observe bird banding. And it was only about eight or nine kids. and You know, I told them about the Merlin app. They all whipped out their phones, downloaded immediately. By the end, there was just a bunch of kids walking around the field by themselves in different spots, like holding their phones up. I love to put the phone as high as they can. And they're just like, then you get done like it was it was crazy, man. It was like.
00:13:18
Speaker
You know, one part of me was thinking, well, that's really cool. Immediate application. Right. And they even realized that if they were around a bunch of loud people, they needed to go walk somewhere else to do it. Right. Which is, you know, great too, is like, yeah, get away from it. Go experience what what's in that corner of the hedgerow over there. The other part that was really interesting was like, man, how different is this than what most people learn how to, you know, how, how, how most of us learn how to bird. There wasn't always an app to throw on your phone. There was bird guides you had to you know grab. And I think you and me you know are just at that precipice of being able to use a lot of technology, because I think we're the first generation that kind of had the internet versus teenagers right or even young young young kids. And so how different is it going to be 20 or 30 years from now, these birders, these young birders that start with so much technology? What are they going to do with it? right it's It's really great to think about, and it's really a testament to ah
00:14:13
Speaker
the folks at Merlin and Cornell on putting this together, the fact that young kids can use it, you know, and it's ah it's a great thing I think folks should consider when they're taking their family out is like, you know, I know we say no screen time, but I think we can make some exceptions for Merlin. Yes, yes, yeah it's it's engaging and it's educational. The use case, the educational side of it, is like, I don't even think about it as as screen time, really. I just don't think of it as a learning tool. And so this for kids, if you can keep their mind occupied and it can be semi-fun, you're going to get them to be able to go back.
00:14:48
Speaker
That's right. And when they go back, not only do they recognize that bird that they heard, and they located with dad the last time, but they did it by themselves. Yeah. And and then i that's the that's the other one. Running to the tree, but the other one was them running up to me so damn proud when they like ID something on their own. Sure. Or or or a lifer. they like I've never seen this one, but but look, this is it. that What's this here? They're initiating these conversations through birds and it's on this little screen and I'm just like, hey, you know what? We just made a memory, we just connected with nature and they're they're running, they're skipping, they're still out here having fun and we're outside. and I think that's the goal is get them outside, keep them outside and don't make it all about the birds, just make it about an experience and and just being with your loved ones.
00:15:38
Speaker
Absolutely and it's you know it's it's it's a great conduit to other things right you may take them out to look at birds next thing you know they're into the bugs they're into the leaves they're into figuring out this rock in the stream or oh if I you know if I if I walk across the bridge this way the whole bridge shakes I wonder why that is right like there's just so many little things that happen to kids when they're outdoors. that you kind of have to let it go. You have to let the world teach them in those situations rather than as a parent being so...
00:16:12
Speaker
maybe overbearing at times that you prevent them from hearing the things that nature is trying to show them. Yeah. Let them get dirty. Let them scrape themselves. I love it. Let them, let them roll around in the grass. All that fun stuff, man. yeah planet tree The other thing that they're in control of is not only the Merlin app, but also the seek app. So S E E K and seek you just talked about now you move from the birds to maybe it's a plant, maybe it's a bug. Maybe it's this flower. Maybe it's this tree. And the seek app allows the kids to go around and take pictures of stuff. And then the picture, it tells them what they're looking at. And that is another one that they kind of go crazy over because they'll see some. Oh, and don't let them find something that you're not supposed to touch. That's pretty cool, too. Oh yeah, that's dangerous. You know, it comes up with a big red flag. Do not touch this. And they're like, Oh, whoa, what why can't I touch this one? Like it this whole other conversation. yeah it's Oh man, those conversations, not only are they pure, but they're just like, wow, they're super valuable.
