Meet Laura Steadman
Hi there! I LOVE birding, especially when I can share the experience with other people. I started birding in 2010, when it was part of my job as a Natural Resource Advisor for the National Park Service during the Deepwater Horizon response. These days, I do a lot of my birding in Boulder County, but love getting around to other parts of the state and beyond! I actively participate in several Christmas Bird Counts and a Breeding Bird Survey out on the plains.
My favorite trips involve more time outside of the car than in it. I believe that birding should be _fun_. I love sharing my knowledge with others, helping folks learn to identify knew species, and also love learning these things from others! I particularly enjoy birding by ear (ok, I like looking at them, too!).
Meet Benjamin Jacques
Ben (he/him)
I started birding back in 2012 when some friends invited me along on some ridiculous New York rarity chases. I then moved to Minnesota and began birding with my boss, who had been covering the same county for 25 years. The difference between chasing rarities and endlessly covering the same patch gave me the spectrum of what it can mean to be a birder, and I like all of it. The Front Range has been my home since 2020 and I am determined to observe as many of Colorado's birds as possible.
If you sign up for one of my trips you will be welcomed and whatever abilities, identities, and backgrounds you bring will add to the experience! Weekday trips will be short and focused on birding a spot before or after work. Weekend trips will be longer but still focus on one or two areas in depth. My favorite spots to lead trips are Bluff Lake Nature Center (where I work) and in the north metro area (where I live).