1. What is the coolest bird you have seen from your home?
Birding dad would tell you that it's the Indigo Bunting we had last year, but for me, the morning I saw the Bald Eagle soaring over our property is the high point of birding from my deck! He circled once, so I was able to get the binoculars on him and watched breathless for several minutes.

2. If you compose lists of bird species seen, what is your favorite list and why?
Aside from my life list, the only list I have is from Shenendoah National Park where we vacationed for several years in a row. Now THERE was a list - I saw my first ever Yellow-Billed Cuccoo there!

3. What sparked your interest in birds?
When I was little, we lived in a city, my parents took us to weekend camps and family camps, as well as a yearly vacation at H Lakes. Friends of my parents, would take us on birding/nature hikes, and Bill M. was inspiring an interest in my parents about birding. He took us under his "wing" (pardon the pun), and we had our first binoculars by age 6. I remember that in Fourth Grade, I was the only one in my class who could name all the birds on the flash cards when the science teacher came to our classroom.

4. If you could only bird in one place for the rest of your life where would it be and why?
My backyard. We have 12 acres, woods, fields, pond, stream and overgrown meadows not to mention our birdfeeders. We are actually a NWF Certified Backyard Habitat so where else would I need to go? I am so blessed with this property I just wish I had more time (less work) to sit and enjoy! That said ... it's always fun to go to other regions and see birds that are not native to our area.

5. Do you have a jinx bird? What is it and why is it jinxed?
Well, I don't have one per say...but remember that Bald Eagle from number one? No one was home ... I had the binoculars in one hand and the phone in the other ... could not reach Birding dad on his cell, could not reach cool birding stepdaughter, finally called my Dad who thought by the excitement in my voice that some near tragedy had occured. Since then I have had two other Bald Eagle sightings, both when I was alone in my car. Never when I am with anyone.

6. Who is your favorite birder? and why?
My stepdaughter, of course ... because she has far surpassed me in her birding knowledge (and I like to think I had something to do with her interest in birds), therefore SHE is the person I call when I need help with identification (especially raptors). But, my favorite birding partner, is of course my husband because we get such a kick out of seeing new birds together.

7. Do you tell non-birders you are a birder?
If people ask me about my interests, yes, of course I do. My daughter is very interested in the birds, and at 14 she is not ashamed to enlighten her friends on the name of a bird when they see one.

Thanks to Birding Step-Daughter over at Blue From Hollow for this meme and a kudos to Wandering Tattler where she got it. Now it's YOUR turn!