Student Explores the Wonder of Winter Sparrows

By Guest Blogger Alex Cho

​I am an avid sixteen-year-old birder living in the Bay Area.  I began paying attention to birds over a decade ago, but really started birding when I was eight after picking up a bird guide at my local bookstore. I attempted to make my own bird guide, which was quite a challenge for an eight-year- old.  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out like a Sibley’s Bird Guide.  Since then, birding has been a passion for me.  

​Today, birding has become a family affair.  My family ...

​and I explore many different areas looking for birds, and appreciate to be able to enjoy the outdoors.

As I have only been living in the Bay Area for close to five years, I am still discovering new places and bird species, behaviors, and patterns. That is why I was excited to attend SFBBO’s Winter Sparrows Workshop with Alvaro Jaramillo. Alvaro is a world-renowned ornithologist with many accomplishments; probably too many to list! I have attended some other workshops led by Alvaro, and I always learn so much.  He is a great teacher and explains things in a very relatable way that is easy to understand and allows me to connect them to real world situations. One of the things that I wanted to learn about was the different types of sub-species of White-crowned Sparrows seen in the Bay Area, which Alvaro clearly explained. He broke it down in a way that was easy to understand. I have been out in the field since the workshop and can now identify them much better! It has been so much fun to put what I had learned into practice.  I also learned about the two different types of White-throated Sparrow (a tan-striped morph and a white-striped morph), which I did not know about before the workshop. Alvaro also covered several winter sparrows in his webinar, which further expanded my knowledge of these magnificent birds. Because of the workshop, I have become more familiar with our local sparrows, and have found a new appreciation for them. 
 
I was fortunate enough to attend this workshop through a scholarship offered by SFBBO with the help from generous donors. I am very grateful to have been selected for the scholarship, and I would like to say, “Thank You!”  I look forward to attending many more workshops and learning more about my favorite things: conservation and birds!

Alex Cho is a sixteen-year-old avid birder living in the Bay Area. He has been birding for over eight years and is an active member of several organizations including Los Angeles Birders, Western Field Ornithologists, North American Nature Photography Association in addition to several local Audubon societies. Although birding is his passion, he is very interested in conservation as well.  To this end, he has participated in several bird surveys, conservation work involving California Condors and Western Bluebirds, and has presented on various topics related to birds.  Alex hopes to study ornithology and use his knowledge to help birds in our rapidly changing world.  Aside from birds and conservation, he is a fervent pianist, which he has been doing for over a decade.