MEET KAITLIN SVABEK!
Director of Communications, with the organization since June 2021
Kaitlin sits on a rock alongside Lost Creek Falls in Bayfield County (photo by Lesley Haven).
Hello there! My name is Kaitlin (they/them). I grew up poking around forest preserves in the southwest Chicago suburbs and wandering in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
After moving to Madison, I started volunteering with Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center, primarily assisting in rehabilitation of avian species. Loving this, I started traveling to more outdoor places, especially birdy ones. Taking a trip to the Platte River in early spring 2018 to see the Sandhill Crane migration really changed the way I saw birds, and the world. It led me to join some projects I might not have otherwise, including the first season of the Bird Collision Corps and local bird-banding.
I’m now a full-fledged bird nerd living on the east side of town with my spouse Oliver and our two greyhounds, Montag and Juniper. We love spending time outside: hiking, birding and photography, riding bikes, or most recently, dabbling in gardening native plants. When indoors, I’m trying out new recipes, partaking in some kind of arts and crafts, or playing games with friends.
Why did you want to join the team at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance?
While volunteering with SoWBA, I was so impressed with the work they were doing to make our city (and the state, and the world!) better for birds and other wildlife—it’s a dream to be able to help share these amazing stories!
Kaitlin holds a just-banded young Purple Martin (photo by Jackie Sandberg).
What's your favorite bird?
If you talk to anyone who has birded with me, they might tell you that I change my favorite every few minutes, which is a little bit true because all birds are kind of my favorite in some way or another. A few longtime favorites are crows and ravens, perhaps corvids generally. They are simply incredible . . . a family of crows lives in my neighborhood and their behavior is fascinating. Of course, Sandhill Cranes will always have a special place in my heart.
Name your top three favorite outdoor places.
A Southern Cassowary known affectionately as Big Bertha in the Daintree (photo by Kaitlin Svabek).
To choose just three is tough! Okay, I’ll say one of my classic Madison spots is Governor’s Island, a small trail loop with great birding and plenty of gorgeous sights and sounds. I spent a foggy morning at Namekagon Barrens earlier this year, and I can’t wait to visit again. Pretty far outside of here is the Daintree Rainforest, just so absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced that I’ll never forget it.
Share something cool you've learned since joining the team.
Working alongside fellow nature lovers is the best because we can geek out about cool science stuff all the time. I don’t think a work day goes by where I don’t exclaim “THAT’S SO COOL!” in response to something new I’ve learned.
Since joining the team, I’ve participated in so much joy: that electric moment when a banded kestrel is released by hand and rockets towards the sky, the gasp when a monarch butterfly is caught in a net to be tagged, and especially the “oh! what’s that!” when a beginning birder spots a new bird on an outing. And even more, I’m immensely grateful that our team is working each day to make these joys accessible to everybody.
Cover image: Sandhill cranes fly through a dusky sky during their migration through the Platte River region in March 2018 (photo by Kaitlin Svabek).
