Sometimes I lament how late in life I became a daily birder. More often, I think the timing was perfect. When I launched my birding blog, The Adventures of BillBow Baggins in 2020, I set up an alt Twitter handle that I thought I could use to disseminate my avian musings. I didn’t know then that Twitter buries external links. Didn’t much matter—the blog died on the vine. My Twitter account didn’t, and for years it served as my primary social media platform. There waiting for me with all my upstart energy was a robust birding community—beginners, experts, and everyone in between.
For all of the very real pitfalls of social media, bird Twitter was glorious. A place to revel in birds, to learn, the share in a passion that was booming in a post-COVID world. By Tweeting daily about birds, I quickly became enmeshed and even grew a modest following.
Not long after I joined, another birder burst upon the scene. Aspen Richardson may have been new to the platform, but she was anything but new to birding.
Aspen brought years of birding experience to the conversation, and she put on a social media masterclass that resulted in something more than a modest following—namely the 30k+ followers she has today.
Perfect candidate for Ten Birding Questions. Aspen readily accepted the invite, and when eastern birder (me) sat down with western birder (her), we had a lot to talk about.
How she went from beginning birder to giving bird talks at a single-digit age.
Her unapologetic competitive streak and listing on the county and state level.
Utah’s extraordinary birding scene and the legend behind a state bird that is named after another state.
Conservation dilemmas—the state of the Great Salt Lake and what to do about the imperiled Northern Spotted Owl.
Conservation wins—dam removals and hope for expansion of the California Condor’s range into the Pacific Northwest.
How the demographics of the birding community have changed over the last 16 years.
A real highlight for me was when we got to talking about chasing rarities and the sometimes (extremely) high cost of the long chase. But after all, when a freaking Brambling shows up in Utah, what else is there to do but chase?
I also love how Aspen is such a passionate spokesperson for the iconic Tufted Puffins of the PNW. And, yeah, I kind of get it.
Then there’s Aspen’s favorite bird. Unlike so many guests, she didn’t hesitate to provide an answer to The Dreaded Question—the magnificent, and dare I say unsung(?), Bonaparte’s Gull.
Are you still on Twitter? Did you endure Musk’s mucking the place up? So did a lot of amazing birders. Follow Aspen at @birdmoder. While you’re at it, you can find me at @baggins_bow.
By the way, Aspen is no slouch with a camera. You can check out more of her bird photography on Instagram at aspenthebirder.
Before that, feast your eyes on these masterpieces.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have Utah on your destination bucket list after listening to our conversation. If guided tours are your thing, Aspen recommends Pitta Tours and their team of gifted guides to help you find California Condors, Boreal Owls, Long-billed Curlews, and so much more.
When the call was over, I was left marveling at the depth and breadth of Aspen’s bird knowledge (especially in her native Utah), at her passion for birds and their conservation, and how every state needs such an ambassador for its birdlife. If we could only make 49 copies of Aspen and set a conservation-minded army free across the country.
What a difference that would make.
That’s all for this month. Have you ever birded in Utah? What lengths have you gone to in search of a rare bird? Did it require a major sacrifice, and was it worth it? Do you have any better ideas for the state birds of Utah and Oregon? How have you seen your birding community evolve over the years? The comment section awaits!👇
Until next time, thanks for listening, and don’t forget to bird like Aspen!
nwb
Enjoy this conversation? Want to hear more from the birders of the world? Consider upgrading to a paid subscription. And by supporting Birding with BillBow, you’ll also be supporting the American Birding Association. As always, 5% of earnings donated to the ABA.
Subscription not your thing? The tip jar is open, and the ABA will still get its cut!
Not ready to make a financial contribution? No worries! Sharing this podcast is a great and free way to help spread the bird joy!
This post was human generated.
Developmental edits by Alexandra Hidalgo.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.