Compiled by Rachel Hudson
The Black Hills Audubon Board just welcomed in three new members! We warmly welcome Carla Miller, Mark McKechnie, and Victoria Legg to the Board. Each of these lovely people bring a fun story to the table, and here is a bit of their background:
Birding came easily to Carla Miller, as her mother was also a birder. Spending 5 years in Northwestern Alaska sparked her birding spirit when she wanted to identify the shorebirds there, and learn “why the Arctic Terns were dive bombing” her on the beach. She has lived in this area for nearly 30 years now. For the last 20 years, she has been involved with BHAS field trips and programs, and after she helped set up for the meetings about 4 years ago, she became the Hospitality Chair for BHAS. Her favorite birds are Brown Creepers and Nuthatches, because she “admire(s) their ability to scamper up and down tree trunks”.
Mark McKechnie’s story with birding begins with a trip to Costa Rico in 2012. A lifelong photographer born in Ohio, he noticed all the brightly colored birds on that trip and began photographing them. On a return trip there, he sought out the birds specifically with a birding guide, who impressed him with his prowess at locating and identifying the birds around them. In 2018 he moved to Olympia for the second time in his life, after having lived in Portland for 20 years after his first stay in Olympia, and there he was able to rekindle his love for wild birds in the woods and watersheds around his new home. After joining National Audubon and learning that makes one a member of the local chapters, he looked into Black Hills and enjoyed what he saw with BHAS’s outreach and resources. He has many favorite birds to photograph, including raptors in flight, warblers, and hard to find birds such as Bitterns and Green Herons.
New to the Pacific Northwest, Victoria Legg just moved to Olympia in April 2019 after living and serving her community in the Bay Area in California. By moving here, she is able to be closer to her daughter and her daughter’s family. She has always been interested in birds and has enjoyed watching their behavior, but just started pursuing birding more intently after her son took it up, and is focusing more on birding upon her arrival here. She enjoys attending the Wednesday Walks at Nisqually and learned of our Board through reading the Echo.
We are pleased to welcome these three wonderful souls onto our Board!
