Please join us in congratulating Daniel Knapp of Portland, Oregon, US – winner of the February 2022 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Daniel’s name was drawn randomly from the 6,890 eBirders who submitted at least 20 eligible checklists in February with eBird Mobile ‘tracks’ less than 5 km (3 mi). Daniel will receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular for his eBirding efforts. Here’s Daniel’s birding story:
My fascination with the natural environment probably started on the many fishing trips with my father while growing up in North Idaho. The long drives through open valleys, paddling along the shores of deep blue lakes, hiking in the forested mountains, and sleeping under the stars all instilled in me an appreciation of the interconnectedness of my life with the living planet around me. I fell in love with geology and have since made it a career, but I continue to search out experiences in nature that bring me back to that feeling.
Snowy Plover © Daniel Knapp / Macaulay Library
My fiance and I were starting to get into birding when the pandemic began, which saw the limiting of travel and closure of many of our favorite open spaces. With a growing wanderlust and a budding interest in birding, we dove headfirst into this new adventure. With no club events or in person meet ups, eBird was instrumental in connecting us with the local birding community and teaching us everything we needed to know. Being geography nerds, we love seeing the species maps and bar charts for local hotspots, in addition to the rare bird alerts for our local area. We joined local listservs, messaging apps, and read every eBird newsletter that came our way.
Being an avid photographer, it was a natural transition to bird photography. I use eBird and the Macaulay Library extensively to plan my trips. It might be cliche to say that bird photography is my therapy, but it’s hard to deny the peace that comes from feeling a connection to nature while out in the field. I also enjoy the challenge of photographing birds in their natural habitat and at ease with my presence. To share these special moments with such beautiful and fascinating animals is a joy I look forward to every chance I get.
Spotted Towhee © Daniel Knapp / Macaulay Library
We are lucky to live on the Pacific Flyway and didn’t need to travel far at first, but since then, we have traveled to and explored so many beautiful places that we never would have visited without eBird. It is now an essential step in our vacation/trip planning to check recent sightings and popular hotspots to hit up while exploring. This immense wealth of data has taught us so much about the birds that we coexist with and a new appreciation of the work ornithologists around the world have done and continue to do. We are humbled that our passion contributes to the research and conservation efforts through eBird.
Many thanks and much respect for the tireless work by the Cornell Lab in their continuing to work to expand this platform. I also want to thank Carl Zeiss Sports Optics for sponsoring the monthly challenges and I look forward to the new binoculars with much excitement! Thank you to everyone involved in this project, including all the contributors who help make this an amazing community to be a part of.
Lewis’s Woodpecker © Daniel Knapp / Macaulay Library