Summer 2009 Newsletter - Young Birder Profile
Spotlight on Brian Wulker, age 18

Golden Wings - What year did you start birding?
Brian Wulker - Sometime around 2001. I can't remember for sure.

GW - What or who got you interested in birds?
BW - My grandparents.

GW – Have you had birding mentors or heroes who helped you?
BW - Pretty much the entire Cincinnati bird club: Jay Stenger, Mike Busam, Paul Warton, Dave and Jill Russell, my mom, and so many others.

GW - Do you have a favorite bird, and if so, what is it and what makes it your favorite?
BW - Probably one of the wrens. They are so active and curious.

GW – Where is your favorite place to bird?
BW - I have way too many to list, but I like Armleder Park in Cincinnati for grassland species, passerine migrants, migrant shorebirds, raptors, and even a little waterfowl.

GW – What bird would you most like to see, and why?
BW - Again, I have way too many, but I would love to see a few of the pelagic species.

GW - What would you say is your greatest accomplishment in birding thus far?
BW - Helping start and being a part of the Queen City Birders Club, and in general having fun.

GW – Are you interested in any other natural science areas besides birds?
BW - Just about all of them, literally.

GW – Do you have any other interests/hobbies?
BW - Backpacking, canoeing/kayaking, travel, baseball, football, track and field, outdoor activities in general.

GW – Are any of your friends or family members birders? If not, how do you handle that?
BW - My mom and my grandma.

GW – In your experience, what do most people your age think about birding? And if their view of birding isn't totally positive, what can we do to change that?
BW - Most think it’s kind of odd, but they are accepting of it. I’ve never really had too many issues with my interests and people’s perceptions of them.

GW - How could we get more young people interested in nature?
BW - Start them young. Limit time on stuff like TV and computers. Publicly, I think we need more natural history taught in schools. We have some, but there is always room for more.

GW - Do you think the Internet can help foster a community of young birders, and if so, how?
BW - I think it can, because everything we have is dependant on technology. It’s the easiest way to organize a group and communicate, so I think that it will be the only good way to foster a community in the near future.

GW – Have you taken any birding trips out of state?
BW - I’ve gone to the North Woods in Minnesota, Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico twice, North Myrtle Beach, the Outer Banks of NC many times, and I guess trips to KY and IN don’t really count because they are so close.

GW - If you could go anyplace in the world to see a bird, where would you go and what bird would you look for?
BW - If I’m picking from my alphabetized list, Alaska, any/all parts, just about any species.

GW – Have you attended any birding conventions or conferences, and if so, what were they?
BW - Unfortunately no, just bird club meetings.

GW - Besides the OYBC, what other organizations do you belong to?
BW - Cincinnati Bird Club, Oxbow Inc.

GW - Where do you go to school?
BW – I just graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, OH.

GW - Do you plan to go to college, and if so, where?
BW - Morehead State University in Morehead, KY.

GW - Do you have a job?
BW - Little Miami Canoe rental, kind of doing whatever they need.

GW - What is your dream job?
BW - Something that is outside, involving natural history and/or environmental science.

GW - If your dream job isn’t related to birding, do you think you will still be a birder once you have your dream job?
BW - I probably always will be a birder.

GW - If so, what do you think having the hobby of birding will bring to your career?
BW - I really don’t know because I’m not entirely sure on a career yet.

GW – Do you have a favorite book, and if so, what is it?
BW - I don’t read as much as I should but probably Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

GW – Do you have a favorite movie, and if so, what is it and why?
BW - I don’t watch that many movies, but both Transformers movies are probably my favorites.

GW – What’s your favorite place to eat?
BW - Anywhere with good seafood.

GW - What are your favorite websites?
BW - Birding in Cincinnati, OYBC networking site, Facebook, the limitless information source known as Google, eBird, mostly birding sites.

GW - Do you have any pets, and if so, what are they?
BW - One dog, Toby.

GW - Do you volunteer anywhere?
BW - Well, I’m an Eagle Scout, so mostly wherever our troop is volunteering.

GW - Have you taken or taught any birding classes/courses?
BW - Not officially.

GW - Are you involved with any birding projects?
BW – Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II.

GW – Do you keep a life list, and, if so, how many birds are on it?
BW - 294, I hope to get 300 by the end of the year.

GW – Has becoming a member of the OYBC changed birding for you? If so, can you describe or explain how?
BW - Yes, before the OYBC, I only knew one person under the age of 18 who birded, and he was 3 years older than me and graduating at the time. Just in our corner of the state, I have met at least 5 people now. It’s great to know other young birders.

GW - Besides the monthly field trips and annual conference that we schedule, what else can the OYBC offer to their members?
BW - I haven’t really gone to any of the statewide field trips yet, so I don’t know what exactly has been done already, but I would enjoy more long-term (weekend or longer) field trips, within or out of the state.