What do you do for your day job?: I am the Salon Coordinator for Adeline Inc. Salon. Our salon works in collaboration with Peach Tattoo, and we share a building. Together, the two small businesses make up the Rainbow Collaborative. We are proud to work together to create a welcoming space of celebration, acceptance, and self expression.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of birding?: I love to learn. I am a volunteer naturalist with Friends of Sax-Zim Bog, and I spend a good amount of time observing and learning about the natural world. Moths are especially dear to me. I am an artist, and I dabble in many different media, but I’m pretty shy about sharing and showing my work. I also love floral design and working with plants both indoors and out.

How did you get into birding?: I had always loved birds and nature as a child. But, I decided that I wanted to become a serious birder in my late 20s after reading the book “Zen Birding”. At that point, birding started out as a mindfulness practice for me. It got me through some unimaginably difficult times. And now, birding has come to mean even more to me. Plus, it was how I ended up crossing paths with my sweetheart.

Do you have any destination birding dreams?: Absolutely! I would love to bird the whole beautiful planet. Lately, I’ve been particularly interested in the southwestern US, Costa Rica, & Ecuador.

Favorite Bird?: This is the hardest question! Today, I think it’s Agami Heron.

What is your favorite place locally to explore for birds?: I love birding Sax-Zim Bog, but when I first started birding I didn’t have a car. So, I spent a lot of time along the shore of Lake Superior and on Park Point. I truly love birding Park Point, especially during migration.

What is your most surprising birding experience?: When Clinton & I eloped to Olympic National Park in 2019, we essentially chose our wedding date to coincide with the dates that historically had the best seabird sightings on Westport Pelagics. It was the first pelagic experience for both of us, and it was a dream come true. Freshly married, we were lucky enough to see 3 species of albatross, including a surprise visit from the incredibly rare Short-tailed Albatross. We were absolutely blown away! It was an unforgettable experience, and it seems quite auspicious that albatross are known for their strongly-bonded partnerships.

What are your hopes for Duluth Audubon?: I hope we can advocate for conservation. I hope we can educate folks about birds and how we, as humans, can maximize our positive impact and minimize our negative impact on the lives of birds and wildlife. I hope we can help create connections between people and birds/nature, and minimize the barriers some people find keeping them from those connections. I hope we can inspire more of our community to join us in achieving these goals.