00:17:18
Speaker
we're outside, we're exploring, they're seeing the world, they're curious, they're getting exercise, they're connecting with people, they're connecting with the world around them, they're starting to realize that they're not every bug is scary. Oh, dude, don't get me started with my daughters. They're like afraid of every bug. And I was like, wait a minute, like we can't be afraid of every single bug in the world because like this is gonna be so bad. Yeah, I'm like, wait a minute. Are you really afraid of that little bitty thing right there? Like, it's not doing anything to you and it won't do anything to you. So, yeah, don't get me started on that conversation. It helps with those conversations too. I'm there. I've been working on my daughter for a long
Outdoor Literacy and Technology
00:18:00
Speaker
time now. She's, you know, she's 17 and she's at the stage now where she can take the spider in her room and put it in a cup and take it outside. And that's, that's really odd. And I was like, I, you know, I was like, we don't kill spiders in this house. We don't freak out when there's a bug. We just gently put it in a cup, slice some paper underneath outside, give it a shot. You know? Yeah. But my son now is like, every time he has something on him, that feels like maybe a bad itch or something. He's like, dad, did I get stung by a bee? You know? So I guess, you know, I don't know what, I don't know what he's been watching on YouTube kids. It makes him think everything is like a beast thing.
00:18:39
Speaker
Yeah, it's pretty funny. And as you know, to the point, it's really it's really forming a literacy for the outdoors is what we're doing. And the interesting part, like I said, is you and I may have done it in one way. People in our parents generation may have done it a different way. And our kids are doing it a different way. And that's so okay. The point is to form literacy for the kind of environment that you're going to be in now. And I'll be honest, We're not going to get through what we have to get through in terms of taking care of this planet and investing in our children in the future without that kind of technology. it's That's actually going to be one of our biggest tools to create urgency and agency with folks to do that. So it's really beautiful. You
Spousal Involvement in Birding
00:19:22
Speaker
know, it's funny. It's, you know, we talk about kids a lot, but there's other parts of our family that we bird with. Right. So let me ask you, is your spouse a birder? Not really. No. No, you know it's it's kind of like my wife will go birding probably a few times a year. She really likes owls. So if it's like our owling events, she'll probably hop up and and show out. But she will she will watch the feeders and and pay attention to the birds that are around the the low the little lake by the house and stuff like that. So I guess she is a birder. She's just not a crazy birder like me. um
00:20:03
Speaker
She likes birds. She likes birds because I like birds yeah basically. like and ensla and And I got it that part of it where she's like, you know what? If you were not my husband, I probably would not be paying attention to these birds. And I'm like, okay, I get it. like yeah And I'm cool with it. Yeah. My wife is the same way, dude. And it's funny because she fought it for a long time and she still, you know, she doesn't, other than a couple of trips that I've had her going with me, she, you know, she definitely wouldn't consider herself a birder, but she got, she like texted me the one day she was at work and somebody was like, Oh, look at that Robin out there on that tree. And before my wife even knew it coming out of her mouth was that's not a Robin. That's a red wing blackbird. Oh, see. And then she and then she text me and she was like, why am I like this? It's your fault. And I was like, listen, listen, this is what happens, right? And she's correcting people. People are like, oh, look at that eagle. And she's like, no, that's a turkey vulture. Relax. You know, like lying in a V formation. Yeah, you know, it looks like a V in the air. It's not. It's a turkey vulture. Yeah. You know how that happened, though, is when my wife and I were dating
00:21:12
Speaker
I would be. chasing these birds, these rare birds around the tri-state Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware area. And I'd be like, hey, you want to you want to roll with me an hour and a half down to Delaware to chase this rare sandpiper that showed up? And she loves long drives. She would go. We would get food. And she, for some reason, was fascinated with the fact that I was obsessed with this, right? Because she would take pictures of me like on my belly on the beach, like taking pictures of the sandpipers.
00:21:44
Speaker
But she just thought it was so unique. you know And so it actually became something that we could do together, even though she's not a birder. right she doesn't you know She's not keeping a checklist. you know Last year, i she came to Tanzania with me. We went together. We never went on a honeymoon. So it was kind of like ah a faux honeymoon, I guess you want to call it, right or a late honeymoon. And we spent like almost two weeks in Tanzania and she was in a safari vehicle with me. And I looked at her at one point and I was like, did you ever imagine, you know, like when, a when I, when we were going to these little day dates to go look at birds, you know, that I was going to drag you to Tanzania. We're going to turn into this. Yeah. You know, we'd be sitting in an ingrown girl crater looking at a black rhino.
