Derek Lovitch is concerned in lots of bird-related actions: As a biologist, the creator of a number of birding books, a chook information, and the proprietor of a retail retailer for birders in Maine. Consequently, our interview with him covers many various facets of birding. Right here goes:
You’re concerned in various bird- and birding-related actions. Are you able to briefly describe them for us?
If it has to do with birds, we’re most likely concerned one way or the other! Firstly, my spouse, Jeannette, and I run an impartial yard birding and nature retailer, Freeport Wild Chook Provide. It’s extra of a “nature heart” type store, with a big feeding station and native plant backyard that has amassed a strong yard checklist for the facet of a busy freeway. Beneath the umbrella of the shop is my tour guiding enterprise, which generally entails being employed by different teams, however principally entails working with native enterprise companions and providing personal excursions and personal guiding choices. The shop – and our model as a complete – serves because the car for our work in chook and birding advocacy and conservation. I additionally write about birds.
Roughly how a lot time do you spend on every of those?
I’m afraid that if I quantify it, I’ll understand how a lot I work, and it’ll make me query an excessive amount of! However the retailer is the most important proportion of our time total, though I’m greater than a full-time information for a lot of Might, June, and infrequently July.
And which of them do you want finest? Which a part of your birding life is essentially the most tedious?
That’s a very good query, and one which’s tough to reply as every little thing is so intertwined. And I suppose it relies upon. I like it when I’ve an incredible, rewarding guiding expertise the place the shopper learns greater than they ever anticipated to and finds pleasure in all issues birding. It’s exhausting to not like conservation and advocacy successes, however on the identical time, the failures are painful, and among the fights could be tedious (how are we nonetheless arguing with an environmental heart about reflective, bird-killing glass, for instance?).
After all, any job – whether or not retail or guiding or writing – could be tedious at instances. However total, I’ve such a diversified work life and routine that it retains life attention-grabbing on a regular basis. I undoubtedly discover boredom tedious.
Has your function as knowledgeable birder modified over time—are you spending extra time indoors (writing, operating a retailer) than within the discipline, and the way do you’re feeling about that shift?
The one purpose I’m spending extra time indoors today is that we constructed a home that was designed for us to spend our mornings sipping our bird-friendly espresso overlooking a pond, gardens, and our feeding station. With 100% bird-safe glass, we are able to observe birds from the consolation of our residence with out placing them in danger. It’s working nice … perhaps too properly, as a result of there are some mornings I’ve bother leaving the chair.
As our enterprise has grown, I do spend extra time on the retailer and guiding, so the one main change is that I’ve discovered myself spending much less time birding alone, and for myself. I’m engaged on restoring that steadiness.
Together with your spouse, you run a wild chook retailer. Are you able to briefly clarify what this implies and what the shop presents? Frankly, I’ve by no means been to a chook retailer and assume many readers (notably outdoors of the US) haven’t any clear concept what a wild chook retailer is.
Image a nature heart inside a feed retailer, and also you mainly have what we’re. Chook seed, suet, and different feeds are the most important a part of our enterprise, adopted by the anticipated feeders, {hardware}, birdhouses, and so forth. We even have a big number of items, books, and optics. Shops fluctuate, however due to our design and model, most individuals see us extra like a nature heart to come back to for experience than only a place to select up birdseed … or no less than we hope they do.
What are the most important challenges of maintaining a specialty chook retailer thriving for 20 years?
Our first location was burned down by a junkie robbing the physician’s workplaces above us. Then there was the Nice Recession. After which COVID. And now, there are sometimes-crippling tariffs and all types of uncertainties. To date, now we have made it by every of them by being adaptable and by working our butts off. And, now we have come out of every problem stronger and as a greater enterprise.
After all, the challenges of simply discovering the proper merchandise, maintaining prices down for the buyer, and paying payments won’t ever finish, no matter circumstances. However such is the life of each small enterprise.
Are you able to inform us about developments noticed whereas operating your retailer for 20 years now? For instance, what birders ask for extra today, and what’s much less well-liked.
If we stick with “birders” per se, it’s been the decline in e-book – particularly discipline information – gross sales. This isn’t an enormous problem for our backside line, but it surely’s simply so disheartening. Subject guides achieve this a lot an app can ever do, educate a lot extra, and end in extra and faster skill-building. I exploit apps – I’m not in any respect a Luddite – however I believe it’s clear that good discipline guides make for higher birders a lot faster.
As for the “yard birdwatcher” to attract a man-made dichotomy, the most important change has been the curiosity in bird-feeder cameras that take a photograph and allegedly determine the chook for you. We lastly discovered a model to hold within the retailer that has extra of what we like and fewer of what we don’t like about them, however nonetheless, our mission is to be much less about know-how and extra about observing and having fun with nature. That’s an uphill battle within the fashionable world.
How do you see the function of impartial chook shops – to what extent are they threatened by apps and/or massive retailers?
Massive retailers won’t ever present the customer support and the data that we are able to as small retailers. We don’t promote merchandise due to the deal we negotiated for decrease costs; we promote the most effective merchandise we are able to discover. You may discover one thing on-line for much less, however there’s at all times a catch, and infrequently, like with optics which have “minimal marketed costs,” we promote these high quality merchandise for the very same quantity any licensed supplier can promote them for, whether or not on-line or in individual. I believe the “web is at all times cheaper” delusion must die.
Retailer Backyard
What do you take pleasure in most about guiding birders in Maine, and what do you discover most difficult?
Definitely, essentially the most difficult factor I do is attempt to present folks Bicknell’s Thrush! May that chook make a information’s life tougher? Though there are some days/excursions through which Spruce Grouse will give them a run for his or her cash.
