MEET ZACHARY PICKETT!
Zach wears a red Wisconsin Badgers shirt and has binoculars around his neck, leaning against a wooden railing. In the background is a sparkling pond and a gray sky with dark puffy clouds.
Hi, I’m Zach! I was adopted at the age of four months old and welcomed into the arms of my American parents in upstate New York. My mom knew from my interest in native plant gardening that I would want to do something environment-related when I grew up. Wisconsin became my home in 2010 when I became a Badger at UW-Madison, a place where my interest in environmental education was rekindled. To this day, I hold to the saying "Mother knows best" as the world of birding took me in a direction that slowed down my pace, altered my thought process, and inspired my curiosity on a whole different level.
What is your ‘spark story’—how you first got into birding?
Enrolling in a senior-year capstone class at UW had a twofold effect on my endeavors as a student. First, it gave me some footing when walking alongside middle school students, which I would later continue to enjoy in areas of ministry. Second, it gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation for birds. Birding with the class—or for homework—became a therapeutic team-building exercise: brave the unknowns of the world, go out, and look for whatever is there on any given day. We learned about behavioral cues, basic identification skills, and what it meant to stop and listen. I look back to this class as a springboard into the world of birding and how venturing out each time is always something new.
If you could Encounter any bird in the world, what would it be?
I would love to see the Bare-Throated Tiger-Heron.
Favorite places to bird?
Top three are Stricker's Pond, Oregon Rotary Trail, Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park.
The silhouette of a Great Gray Owl perched in a tree stands out against a colorful pink, orange, and purple sunrise on a winter morning at Sax-Zim Bog; photo by Kaitlin Svabek.
What is the best piece of birding advice you’ve heard?
When my buddy and I were looking for Great Gray Owls up at Sax-Zim Bog in January 2021, a veteran birder and guide honed our focus in looking for something that didn't belong in the background and keeping all sets of eyes open in every direction. The amount of care and attention to detail when scoping for them proved to be much use in searching for other birds that liked to not be seen.
Unsuccessful chases and failures to see what I wanted always come up. But I am reminded every time that there are no guarantees and every birding moment is still enjoyable no matter who shows up. The invitation to grab the binocs, keep searching, and engage in the wonder of birds never stops coming.
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 Blue Jay sits on a curved metal perch (via Pixabay).
