AARON RUSAK

Aaron Rusak

Naturalist

I’ve had a love of birds all my life, with my early birding days starting at home looking at our feeders. My love for birds turned a little more academic when I took an Ornithology course at the University of British Columbia-Vancouver, where I graduated with a BSc. I spent many hours birding the endowment lands around campus and started to realize just how many birds were present. My interest turned to more of an obsession in 2017, when I saw my very first American Avocet. This was my ‘spark’ bird and ever since then, I’ve been birding any chance I get.

Though most of my birding has been focused in Ontario, I’ve also birded internationally. I’ve birded both South Korea and South Africa, as well as other parts of Canada. I completed a Muskoka Big Year in 2019, so much of my birding has been centered in Muskoka. On that big year, I identified 209 species and am currently tied for the Big Year record for Muskoka. I’ll be completing a Green Big Year in 2020, which aims to see the most species of birds using carbon-neutral methods. This should hopefully offset some of my carbon footprint from my previous Big Year.

Spending time outdoors birding is one of my favourite things to do. Henry Marsh in Bracebridge is my most frequented birding spot, with Coopers Falls Trail and Upjohn Nature Reserve being other places I love to bird. I hope to share my love of birds and the outdoors with everyone who tours with us.