NWBirding About NWBirder

Tiffany & Tor Linbo,
Avid Birder & her husband

I grew up in Washington (and continue to do so today). I’ve always been interested in nature – it started off as exploring our large backyard. I would spend a lot of my summers making trails and forts in the thicket of alders, catching and releasing garter snakes, lizards, and tree frogs in the “wilds” of the backyard, and watching birds raise families in the bird houses. My love of nature grew over time – with every trip to the aquarium, zoo, and national park.

Birding didn’t come into my life until much later in 2000, when I became a summer intern for the Wildlife Rehab center. One fledgling Northern Flicker stands out in my mind. I remember it was very eager for it’s next feeding and would practically pop out the door as soon as the cage was open. It would squeak and call while waited for its food. Somehow the flicker charmed me – as did all the baby and fledgling birds. It was rewarding to help them and quite an experience to handle them – everything from wrens to herons to geese to hawks. It was especially rewarding to see them leave the center and head back outside.

It is outside that I enjoy the birds the most now, being able to watch their interactions and being able to connect them to the environment. It brings me closer to nature and in the end provides me with a deeper appreciation and understanding. I see our impacts on birds (and their environments) – both good and bad.

Though not a birder, my traveling companion and husband, Tor is equally passionate about the outdoors. He is also responsible for taking the majority of the pictures that are posted on this website. When we’re not out on a road trip, we are usually working at home in the garden and yard or are at our Port Orchard property working at restoring the forest and wetlands.

I put these pages together largely for my own purposes – to keep notes and to use as a personal reference. But also to share my experience with friends, family, and the occasional “Googler.”

I know I’m no expert at birding and I continue to learn every time I go out – and I hope it always remains that way! Happy birding.