DALE WENGER

Dale Wenger

Naturalist

I became interested in birds after a four day “introduction to birds” course I took in college. It was on that very first outing that I noticed sparrows were more than just little brown birds. As I looked at a Savannah Sparrow through binoculars for the first time, I noticed the bright yellow area above and in front of the eyes. “Could these little brown things really have such beauty” I thought to myself. As the thought sunk in another awakening came. Off in the distance an unfamiliar bugling sound appeared from thin air. Sandhill Carnes! a bird that until this moment was not even in my mind. Three of these majestic birds flew over the treeline and landed right in the corn field in front of us. The combination of their ethereal sound mixed with this rustic little sparrow set in motion a brand new direction to my life. For the first time I was actually aware of birds.

Since that first spring I have spent much of my time watching, listening to and reading about birds. I make an annual spring trip to Point Pelee each year to embrace the spectacle of migration and make a habit of watching the birds in my local patches. 

I have worked as a guide in Algonquin Provincial Park, led bird walks for the Muskoka Conservancy and taken part in several Christmas Bird Counts among other bird surveys. I am a member of the Muskoka Field Naturalists, the Huntsville Nature Club and Ontario Field Ornithologists.

It is my goal to share my passion for birds and all things nature with people. Both to educate and inspire. It is my belief that birds connect us all. No boarders, no fences. Anyone who looks up long enough will see a bird.