But I was fortunate enough to be able to break the record and set an all-time high record for the state. And that was really cool.Īdditionally, outside of that sort of scientific project, I did do what's called a “big year.” I set out in 2020 to see the most species of birds possible in a given year in the state of Illinois, which required 52 weeks of focus and intense driving and stamina, et cetera. It was the first record confirmed of what is known as a Pacific-slope flycatcher. Long story short, ran the poop through a DNA sequencing project and actually was able to figure out what species it was and got published and helped contribute to the record of New York bird knowledge. And I collected the bird’s poop, put it in a bag, took it to a freezer. For those that aren't aware of what fecal samples are, the bird pooped. And though the bird was cooperating, there was no way that we would have actually been able to catch it, sequence its DNA, et cetera, but I opportunistically, I collected a sample from it. Unfortunately, though, it's a very difficult species to identify and often requires genetic material. ![]() I ran down to New York City to see a rare bird in Central Park and it was there. Over the last 12 years, I've worked on a variety of different projects through the avenues of birding. What are some highlights from your career in birding? ![]() The farthest I've traveled to see a bird is a tough question because I've both driven sometimes over 10 hours, one-way to see a bird, but I actually flew down to Tucson to go see, including a quetzal and a rare bird called a crescent chested warbler, and was able to see both, which was amazing. What’s the farthest you’ve traveled to see a bird? And it blew my mind and I realized that there were way more birds than I had ever recognized and started sort of honing in on that and was really fascinated by that and decided to dive in, buy a field guide and explore the birding world. And when I was about 13 years old, I actually saw this bird called a wood duck at North Pond, which is right near Latin, actually. But I never really had a bridge between the two that made sense to me. So Pokemon, cards, coins, you know, mini vinyl art figures, and all of that sort of compartmentalized on one side and then a passion for the outdoors was on the other. I began when I was really young having an interest in collections. Nathan Goldberg '14 I got involved in the birding world through a variety of different avenues. When I was about 13 years old, I actually saw this bird called a wood duck at North Pond, which is right near Latin actually. And we went snorkeling and played with dolphins and it was an amazing experience. My favorite Latin memory was probably going to Iceland or south Florida for Project Weeks. Listen to his adventures of traveling the country to spot some of the rarest species of birds. ![]() ![]() His "life list," which is the total number of birds seen in a lifetime, spans about 1,230 species. Nathan Goldberg '14 is a professional bird-watching tour guide for Red Hill Birding, a local bird-watching tour company based in Chicago.
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