00:22:29
Speaker
Wow. So these things can really blossom. And I would say those opportunities you have to show the excitement to your significant other, no matter who they are, is always welcome. Right. And that that story you just told, I think it's worthy of a little more details of In regards to birding and family,
Adventures and Humor in Birding
00:22:50
Speaker
right? like What was that like like? What was that experience like being able to take your wife to Tanzania and go on a safari? Talk about a family like moment. that's like That's pretty epic, man. Yeah. I mean, the only thing that will ever top it is when we can take both of our kids with us, right? And we can do on a full family, you know, kind of let's go. you know Maximus is still a little too small.
00:23:14
Speaker
It was a lifetime trip, man. and it And honestly, it came out of just chance. Like we had the opportunity to go on this trip with Hill Star Nature and off the beaten path safaris. And, you know, everything fell into place financially time. We had our beautiful brother and sister-in-law, watched our kids for two weeks, made sure they got to and from school. When you're over there, it's really just a sense of adventure. Like we could have been on a ah bug tour. We could have been on a tree tour. We could have been on the normal safari, which is just like the big animals and stuff, but we just happened to be on a birding one, right? Which is what I wanted, obviously, but it's great because you get to see the things like, so my adventure is like, how many new lifers can I see? Let me, and let me, and let me, let me tell you the story. This is as well. We get to this lodge on the side of the Gorongirl crater and there is a, um,
00:24:08
Speaker
there's this bird that everybody wants to see. And, um, we get to this crater after a day of like driving, you know, when you're driving in a safari vehicle on bumpy roads, there's no asphalt, right? So your bum hurts. You're tired. You got bone ass. Yeah. Right. And so you get to this beautiful lodge. It's on the side of the crater, you know, and we're trying to get set up to, to get inside and get going and everything. And, um, My wife is like, we, we like get there and we're like, Hey, let's go take a walk around the facility and like check out some birds and like, you know, while we're getting set up and everything. My wife is like, she like starts doing it. And then she's like, nah, she liked tasks and she's like, listen, I love you. Y'all have fun. outside the room
00:24:52
Speaker
you know I'm going to the room to take a shower, check in on the kids, you know just relax, read her book on the balcony. It was beautiful is balcony overlooking like one of the largest open calderas left in the world. And I'm like, cool. And then like 20 minutes into our walk, she was like, hey, what's that bird you guys said? she were It was like your number one target around this lodge that you were looking for. that you ah Have you guys found it? We're like, nah. And she sends me a picture. She saw it? Bro. The bird. Bird is sitting like on the railing right outside of our room. Right? Yeah. likeipity Yeah. Yeah. That is crazy. Y'all can go look for this bird and it's going to look for me and I'm going to find it. And you're welcome. You're welcome.
00:25:45
Speaker
Do you, every time you sit by a window and a a bird flies by, do you go to like, do the fast, like, what was that? Oh yeah, absolutely. Every time, bro. I swear, every time I see a shadow fly by the window, I'm like, what was that? Yeah. All right, so my wife sends me the picture of this bird, and it's a Shiloh's tiracao, a tiracao. And it's this beautiful, like, pheasant-looking bird with like, a green head, like red eye rings and that green head kind of pulls down into like turquoise and blue all the way down into like a purple tail. It's an absolutely gorgeous bird and it's not small and it's sitting right there on the railing outside of our room. So we all boogie down. We're like running through this lodge.
00:26:35
Speaker
You know, it's like a scene from the beginning at home alone, you know, trying to get there. We get there. I bust in the room with the whole squad. All the other people on the tour didn't know if my wife was dressed like bless it in the room and we went out and we were like, ran through the room. She's like sitting on the bed. We ran out to the patio to look. And she was like, no, no, it was on the other side of the room. When we go to the other side, it was like actually outside of our front door and it was gone. It was gone. Nothing. I didn't even get to look at it for the rest of the trip. I heard them eight million times, but she's the only one of all those people on our trip. They got a perfect look at that bird and got a cell phone picture of it.
