Pennsylvania Teen Contributes to Citizen Science

Photo by Joanne Susoeff

At age 15, Patrick Susoeff already has a life list that some bird watchers twice his age would envy—422 species and counting. In pursuit of his avian interests, the Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, teenager has participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count, as well as the Lab's Project FeederWatch and House Finch Disease Survey. He volunteers with local birding clubs and he has written about bird-watching adventures that have taken him as far away as Costa Rica, Belize, and the Bahamas.

How did this happen? Blame Zonotrichia leucophrys and Mom. Joanne Susoeff has always had feeders in the yard and shares birding adventures with her son. Patrick says, "Every once in a while we'd see an unusual bird for our neighborhood. One time we got a White-crowned Sparrow, which was exciting. That started my interest." He was nine years old.

The Lab's citizen-science projects kept the fires burning. "These projects made me aware of the kinds of data people are tracking," Patrick says. "I didn't realize how many people are monitoring birds. It's interesting how much an ornithologist can learn from these projects."

Patrick isn't sure where his birding will take him. Music, Eastern studies, martial arts, and other pursuits also own a piece of his soul. But occupation or avocation, birding will always be a part of the mix. "Bird watching gets me outside in nature," says Patrick, "And it's fun!"

—Pat Leonard

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu