Welcome to the Pool Birder!

Taking birding to the next level, this site will explore ideal pool birding spots. Also, I will post my thoughts on birding and travel birding. This site will also delve into the deeper meaning of birding while standing in a pool, or any body of water for that matter!

About

How did I become a birder?

It took a while to officially come out publicly as a birder. My older brother is an expert birder who at one point in his life studied ornithology. For many years I would go on walks with him with barely a lukewarm interest in what he was doing. I was gifted a decent pair of binoculars for my birthday, a few months before going on a family trip to Costa Rica where we went on some guided bird walks. In hindsight, we saw some pretty awesome birds including a nice view of a Resplendent Quetzal. That trip planted the birding seed, but it wasn't until a few years later when I was invited on a volunteer medical mission to Central America where I saw the light. I brought my binoculars and saw some colorful birds, but couldn't really identify many of them as I hadn't bothered to bring a guidebook with me. It was during these years that a few key things happened. My brother showed me ebird, and cajoled me into signing up for a profile. I also found the Merlin bird iPhone Identification app, both put out by Cornell Ornithology. Everything came together when I went on a bird walk led by one of my local regional parks and I completed my first ebird checklist. Now,a few years later, I am an enthusiastic birder and dedicated ebirder, I like to travel to see birds, both abroad and here in the US during spring and fall migration.

A. B. B.

Always be Birding!

- me