00:27:15
Speaker
That right there was worth it for me. she had She thought that was the funniest thing. And that was her one of her experiences, right? That's hers. I told her, I was like, babe, that's your bird. That's your bird. And nobody can take that from you. And that was your private experience with that bird in calmness, because you decided to go back to the room and check your mental health and get relaxed. And like and that bird blessed you with its presence. you know So good. That kind of stuff is the stuff that really I look forward to when I'm with my spouse when we're out birding is that she's gonna find some experience where this with the bird or a view or a scene or another person she meets my wife befriends elderly people on a dime you know she'll start a straight up conversation with the eighty seven year old lady while we're waiting to get into a diner that's just what she does.
00:28:04
Speaker
So that's what I really look forward to when it' when it's ah you know out on these birding extravaganters with my wife. That's so cool because as club leaders and people who are often leaving leading walks, our job is try to make everything as inclusive as possible. And when I think about family and and getting outside with family, it is an inclusive recreational activity. It's something you can do with your entire family regardless right of Experience level, age, whatever. like It's just about getting together with people and and just enjoying each other's company. and I think it's something that I talk about a lot with with our co-founder, Dr. Jeff Galligan. and
00:28:49
Speaker
and other folks where I'm like, man, this right here, like when we're all together and people are laughing and having conversations and sharing stories and lifers and different things, I find myself smiling. I find myself right where like in those moments, I'm like, man, this is it. This is it. This is why we do it. And I feel the same way when I get out with my family. And anytime they have some type of experience where it's about them and night they made it happen, it's kind of cool. You know, yeah it's kind of cool. Have you? So like one of my favorite things about you, Dex, is that whole experience between you and your mom and the snowy owl. I was I was invested, brother. I was checking Instagram. I was like, yo, the Dex's mom get to see the owl today. yeah Did they chill? Did they have a conversation? You know, like I thought that was the greatest thing ever, man, because and yeah there was one picture you posted, your mom just like had a smile on her face and the owl was like in the background. of the whole And like, I just, I just, I just thought that was beautiful, man. I, you know, so is that something that, um,
00:29:55
Speaker
Is that something that you and your mom do often or was that more like a just a really special experience on that one? So the thing with that snowy owl, it was something that we had been doing and we had been driving across the state to these different areas, trying to find snowy owls, which is pretty wild because like, You know, some years they'll have what they call eruption years and we may see a bunch of them in Wisconsin. Most years we get a couple here and there. Yeah. So we have been driving to a few different places across the state trying to spot a snowy owl couple hours here, a couple hours there. And it's so funny because we end up eventually finding one in our, basically in our county.
00:30:40
Speaker
yeah After traveling all over the place for all these times trying to find this dang bird and we end up getting it in our county and then all of a sudden this was so random because it's in the summer. It's in August and it's like early evening and I'm like literally taking a nap. I get the, I get my, I get the phone call. I'm like, hello. And my mom's whispering and I'm like, why are you whispering? She's like, Hey, I think I see a snowy owl. my why are you whispering? Because I think I see a snowy owl. And I said, what? like I go from like to sleeping and like, why are you whispering to like, what? What are you talking about? Like, there's no way you see a snowy owl in August. Like, no, you don't. She's yes, I do. She's still whispering. It's so funny. And it's literally like three blocks from my house.
00:31:34
Speaker
So I'm like, no, like this, this is not possible. Like, and she's like, yes, she's still whispering. That's so funny. Every time we talk about this, I'm like, mom, you whispered for 10 minutes. Like, why were you still whispering? The bird was across the street on a, on a light pole and she's in the parking lot, nowhere near the bird, right? Like she's whispering still. hey Like, like it just, I'm like, my, why are you whispering? This is so funny to me. It made it, it made it that much better. Cause I'm like, this is like super, super, like, yeah. Like, you know, secret low key, like, I don't even want this bird to hear me talk. So I get there and I'm like,
00:32:17
Speaker
Oh, it is a snowy aisle. And it kind of drove the state crazy. Like people were driving from all over the place, seeing it. We nicknamed them Sonny. And it's so funny. He just hung out in the neighborhood on top of the local Woodman's grocery store, the big old grocery store, and just stayed on, just lived there for months. And then all of a sudden it moved and it moved literally a block from my house. And it was like, I'm now in this parking lot of this bank near my home for like another month or so. And I will just see it. I will come home from work and just go buy them and go talk to them. Hey, what up, Sonny? And it's like he knew who I was. It was so weird. It never was afraid. It was like, oh, there go dude. I'm waving from a distance as I walk the dog. What up, Sonny? He looking at me like I'm crazy.
