Artist Turned Naturalist Deepens Appreciation for Birds at ID Workshop

By Guest Blogger Jose Barrientos

I have always had a fascination with birds, growing in Arandas, Jalisco Mexico my Abuelito kept many birds, he fed them, cared for them and I would help him with his daily tasks. But later in life, birds became part of my art inspiration, birds were my subjects and my muses but it was last year that I really started to learn and to be able to identify, both visually and auditorily, many species of birds.

When my family and I moved to the states we ... 

​moved to Amarillo, Texas, and we didn't really participate in many outdoor activities besides hiking the Palo Duro Canyon on 100 degree days as a high school field trip. It wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties that I started hiking and camping with my girlfriend (now wife of many years) who had grown up as a Girl Scout. She was the one who really introduced me to the outdoors. Over the years, I have taken it upon myself to continue to learn and participate in the outdoors, so much so that I have changed my career path.

My background is in art so I find the patterns and colors of birds fascinating. Before diving into a career in the outdoors, I was a designer/art director for over 16 years, working for many local advertising and design studios around the Denver Area and I have been working on some type of art medium pretty much all of my life. I love design and art but I wanted to try something different where I could make an impression on other people's perception of who and how one should interact with the outdoors. I am bringing my passion for art into the outdoors with plein-air painting and nature journaling. I am also halfway through a Park Ranger Certificate with a focus on Nature Resource Interpretation, and this season I am working as a Park Ranger for Boulder County.

Taking the Bird ID class taught by Alvaro Jaramillo was really great. I had just taken a Naturalist Certification course through my college and the workshop added some really great insights. One thing that really blew my mind was the idea of learning how to identify birds by shapes and silhouettes and not to rely on colors. That was my favorite part. I want to thank the donors for providing funds for these scholarships and also SFBBO for putting together this great program and classes. I hope to participate in many more.
 
Jose Barrientos attends Red Rocks Community College and is working on a Park Ranger Certificate for Park Ranger Natural Resource Interpretation.