Prominent Contributors to Bird Watching

Though the sport of birding is more a collaborative effort of many, there are a few people that stand out. 

These individuals have made various notable contributions to both the sport of birding as well as birding publications. These four have helped to increase the understanding and further the interest to many enthusiasts.  It has to be noted though that many have contributed to the world of birding, and that these mentioned individuals are just a few in a long list.

Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson was truly an inspiration to bird enthusiasts everywhere.  Peterson was born in Jamestown, New York in 1908. He went onto further his education at the Art Students League and National Academy of Design.  He then went on to teach school in Massachusetts. In 1904 when Peterson was only 26 years old, he wrote the first modern field guide titled "Field Guide to the Bird" which resulted in inspiring many enthusiasts. It actually sold out its first printing in the first week alone.

Peterson went on to either write or edit close to 50 books on the topic of nature in one form or another. Peterson revolutionized the modern bird guides with a sense of clarity and understanding that failed to exist before him. Peterson was awarded every kind of American award existing for his studies and literature in natural science, ornithology, and conservation. Not to mention all the other awards and diplomas presented to him from both within the United States and beyond. Many have described him as one of monumental significance in the promotion of all living creatures and nature.  Peterson died in 1996 while in his home in Connecticut.

Kenn Kaufman
Kenn Kaufman was born in 1954 in South Bend, Indiana.  Kaufman had a love of birds from the early age of six.  When he was sixteen he so loved the field of birding and was inspired by greats in the field such as Roger Tory Peterson that he withdrew from high school and began to travel North America in search of birds. In 1973 he set the precedent recording as many as 671 bird species in North America in as little as one year.  He was the first to complete such a feat.  He journey across North America encompassed around eighty thousand miles.  A detail of his journey is recorded in "Kingbird Highway."

Kaufman's main focus was on that of creating and expanding birding field guides.  A few pieces of his work include "Kaufman Focus Guides: Birds of North America"," Lives of American Birds", and "The Peterson Guide to Advanced Birding". In 1992 he was recognized by the
American Birding Association when he was awarded the Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Ornithology.

Phoebe Snetsinger
Phoebe Snetsinger was born in 1931 in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Snetsinger was an inspiration to many in the birding community. She is the first person to have seen over 8,000 species before she died. Her fascination of birding began in 1965 after observing a Blackburnian Warbler. Although interested, she did not begin to ardently pursue her birding fascination until 1981 when she was diagnosed with terminal melanoma.  Presented with the dire news, she chose continue living her life while fulfilling her passion for birding.

Snetsinger threw herself into her quest to observe as many birds as possible before her time was up.  She traveled all over the world while encountering all types of danger throughout her quest. It was during a birding trip in 1999 that Snetsinger was killed in a tragic car accident. During her travels she made it a habit to take notes of all her experiences as well as findings. After her death the book "Birding on Borrowed Time" was published in 2003 with accounts of Snetsinger's travels as well as her fight with an incurable illness.

Theodore A. Parker III
Theodore A Parker III was born in 1953 and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Parker became interested in bird watching while quite young, and at age 18 broke the record for observing more species of birds in one year that anyone else.  He went on to attend college at the University of Arizona where he continued his birding expeditions.  Parker had quite of skill when it came to identification, and quickly was deemed one of the best ornithologists around.

It's said that Parker had his own method when it came to birding that allowed him to expand his knowledge in both details and behavior. He was very generous with his knowledge and findings and regularly shared them with the birding community. Parker was killed in a plane crash in 1993 while in Ecuador.  He was truly a marvel to the birding community that contributed greatly to the growth and knowledge of birding and identification.

Without the skill, knowledge, and contributions of these individuals, the birding community might not be where it is today.  It's through the works of these people, as well as every other contributor in the birding community that has allowed the knowledge to grow in such massive proportions to where it is today.