MEET ASHLEY & ROMAN POMMERENING!
Ashley Pommerening and her children at Horicon Marsh (photo courtesy of Ashley).
I am a mom of two and love spending time with my children outdoors. We like to explore new parks and birdwatch. My son, Roman became interested in birds when he was around 4 years old. He aspires to be an ornithologist someday. This past fall, we attended our first birding event with the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin. Roman instantly connected with the other birders. It is amazing to see the joy and excitement that can come with a simple walk through the woods.
What is your ‘spark story’—how you Both got into birding?
Roman first got interested in birds from a birdwatching lesson in his preschool class. I bought him a kid's guide to North American birds. It quickly became his favorite book. His main hobby became reading bird field guides and he started to identify birds in our yard and neighborhood. Roman sparked my interest in birding. We would take walks to Stricker's Pond in Madison, where we spotted our first Red Breasted Merganser along with a lot of other bird species like Green Herons and Purple Martins.
If you could encounter any bird in the world, what would it be?
Roman has hopes of finding an Ivory Billed Woodpecker one day, even though it was just declared extinct this past year. I would like to see a Painted Bunting.
Favorite places to bird?
Stricker's Pond, Horicon Marsh, and UW Arboretum.
Roman birding (photo by Ashley).
What advice would you share with new birders?
Roman's advice is to start with the Stokes Field Guide to Birds of North America which also has a CD with the bird calls. If you want to learn by flight pattern start with Red-tailed Hawk, American Robins, and Blue Jays. Those are some of the easiest species to identify while they are in flight. My advice is to slow down and take a look outside. I have been amazed to see the variety of birds in our own backyard!
Remember, birding is for everyone! Know someone (maybe you!) who’d like to be featured in our Meet a Birder series? Send an email to Kaitlin at ksvabek@madisonaudubon.org.
Cover image: Two Red-breasted Mergansers float on a lake at sunset. (Photo via Pixabay)
