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Wendy Paulson has volunteered her expertise to the Conservancy for over 20 years as a board member, trustee and naturalist. Paulson became interested in birding during the 1970s when as residents of the Washington, DC-area she and her husband, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. “Hank” Paulson Jr., began watching bird at places such as the Potomac River Gorge. Paulson is now leading bird walks for the Conservancy in the greater Washington, DC area. She recently took time to speak about her passion for bird watching, environmental education and the Potomac Gorge.
You led bird walks in New York City’s Central Park for the Conservancy for years. Now you’re leading bird walks in the Potomac Gorge. How do the two sites compare?
Odd as it may seem, Central Park is a birder’s paradise because it’s a migrant trap. It’s the one place that birds passing over New York City can come down and refuel, rest and take off again. In the space of two hours you can see an incredible number of species. It’s more challenging in the gorge because it’s wider area. At the same time, the advantage there is the area is much wilder and there’s more natural habitat, so you end up seeing things you wouldn’t see in Central Park.
Describe your most rewarding bird watching experiences.
There are just so many. I think of a peregrine falcon I was watching bathe in a little tidal pool on the Assateague Seashore with snow geese in the background. That was a really sublime kind of viewing experience. Just the other day hiking near the Rockies I came across a flock of red crossbills bathing in a little mountain stream. I guess the common denominator is bathing events. You get to watch birds come and go instead of chasing them.
Another especially memorable experience was when I was in Panama in late October and I was supposed to be taking a tour of Panama Canal, but I was riveted by the sky because there were literally millions of raptors going ahead.
What concerns you most about the status of bird populations and the habitats they rely on?
Clearly, the loss of habitat—and the sense that we ignorantly or knowingly destroy the places that they need to live. Birds are such an affirmation of vitality, beauty and diversity. As bird populations decline, so does the richness of life on Earth.
When you lead bird walks, what’s the one message that you hope other birders gain from being in the field with you?
I try not to be too didactic because I really want people to enjoy the experience. My greatest objective is to motivate learning. My hope is that the learning will lead to an appreciation of birds, of the habitat and places that they need to survive and, ultimately, to an active participation in conservation efforts.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): © Mark Godfrey/TNC (Wendy Paulson (on left) leads a birding tour along the Potomac River); © Dave Spier (Yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia)); © Mark Godfrey/TNC (Wendy Paulson looks for birds in the early morning on Theodore Roosevelt Island).
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