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After completing my ornithology class for my Junior year, I realized I had a real passion for birds. So when my enrolment for my Senior year came, I quickly signed up to be a part of the advanced ornithology class. Being apart of the class meant getting involved in our in-school aviary!

We had three different exhibits, each showing birds from different world continents. I was in charge of the African exhibit, which included finches, canaries, and a red-crested turaco. The Australian exhibit homed different breeds of rosellas and parrots. The last was the South American exhibit which housed two beautiful Scarlet Macaws, a sun conure, tucans, and a few smaller parrots.

The Exhibits

Being in the advanced ornithology class was an incredible experience that taught me so much about how to care for such beautiful animals. Being in charge of the African exhibit meant I cleaned it, interacted with the birds, and prepared their food. I cut up fresh fruits and vegetables every day, so these birds had the best diet around! It took a lot of work, but it was worth every bit of effort. I loved interacting with the birds and taking a step into their lives.

Texas

In the middle of my senior year, my teacher told all three of his ornithology classes about a birding trip he was putting together, which would be held in Texas. Going on a trip with students who shared my same interest sounded like a dream. However, he would only be able to bring 20 students along, and I just knew I had to be one of them.

I went to all the teacher’s meetings about this trip and even got a job at Petco just so I could afford the trip. After about a month or so, the list of students chosen to go was posted. I was thrilled when I found out I was one of them. I saved all the money I could and was completely ready to leave at the end of the school year.

Four days after graduation, I was in Texas. My teacher had loaned me a Nikon Coolpix B600 for the trip. I was incredibly grateful for him allowing me to bring it with so I could take pictures of the birds we found. It was my first time ever using a camera, and it was amazing.

I moved from Arizona to Utah in the summer of 2019. It wasn’t an easy transition starting my sophomore year in High School in a completely new area with completely new people. Finding friends was difficult, and honestly, all of my classes were very boring. As the year was coming to a close, I was ready to sign up for my Junior year classes.

I was determined to find a class that would be less boring than the year of school I had just had. I began looking through the classes I could take to see if anything caught my eye. As I was searching, the word “ornithology” popped up on the page. I had no idea what the word even meant, so I looked it up. Across the screen of my phone, I read, “The scientific study of birds.”

Ornithology

Growing up, my family loved animals! At different times in my life, we ranged from having anything from frogs to horses and everything in between. But of all the animals we had, I particularly liked the birds, which included cockatiels, lovebirds, conures, and parakeets. They were some of my favorites to hold and watch throughout the day.

As soon as I read what ornithology was, I couldn’t resist. I signed up immediately and hoped there would be an opening in the class that was filling up fast! As each day passed, I found myself thinking about the class. I began looking into what the class would entail, and I couldn’t wait! As the days moved into weeks which turned into months, I got more and more excited about the possibilities.

The schedule for the next year finally came out and… I got in! I had no idea at the time, but Ornithology would open up a whole new world for me.