MEET KATIE-PING WOODS!
Katie-Ping Woods smiles while walking down a marshy reed-lined boardwalk with her cane. (Photo courtesy of Katie-Ping)
Hi! My name is Katie-Ping Woods. I am a professional fiddler and love going on long walks in nature. I really enjoy listening to birds and trying to identify them by their songs and calls. I have been blind since birth, so hearing the birds and smelling various plants helps me experience the beauty of natural areas.
I was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1984 and my native language was Mandarin Chinese, which is very tonal. My mom adopted me in 1987. We moved to Brooklyn, Wisconsin so she could work as a veterinary pathologist at the Wisconsin State Diagnostic Lab. She taught me a lot about animal science; I also attended the Institute for the Blind in Janesville and Oregon Public Schools.
In 2005, we moved to a farm where my mom and sister built a large, beautiful log cabin. We had horses, a llama, goats, and chickens as well as lots of dogs, pet birds, and cats. Sadly, my mom passed away in February 2020. I now live with one of my sisters and her husband.
My musical journey began when I was 5 years old. I wanted to play the violin, but my fingers were not strong enough. My mom created a pretend violin from a crackerjack box so I could learn how to hold the instrument and strengthen my fingers for a real violin. I had excellent teachers. As I got older, I heard the Cajun Strangers and decided that I wanted to play that kind of folk, bluegrass, and Cajun music. I play the fiddle in bands called the Glacial Drifters and Max 3.
What is your ‘spark story’—how you first got into birding?
My spark moment occurred in the Boundary Waters in 1991 when I was seven years old. My mom took our family and some friends camping at Horseshoe Lake so we could broaden our horizons in a beautiful place. The whippoorwills and the loons really caught my interest, especially the whippoorwills because they are in the Nightjar family of nocturnal birds (which also includes nighthawks). I also enjoyed hearing water birds in the Rallidae family, especially the soras and Virginia rails. I think my love of bird songs is consistent with my love of music, and may have a basis in my melodic first language.
If you could encounter any bird in the world, what would it be?
I would really love to find some marsh wrens because they have a really neat sound. It’s a descending trill that’s fun to hear. When I had my tonsillectomy when I was seven, my mom got me a tape of natural night sounds, including marsh wrens, loons, rails, and spring peeper frogs.
Favorite places to bird?
My family’s farm in Brooklyn, the Lake Wingra shoreline near Edgewood College, and the Boundary Waters are my favorite places to listen for birds. Other places I have enjoyed visiting recently include Pheasant Branch, Picnic Point, Brooklyn Wildlife Area, Governor Nelson State Park, Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Hoyt Park, UW Arboretum, Governor Dodge, Devil’s Lake, and Blue Mounds.
What advice would you share with new birders?
The audio book Birding by Ear taught me a lot about birds and their vocalizations. I recommend that new birders try to go camping so they can listen for birds at different times in the same place, comparing which species are more vocal at night or during the day. Mnemonics are also very helpful.
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: A marsh wren calls out from its perch on a cattail. (Photo by Arlene Koziol)
