EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK (March, 1968)
In 1968, during spring vacation of fifth grade, my friend Jeff Dingle and I visited his grandfather, Dr. Leslie Severinghaus, in Coconut Grove, Florida. We listed birds we saw that week and I set a goal to see 600 bird species in America (loosely defined as the United States and Canada) by the time I hit the impossibly old age of fifty. Why 600 bird species? Back then, there were a total of 645 identified birds in this geographic area according to the Peterson Field Guide. It seemed to me that spotting 600 bird species was akin to a Major League baseball player hitting 500 career home runs. While Babe Ruth held the career record of 714 homers, only a handful of players had reached 500. So, 600 bird species was achievable, like 500 HR’s, and certainly very special.
My father, Howard Wood, was also interested in birds and as I went through my teen years, he encouraged me to pursue this hobby by taking me on many trips to birding destinations like Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, Bombay Hook, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.
Now in my mid-sixties, I've seen 807 bird species in America. Attempting to see and photograph another new species still gives me a rush of adrenaline.
My father, Howard Wood, was also interested in birds and as I went through my teen years, he encouraged me to pursue this hobby by taking me on many trips to birding destinations like Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, Bombay Hook, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.
Now in my mid-sixties, I've seen 807 bird species in America. Attempting to see and photograph another new species still gives me a rush of adrenaline.