Member profile: Judy Wilkinson
October 2018 – For over 30 years, Judy Wilkinson’s mornings at Birdcraft Sanctuary have started at dawn. That’s when she joins a group of volunteers three times a week in season to practice the time-honored research method of bird banding. After putting up nets, they’ll wait to collect the captured birds, record data from their rings, and release them unharmed.
For Judy, the reward is not only staying active. It’s experiencing the changes at Birdcraft that you only start to notice over time.
“It keeps me out. I’m a widow now and I just as soon stay home with my dog,” she said with a laugh. “I feel beholden to the whole program, so I make myself get up, go out, and open up the nets when it’s still dark. And it’s just worth it. I get to be with other people and I just keep learning. And I think that’s important, no matter what age you are—to keep at it.
“You notice a lot. The wildflowers—that’s a big part of Birdcraft, the beautiful plants. You notice that and different insects and bugs. One time we were there and we came around the corner and a [heron] had caught a fish and we didn’t realize there were fish in the pond. So that was pretty cool. And we’ve had wood ducks, which are pretty rare. And we had a Canada goose nesting on that little island in the pond. . . I feel it’s part of where I live. You just notice the changes and the different things happening. It’s a great place.
“I’d do anything I can to keep [Birdcraft] going because it’s very special. Not many places have a place like this.”
Why keep volunteering:
“I’m hooked! As soon as I didn’t go, they’d find some wonderful bird and I’d miss it. It’s sort of competitive in a way. I love to do it, even when you have to get up [early].”
Learning from fellow volunteers:
“Some people know more about birds than others and they impart a lot. A lot of the different people know different aspects of different birds. It’s a good learning experience. So I feel like I’m not sitting in the dust heap. It’s just good to not stop learning.”
Interview by Liz Acas.
