About Becky Vogel

I’ve always loved birds. As a kid, I was fascinated by the cardinals and blue jays flying around my yard, and the robins searching for worms. As a Girl Scout, I helped a local wildlife ranger band birds. Now I have one squirrel- proof seed feeder, one thistle feeder, a suet feeder, and a hummingbird feeder in my yard. I buy the expensive bird seed that doesn’t contain millet to deter house sparrows. 

My spark bird was the rose-breasted grosbeak. While hiking, I noticed one singing merrily in a tree and watched it for 10 minutes or so. As soon as I got home, I flipped through my “Birds of Ohio” book to identify it. Now, I have two copies of The Sibley Guide to Birds- one in my car and one on my bookshelf! 

In 2016, on a trip to the Grand Canyon Canyon September, I stumbled onto a hawk watch by chance. Volunteers were counting hawks as they migrated south for the winter. I’d never heard of such a thing before. Now, I notice the increased numbers of turkey vultures and red tailed hawks sailing past every fall.

I also enjoy photographing birds. Again, I’m still learning about this fascinating aspect of birdwatching. In 2018, locals spotted a snowy owl unusually far south- about an hour away from my house. I drove to see it and out of all the birders there, I definitely had the lowest powered binoculars and smallest zoom lens on my camera.