September 10, 2012
Since he was a little boy, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC) Land Protection Specialist Jared Parks has been a birder, and now he brings his gift for birding to those wishing to join him Saturday, Oct. 13, for a bird walk on a preserved property.
“When I was young, my dad was a bird watcher, and he taught himself – and he taught us, as well,” Parks said. “We’d go out with him. He’d give my mom a break and take a little time off being a lawyer and take us out bird watching. I just kind of got hooked with being able to see them and be around birds – and they’re everywhere. Well, there’s less of them around now than there ever where, but they’re still a great teaching tool, because they’re always outside when you’re outside. So, it drew me to it, and I haven’t waivered from that path.”
Parks remembers helping with banding birds at the Kent County banding station as a boy, and up until accepting his role as land preservation specialist at ESLC, was banding frequently and regularly – almost every year.
Participating annually in Christmas and Easter counts, Parks can watch the population trends. He started participating in the National Audubon Society bird count in lower Kent County when he was about seven years old. Such counts require sitting still and focusing, practices that (along with fishing) taught Parks to have patience and to be able to stick with something – even through rain, when he can’t see much – and to enjoy what he does see.
Seems as though Parks’ time in nature has given him a special connection with animals. He has had some close encounters with deer, but his favorite encounter was with a bird. Once, he was sitting on the bench of a
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