December 19, 1992
Niles, Michigan

I signed up to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count for southern Michigan. We started out at Fernwood, and I was teamed with Fernwood naturalist Rob Venner. I arrived at the nature center before dawn, a little bit nervous and not really sure what to expect. But once we got started, I had a lot of fun, and learned a lot about the winter birds, as well. Rob is a great birder, and a nice guy, too. We drove around to various places and counted the species and individuals that we saw. Rob helped me to ID them and told me lots of interesting info, as well.

1991 and 1992 (various dates)

Very soon after we moved into our new home in Indiana, I put up some bird feeders in the backyard. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but almost immediately, birds began to arrive, along with squirrels and chipmunks. The first I remember seeing were a deep, gorgeous red with black markings on the face, whose whistled song. I discovered that I wasn’t satisfied to just watch them go about their business anonymously – I needed to know their names. Field guide in hand, I was easily able to identify the ☆Northern Cardinal☆, as well as a good variety of other birds in the yard. And, just like that, I’d started out with this glorious (and sometimes consuming) pass-time of birding.

December 23, 1986

This was my first ever trip out of state, when my grandparents took my sister and I to visit our Aunt Andi and Uncle Larry in Florida. I wasn’t really keeping track of wildlife back then, but I saw a few things that made an impression. We visited Kennedy Space Center, and while on a bus tour of the facility, the bus driver pointed out a number of ☆Bald Eagle☆ nests. Although they weren’t all that close to the road, we were able to see both adults and juveniles. Even from a distance, these birds are so impressive! We also saw many ☆Atlantic Brown Pelicans☆, which are plentiful in Florida. Even though I’d seen the California subspecies regularly as a child, this is my first documented sighting.

1970s (various dates)

These are all wildlife sightings that I remember happening at or very near my childhood home in Los Angeles. I don’t have dates for these sightings, as they are all from memory, but I have noted anywhere I have a doubt about the species identify.

October 31, 1971
Early evening

This ☆Great Horned Owl☆ is the first wild bird I have a clear memory of seeing. On Halloween night when I was around five years old, I was trick-or-treating with some neighborhood children (and parents) when an owl flew down right in front of us and landed in the middle of the Holzer’s front yard. It made a big impression on me, especially since the bird seemed to be about the same size that I was at the time. How can you forget an event like that? This early birding experience definitely made an impact on my young psyche, probably predisposing me to my current fascination with birds, and maybe especially owls.