I most benefit from the “a-hah” moments of a birder once they “get it,” like how simple Roseate Tern turns into to select up on one’s personal after solely a modicum of steerage. However much more satisfying is when a budding birder begins getting it – even that first second of utilizing binoculars accurately and seeing a chook properly for the primary time.
Increasingly more, my guiding focuses on creating connections – birds, habitat, ecology, conservation – and common pure historical past, the place we have a look at every little thing from crops to bugs to birds. What I’ve discovered essentially the most difficult of late is the “tick and run” when somebody sees a sought-after chook simply lengthy sufficient to enter it into their telephone. To every their very own, and I by no means criticize folks having completely different targets than I in birding – good for them! – it’s simply not my factor.
If you happen to may take visiting birders to only one place in Maine, the place would it not be, and why?
Monhegan Island, 12 miles off the mid-coast of Maine. Palms down, no thought wanted! You don’t have anything to do however stand up early and have a look at no matter birds are round, be they migrants, vagrants, or residents. You’re surrounded by birds and birders, and folks looking each nook and cranny. “Rarity Fever” runs rampant, the place each subsequent chook is perhaps a Mega, and the creativeness and adrenaline hold you going. This small island is a birder colony for a few weeks in Might and September, which is unmatched wherever within the US, particularly when coupled with the shortcoming to drive some place else, and paired with the charms and wonders of the island itself. It’s actually exhausting to explain aside from “particular.”
What’s one chook in Maine you’re feeling deserves extra consideration than it normally will get?
This was a difficult query for me, as I actually need to reply “all of them.” And the reality is, there is no such thing as a chook that any birder, no matter talent stage, doesn’t want extra time studying from, having fun with, learning, and observing for the sake of observing. My motto is we “must put the watching again in chook watching”, and so let’s take note of every little thing, on a regular basis.
But when I needed to choose one chook proper now, I might most likely reply Saltmarsh Sparrow. I usually assume folks ought to respect sparrows extra -the refined magnificence, the complexity, the quantity of various shades of brown that exist! – however this beautiful little chook lives a captivating life, is extremely imperiled, and we’re fortunate to – for now – have quick access to them, their relative, the Nelson’s, and sure, hybrids thereof!
It appears you usually chook and information together with your spouse. Do you could have one thing like a hard and fast job cut up? For instance, most images in your latest weblog posts are credited to your spouse?
My spouse, Jeannette, solely joins me on just a few choose excursions the place I want an additional set of eyes or a big group can use assist getting on birds (like night American Woodcock packages). In any other case, she’d reasonably be birds on her personal! I’m additionally louder. However she’s a wonderful photographer and much superior to me in that regard – to the extent that I by no means carry a digicam when I’m along with her; she’ll do it higher anyway.
You’ve gotten printed two books up to now (Birdwatching in Maine: The Full Web site Information, 2017 and 2024; Learn how to be a Higher Birder, 2012) – what was completely different in engaged on these two?
The experiences had been very completely different. I used to be so clueless when writing Learn how to Be a Higher Birder, and reasonably overwhelmed. I had no concept that they had been going to ship my early draft to a reviewer earlier than somebody who knew grammar would make it presentable!
By the point I started work on Birdwatching in Maine, I felt like I understood the method and was way more organized, ready, and with a definitive imaginative and prescient I wished to execute.
“Learn how to Be a Higher Birder” is a reasonably daring title—what do you assume most birders get incorrect, or overlook, that holds them again?
By far essentially the most difficult factor for me, whether or not it’s an article or a e-book, is the title. It’s important to pack a lot info into only a few phrases; brevity will not be my forte! I had lengthy, very constructive and academic conversations with my wonderful editor, Robert Kirk, at Princeton College Press in regards to the title. I keep in mind we selected this collectively. The thought was we wished to focus on “intermediate” birders who already self-defined as a “birder,” however simply wished to get higher. I tried to elucidate the ideas that made the “nice birders” appear nice; skill-building on prime of already-perceived abilities. Curiously, I’ve since come to study that newer, extra newbie birders have gotten essentially the most out of it…they haven’t realized “incorrect” but, and whereas some matters are over their heads, they’re extra open-minded to ideas and methods that may yield larger success down the street.
I believe what holds again essentially the most birders is the insistence on memorizing a small suite of minute discipline marks that generally result in an identification (and are undoubtedly essential to us all when first getting began), however then by no means construct from there. They search for element x after which don’t have a look at the remainder of the chook. In different phrases, most birders merely don’t LOOK at birds sufficient, lengthy sufficient, and thoroughly sufficient, particularly the frequent ones we take with no consideration -every single chook statement is one thing to show us about that chook that we are able to use later to be a greater birder, and even only for the sake of enjoyment.
You even have a really detailed weblog (Maine Birding Subject Notes) – what function do you see running a blog enjoying at the moment, now that a lot chook dialog occurs on social media?
That’s an incredible query. I exploit my weblog for tour reviews as a result of it’s a handy repository for that. It’s nice to have one place for folks to go to get the chook checklist from their latest tour (when relevant), or get the actual story of the tour – not only a sterile guidelines. It’s fantastic for these individuals to recollect and reinforce their expertise, but in addition, I try to appeal to individuals who actually need to study extra, on a full immersive expertise, and so for me, a guidelines is simply a small a part of the data that’s desired.
In order that’s the “enterprise” finish. My “Week’s Highlights” are supposed to add some synthesis and context to sightings, which is generally misplaced on the earth of social media chook reviews, but in addition helps arrange my ideas, my numbers, and acts as a backup journal.
It additionally provides content material to maintain folks engaged, particularly in between photo-laden tour reviews and between the actually well-liked posts, like my annual uncommon chook predictions weblog or my synthesis of feeder chook exercise.
Total, it additionally retains me writing about birds – particularly when I’m not engaged on some mission – which I just do merely take pleasure in.
