I come from a long line of animal lovers, including birds.

When I was about 5 or 6, my grandmother was adopted by a neighborhood crow. I was too young to remember what prompted this interaction between feathered friend and my dear, animal-loving grandmother, but I recall her sadness one day when she shared her little black friend was no longer stopping by. Poe, as she called him, had been repeatedly chased off by smaller birds.

My grandmother was not the first ornithophile in the family. In 2004, in honor of my grandmother who passed away that January, my mother and I took a research trip to Penobscot and Hancock counties in Maine, stopping at various courthouses and archives to learn more about my grandmother’s Stanwood and Bursley ancestors. Mom was delighted when she learned of Cordelia Stanwood, an ornithologist in Ellsworth, Maine, whose homestead had preserved and was open to visitors. Cordelia was way ahead of her time, having never married. Instead, she spent her time outside in the fields, photographing and writing about various birds native to Maine.

My grandmother was also not the last of her line to cherish these creatures. My mom had a sun conure named Bogie, I raised parakeets for a time, but mostly I have enjoyed watching the birds at my backyard feeders. Recently I had some landscaping started in backyard and spend much time sitting and watching their curious ways.

Birds are definitely a part of my DNA.