A Birder’s Journey: Spotlight on Elsa Hume (excerpt)

Birder, Outings Leader, and poet Elsa Hume has been a part of the Bird Alliance of Oregon community since 2021, when she began attending our newly created Bird Days of Summer series. Since then, she’s attended field trips and classes almost monthly and has gone on to lead free outings and Bird Song Walks as a volunteer. Elsa is an inspiration to us, and we’re excited to call her a member of the flock.

How did you first get involved? The first outing I went on was to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden for the Bird Days of Summer. We were on the lookout for Green Heron and nesting Bald Eagles, and I just remember feeling really comfortable and at home asking questions and making observations. I had a great first experience! Getting to connect with people in nature was so fun, and I was like, “OK, yeah, this is a thing and something I can get into.”

What are your top tips for someone who is bird-curious but doesn’t know where to begin? Start going out with people who are more experienced than you. There are endless opportunities in Portland: through Bird Alliance, or you can go out with other local groups like Güero Bird Club, FBC.PDX [Feminist Bird Club Portland], and Queer Flockers.

And interact with your new knowledge, like through an art form, such as photography, drawing, or poetry, because the more you do that, the more you’ll remember the characteristics of birds you’re seeing. Oftentimes, after I go out in the field, I’ll sit down at a coffee shop and go online or use a field guide to look up the birds that I saw. I like to try to draw them and write little notes about some of their main characteristics.

Last question, and it’s a fun one, because we have to ask. What’s your favorite bird and why? I’m not sure I can pick an all-time favorite, but I’ll share my favorite bird of the season. And it might surprise you a little bit—it’s a Long-billed Dowitcher! I heard there were some at Broughton Beach where I swim a lot. They were a lifer for me this summer!

Story by Camelia Zollars, Public Programs & Partnerships Specialist, and Tara Lemezis, Assistant Director of Adult Learning & Engagement. The full interview can be read by visiting birdallianceoregon.org