Kim Harvey 2017 Recipient Narrative

I am Kim Harvey, age 18, and I live in French Camp, California, and am currently enrolled at Las Positas College.  I first got into birding about age eight, when my family bought The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Western North America.  I really enjoyed looking through the book and playing the digital sound recordings that corresponded with the birds in the book.  I also liked trying to identify backyard birds with it!  That book with all its amazing birds and bird songs really got me started in the joys of birding. 

This summer, I attended the Sierra Nevada Field Camp and choose the Birds of the Sierra Nevada class, led by Dr. Dave Shufford.  I chose this camp, because I am interested in learning about the birds of the Sierras, especially since my family and I get opportunities to take family trips there.  I wanted to learn more about those birds that we observe not too far away from home!

 I experienced many exciting things at bird camp, but here are three of the most memorable. One was being out at night in the Sierra Valley and hearing the amazing calls of the pumping bitterns and winnowing snipes, as well as the rails and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.  Another was seeing an American Dipper nest, situated under a bridge over a flowing stream.  In the nest were three babies, and their parents were diligently foraging for food in the stream and bringing it to them! Finally, I really enjoyed seeing all the baby birds, including the curlews, stilts, avocets, and, especially, the baby Eared Grebes riding on the back of their parents! 

 The most surprising thing about camp this summer was waking up the second day of camp to find that a good amount of snow had fallen the night before!  It made the scenery look like it belong on the front cover of a Christmas card, in June!

 My near future plans, as far as an occupation goes, do not involve birds, since I am planning to go into biochemistry.  However, I will always keep on birding, and being involved in citizen science projects.

Thank you so much for the scholarship!  I had such a lovely, memorable experience in the Sierras!