00:33:11
Speaker
Talk about a family moment. And when you mentioned, like, you told your wife, this is your bird, like, I always tell my mom, like, Sonny was your bird. Like, you found him in like a very rare find. I mean, to have a snow, just to have a snowy owl in your area in the summer. All Yeah. through the end of August, like all the way into fall before he disappeared. But like to see him literally, it was kind of like the New York thing with the, with their little owl. With Flaco. Yeah. Where people were just like mesmerized by this animal that just decided to chill in this little suburban neighborhood for a few months. Dude, that's so dope, man. That's so dope. And that's really what I think we want people to understand is when you take your family out birding, or it rubs off on them in any way, it creates opportunities for them to find that bird joy. And you may not even be meaning to do that all the time.
00:34:09
Speaker
But because they're aware of it, because they're around you, they see stuff and they don't even realize that their eyes are now tuned to seeing it because they had so many moments of, Hey, check this out from you, from other folks. And that's, and that's really beautiful. Have you, have you gotten any of your other, your extended family members, anyone into burning or anyone like that? Yeah, I think and even that experience alone got got some of our family just like super curious because like, dude, like when people were showing up at the site, like they would see my mom and like treat her like a celebrity. And I just kind of liked it. You know what I mean? She like met all these people. She thought she's like, oh, this how this how it feels to be a whisko burner, huh? Yeah, that's great. Soak it in. It was kind of funny.
00:34:53
Speaker
But I have. I've had I've had a like my sister will tell us about Sandhill cranes in the field behind her house now. And, yeah you know, like people are always kind of like all my family members would be like sending me random bird pictures. And I love it. I love it. I love it so much. Right. they smelled Like they know they can send me that stuff and yeah they'll make fun of me at the same time. And then they'll say, look at you. You got me paying attention to these birds now. Yeah, that's right. That's right. ah so I'll nerd out as much as possible. If I can get anyone around me to just start to pay attention to the birds around them, that's it. Like I don't care if you buy binoculars. I don't care if you come to events. I don't care if you, like my job is not to convert you. My job is to get you to slowly like convert yourself.
00:35:43
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Like, no, I'm not forcing it on anybody. Like, I just, I think, I think us as bird nerds as, you know, and I say that affectionately, right? When we nerd out about birds and we're just ourselves, people that love us are going to take interest in that. Yeah. They're just kind like, you know what? I love Jason. And if he loves birds that much, guess what? I might just pay attention to birds. Yeah. And they don't realize like, maybe you don't like them as much as me. You probably know very few people do. That's why I say, yeah you know, Maybe not, right? Maybe you will. But yeah, if you're just paying attention and you're sending, you're sending little things like my mom, even now with her friends, like her friends send her like bird stuff, you know, it's kind of cool. It's like this whole issue is not a burner before it is bird Royalty.
Family Enthusiasm for Birding
00:36:33
Speaker
like her friends to send her stuff like, Hey, look what I saw here. And then like, we were talking about it. We went on another little road trip recently and we'll talk about that probably in a bird nerd moment of the week. We went on another little road trip. That's one thing that I noticed too is like, it became our thing.
