ON THE ROAD WITH ORNITHOLOGY
The first time that I noticed birds (I mean noticed them with interest—I wasn’t living in a bird-free world until this point), I was around nine years old. I was on a four-month adventure with my parents and sisters, living out of a Jayco travel trailer that we pulled around the perimeter of Australia. In Kakadu, a tropical region of Australia’s northwest, my dad pointed out an azure kingfisher. It was small—smaller than my nine-year-old hand—and it was a jewel. Radiant blue feathers, a fluffy orange belly and white head markings made this little bird stand out against the red desert sand and dusty green foliage of Australia’s Top End. I was transfixed, watching the kingfisher survey the water
