By Carla Miller
If you notice a young lady draped in a camouflage coat and effortlessly balancing a heavy Nikon camera with a long disguised lens, you have found Rachel. A dedicated birder, she can blend in with young or old, creative photographers, or serious ornithologists. Whether counting swifts at the old elementary school in Chehalis or birding with the Black Hills Audubon Society, she always uses a camera with a unique cover. Look closely and you’ll see that she created a plastic lining with pieces of khaki green to keep the rain out, fool the birds, and save money. Rachel began birding with a camera at age 4 and has never made a switch to binoculars. As a youngster, she began birding with a pink camera made for a child. She wanted to remember her experiences and has opted for a camera ever since. Her ability to identify birds visually and through song seems to work even without traditional binoculars and a scope.
She rocks the serious and the fun at the same time. The camo coat suggests a nod to the traditional outdoors-person, but Rachel still manages to bring a touch of whimsy: a green and blue floral backpack and an “Annabelle hat” that harkens back to a talking calf from a movie in her youth. Her casual weekend style is apparent as her blue flannel shirt peeks out from her coat and blends with her cuffed jeans for a look that epitomizes “birding chic!”
Photos of Rachel by Carla Miller.
