LETTER FROM HANNAH

Hello,

I would like to thank everyone involved for giving me the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Roaring Fork Audubon birding camp. Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many enthusiastic birders, let alone spend a week with them in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. To be honest I never was as enthusiastic or as knowledgeable about birds when I arrived. I was interested because I constantly sketch and observe birds any chance I get. This camp definitely brought me into a new light and taught me knowledge about birding. I especially learned the most from my fellow campers. For example, I learned to call a turkey vulture a 2vu, or how to identify a golden crowned kinglet from a ruby crowned kinglet, Just to name a few. What made my experience so special was the people I met throughout the week. Everyone had different levels of knowledge about birds and many had outside interests that were similar to mine. I was worried that I wouldn’t find a group or person to relate to in the camp at first. But during a stormy night at the campfire on the first day, I instantly clicked with all of the birders in the camp. I was so thrilled to have new friends to talk to. Even a few months now that camp has ended, I am still in touch with them and will continue talking about our days and birding experiences we have at home. Besides the campers, we had some special guests visit and teach their different birding related jobs. One such job is called bird tagging. This involves catching and taking measurements of the bird, then clasping a small ring around its leg. This enables others to track the bird through out its life. I never knew that so many jobs and hobbies existed that were solely related to birds. I was very inspired and intrigued by these unique methods. Everyday was a new experience. We went on different hikes to look for any kind of bird that crossed our path. I managed to identify a lot of birds throughout the week. Over all, as a group, we found over 87 different species. It was very impressive to how many we found. I especially enjoyed identifying my first bird with an old pair of binoculars and a tattered book. After that I was always on the lookout for a new species of bird. I wanted to find out more and learn the best methods to identifying a bird. I go birding whenever I can now that I am at home, either by myself or with fellow birders. I would have never known about birding or even tried it if I hadn’t gone to Roaring Fork Audubon birding camp. I want to go back next year and experience it again with my friends and find more species than last year. I want to keep coming back because of all the great people I met and the amazing birds I was able to see and learn about. I am thankful for the people who helped me in the camp and supported me throughout the experience. Without these amazing people I would have still been sketching and observing birds from afar without really knowing what it’s like to be a Roaring fork birder.

Thank you,

Hannah