00:36:50
Speaker
Yeah. We're like, we would do some stuff and it'd be just me and my mom and we'll just like, go look at, go look for yellow headed blackbirds. Oh, let's go look for, you know, like I told you, the Snow Yow and this weekend, this weekend we went to look for the Greater Prairie Chicken. So we've had all these type of moments where we've kind of traveled together with each other in a car for a couple of hours, just bonding mother, son, just, you know, cause good stuff you know so that's the way honest I need to do, I need to do more of that with my mom. My mom lives out in Idaho and um she's got
00:37:25
Speaker
Sandhill cranes that nest across the street from her house in this big field right my first ever golden eagle is standing in her front the front of her ranch looking up in this canyon this big old sucker just came flying through my first lazuli bunting is that my mom's ranch like e you know so like there's so she'll like text me like these different pictures of birds and be like what is this Hey, did you see Lazuli Bunting in freaking like New York? No, it's not surprising. We had one in Philly on the river last winter. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in New York. I was like, whoa, ABA, rare bird. I love it. Yeah. I was like, um whoa. It should not be there. yeah Yeah. But it's, you know, it's there. Like my mom, my grandma, yeah most recently my sister and her daughter,
00:38:14
Speaker
and in Southern California are like, they like call me every weekend, Dex, because I introduced him to Merlin. See? I got him some knocks. And you know my sister's favorite thing to do now is just sit on her balcony and listen to the house finches you know out there chatter. And she'll turn the Merlin on. And then she'll text me a screenshot and be like, yo. I just got, you know, a ah California Towie, right? Or a Stella's Jay, right? And like, it's the same dynamic that you mentioned with your kids where like the new thing pops up and it creates excitement. So one of my joys in life right now is when I get a text or a phone call or they tag me on something to Instagram, like my niece right now, she'll just, she's
00:38:57
Speaker
She's getting into bird photography and she's taking pictures of stuff and just tagging me on Instagram like, Hey, what is this? You know, and it's fun for me, right? It's cause it's like, it reminds me of like the journey that is always out there ahead of all of us, right? Like we said, there's like 10,000 plus species of birds on the planet. So that experience of seeing something new and trying to figure out what it is. And then. knowing what it is and then just being in total delight on the fact that you had a moment with that with that bird species is really great. yeah it we we We could probably talk for hours around birding with family and friends and stuff, but it so it is a treat at all times. And I would tell people, like if you have the opportunity to do it,
Embracing Birding with Family
00:39:41
Speaker
do it. yeah You never know what it's going to create for you or what it's going to create for someone that you love.
00:39:46
Speaker
Yeah, just and ultimately don't go into it, making it like it needs to be like this high pressure situation is literally you trying to connect with your family members and spend some quality time outside. And along the way, you can use your knowledge about birds and pass some of that along for them. You know, encourage them. Hey, don't worry about it. See a bird pointed out, you know, maybe we can figure that out together. But other than that, just spend time with them and and see if you can get them to catch that bird nerd bug a little bit. And next thing you know, they're texting you, you know, what's this? What's that? Yeah. Yeah. A little video today, you know, sending you a screenshot of their Merlin. Yeah.
00:40:30
Speaker
and he you know as wild You know, there's like so many different ways it could go like your kid could decide or your spouse or they could decide they like sketching birds, right? And they love the sounds of particular species. You know, like my wife's favorite bird is I think a turn, any kind of turn when we go to the shore. She just finds it fascinating the way they hover and dive. So like, yeah, I just really want people to know like this is not something you should shy away from. What it is is you are Baskin-Robbins. You are the Baskin-Robbins of birding. You have a bunch of different flavors and you should let your family try them in whatever way works for them, whatever way you can make it joyful for them and exciting for them. I promise you,
00:41:15
Speaker
it will return a thousand fold in the way it fills your heart up and creates even a a more loving and appreciative relationship between you and anybody else in your family. Man, I cannot think of a better way to wrap up today's episode. Get outside with your family. Honestly, share that bird joy. That's what this is all about. And we want to thank you for joining us today on the bird joy podcast. We hope we hope you enjoy exploring the world of birding with your family. with us today. Our events are in full swing here in Wisconsin. If you want to see what we got going on, check out BIPOCbirdingClub.org. Lovely, lovely, lovely. And we are fully into spring here in Philly. I think I can be pretty safe in saying that.
00:42:01
Speaker
If you want to know what's going on in the birding world in Philly and color birding.org, it is time. The migrants are showing up. The homies are showing up. People are shedding the hoodies and the jackets. The leaves are starting to pop. So get out there homies. Get out there homies and also please share, subscribe and shout out the podcast to all your fellow birders and help us spread a little bird joy. Okay.
00:42:41
Speaker
down a me
00:42:52
Speaker
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