Happy Halloween! I do not have any cute kids in costumes so I thought I would share my Shetland Sheepdog, Zach, looking the most serious he ever has in his life. That playful boy will be three years old next week and he is a hardcore birder, conservationist and biologist. He was raised as a puppy on hawk watching, waterbird monitoring and waterfowl hazing. He learned to always look up and enjoys watching doves flying around the neighborhood, sparrows scratching at the grass, ducks and geese swimming offshore, gulls feeding on the rocks and raptors screeching by. He has a heck of a life list including some nice rarities, having flushed and discovered a Grasshopper Sparrow by himself at an important migration site and watched a Brown Pelican circling over us after Superstorm Sandy, among others. Do your fur kids do the same with birds? Whether it is the furry variety or the human type it is important to teach all the young ones to enjoy and respect our environment and wildlife. Children will readily take to anything you are that engrossed in and passionate about.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
