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Pat Aitken is a native Long Islander who remembers having her first birding experience when she was three or four and her mother showed her a Brown Thrasher. Read on and learn more about Pat, her birding, and her work with NYSOA and other environment-friendly projects and organizations.
How long have you been a NYSOA member?
“I first got involved with NYSOA in 2013, when Seth Ausubel invited me to help organize the conference which was being held on Long Island that year, and I’ve been a member ever since.”
What positions have you held in the organization (and for how long)?
“My role in the conference was to manage the database that we set up to handle registrations for the conference and the events and walks associated with it. Shortly after that, I was asked to assume the responsibility for the membership records for NYSOA, and I’ve been doing that ever since.”
What is it about NYSOA that keeps you involved?
“Besides the people I’ve met through being involved with NYSOA, I recognize the important role NYSOA has in providing leadership to the affiliated bird clubs and societies statewide, compiling and sharing all manner of scientific observations, and serving as the record keeper of bird sightings in the state.”
How long have you been birding?
“My mother introduced me to birding and the natural world. She never had binoculars, nor did she ever regard herself as a birder. To her, knowing birds and being part of nature was an integral part of life. My earliest memory of birding was having her point out a Brown Thrasher to me in Shu Swamp. I might have been three or four. Through the years, I’ve continued to observe birds, but raising children and work prevented me from getting out the way I would have liked. I began birding consistently in about 2011.”
Did you have a particular experience that hooked you on birding?
“Not one special incident, but I will never forget the thrill I experienced in 1992, seeing a Painted Bunting in Tiffany Creek Preserve. At the time, I didn’t know who or how to report it! This of course was long before the internet and forums.”
What is your favorite place to go birding in NYS?
“I can’t name just one! Here on Long Island, Jones Beach is definitely a favorite. Shu Swamp and Oyster Bay are favorites, since they are where I grew up and where I was first introduced to birding. Dune Road and the Shinnecock Canal can be very rewarding, and are always beautiful, especially the marshes with their fall colors. Upstate, Spring Pond Bog and Paul Smith’s Visitor Center are always favorite places to visit. I have family in Potsdam, and I enjoy exploring the Adirondack birding sites when I am visiting them.”
Favorite species?
“I could say ‘the one I am looking at right now.’ Ospreys are definitely in my top ten, because to me they are the true harbingers of spring here on Long Island and their recovery from near extinction is an inspiration and a reminder that nature will prevail, if given a chance.”
Is anyone else in your family a birder as a result of your interest?
“Not yet, but I have hopes to bring a couple of them into the fold! I definitely get a lot of ‘what is this’ pictures from my friends and family.”
What do you do for a living?
“I am the Coordinator for the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee. The Committee is an intermunicipal affiliation which engages in projects to protect the water quality in the Peconic Estuary. Lately, I have been spending a lot of time talking about septic systems! Previously, I worked as an environmental planner, and was the Executive Director of Friends of the Bay, in Oyster Bay.”
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