Most of us fondly recall that special person whose enthusiasm made an impression on us and inspired us to go on that first bird walk or purchase a pair of binoculars! Broomfield Bird Club member Deb Duran recently shared her story of reconnecting with someone she introduced to birding years ago.
"You just never know who you impact," said Deb. "I worked with Josef for about a year, six or seven years ago. We have not stayed in touch until he sent me this wonderful email a couple of weeks ago. I have now shared Broomfield Bird Club with him and look forward to 'reconnecting' with him and birding! Good all the way around!"
Josef gave us permission to share his email to Deb, beautifully expressing what birding has meant to him.
Hi Deb,
It took me some time to track you down, but I wanted to reach out after all these years and say hello.
I thought of you after I recently returned from a 2-week family trip to South Africa, where I had the great pleasure of taking hundreds of photographs of glorious birds, including on a private wildlife reserve. The topic of birding came up during a conversation with a local South African bookstore owner, who was also a birder. I shared with him how I got my start in birding when you showed me a Great Horned Owl outside your window at ACED.
I've been birding ever since, all across the country, and it has been one of the greatest gifts in my life on nearly every trip I take. I was able to identify 50 different birds in South Africa during my trip, and saw about 10 more I wasn't able to identify. What an experience!
Just wanted to reach out after all these years and say, thank you for giving me this gift of a lifetime. Birding has deepened my connection to nature in so many ways and become one of the loves of my life. My 9-year-old son has taken up after his dad and become a birder as well, taking his camera everywhere we go.
I hope you are doing well and thriving these days.