The Atla Birding Passion Group 1996-2015

Ever since I started birding (1988), I’ve enjoyed making early-morning sorties at Atla conferences to spend some time with the local birds. But birding is more fun in a group, and you’re less likely to be mocked with “Hey, you goin’ birrrdwatchin’?” as I was in Evanston in 1990. At any rate, things changed for the better when I began using email in 1995. Prior to that year’s conference, I was able to contact, via BIRDCHAT, some Nashville birders who treated me to a warbler extravaganza and who set me up with a birder friend of theirs in Denver, site of the 1996 conference.

The day before the Denver excursion, I discovered that Lynn Berg was also a birder and invited her along.  Our host took us to Red Rocks Park, where we encountered such novelties as Virginia’s Warbler and Black-billed Magpie, and even got to see a herd of Mountain Goats.  Thus began the Atla Birding Passion Group. (Who would get up at 5:30 a.m. to participate in a mere “interest” group?)

Eric Friede joined us in 1999, likely after I accidentally posted a birding question on ATLANTIS. The following year I swallowed my pride and started using ATLANTIS to advertise the outing — usually held on a Thursday from 6:00-10:00 a.m. — and our numbers increased. The usual strategy was to put an announcement in ATLANTIS about a potential excursion, find out which day would best suit the participants, and then contact the appropriate birding discussion group with a request for a tour of local birding hotspots. Only once did we fail to link up with a local birder. Sometimes our hosts brought along their friends, especially when there were too many of us to fit in one vehicle. Sometimes they even brought cookies or muffins. I’m telling the truth.

Part of the thrill was simply connecting with knowledgeable locals who could get us out of the city and into semi-wilderness. Most of our hosts were interesting people, like the retired submariner who hosted us in Austin in 2005, whose broad interests led to enjoyable conversations. The group met 17 times from Denver 1996 to Denver 2015 (note the geographical inclusio). We birded in deserts, swamps, prairies, mountains, beaches, wetlands, and urban parks. Highlights include a whale-watching cruise that yielded Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, Northern Gannets, and yes, Humpback Whales (Boston 1997); finding our target bird, Seaside Sparrow, with the Atlantic City skyline in the background (Philadelphia 2007); watching Vermilion Flycatchers sally and swoop against a backdrop of saguaro cacti in 100 degrees F. (38 degrees C.) heat (Phoenix 2012); and standing with our Cajun guide in a Louisiana bayou among Bald Cypresses and listening to Swainson’s Warblers while scanning the treetops for Swallow-tailed Kites (New Orleans 2014).

Accounts and photos of many of our trips can be found in the August issues of the Atla Newsletter, beginning with the 2004 issue. In all, we managed to see 208 species, from the tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird to the huge American White Pelican; and including the hard-to-find Golden-Cheeked Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, American Bittern, and Black-capped Vireo.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend Atla conferences after 2015 because of conflicting library consulting commitments in Africa. Nor, alas, was I able to find a successor. Perhaps the passion had dissipated. Or maybe it’s simply time for a revival.

Do I hear an “Amen”?

Species Seen (in taxonomic order)

The featured image displays a Monk Parakeet and nest – photo by Shanth (www.flickr.com), as seen in the August 2011 Atla Newsletter.