{"id":10655,"date":"2018-03-21T16:49:28","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T20:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=10655"},"modified":"2018-03-21T17:55:37","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T21:55:37","slug":"in-your-words-eckerson-brothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-eckerson-brothers\/","title":{"rendered":"In Your Words: Eckerson Brothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore<\/a>\u00a0member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. If you have a story to share about your connection to Mass Audubon, email explore@massaudubon.org<\/a> to be considered for In Your Words in a future issue!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

One day in April 2011, we four Eckerson brothers\u2014 Jonathan (then 12), Matt (then 10), Joel (then 9), and myself, Andy (then 11)\u2014started listing as many bird species as we could in a small notebook. This began our unofficial town bird club.<\/p>\n

Growing up in a rural area in southeastern Massachusetts, we were lucky to have 500-plus acres of woods behind our house to explore and roam. But it wasn\u2019t until that spring day that our interest in birds and wildlife really took off.<\/p>\n

From there, we attended walks at Mass Audubon\u2019s Oak Knoll and Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuaries led by an amazing guide, Jack Lash. He poured out his seemingly unending knowledge of the natural world, which ignited our love of all fauna. After a year, our enthusiasm for birdwatching turned from a hobby into an obsession.<\/p>\n

The four of us were always birding together in our yard, in the woods behind our yard, and on our neighbor\u2019s farm (with permission). If we could offer any advice to young people, it would be to find someone to share your passion with. Whether it\u2019s your mom, dad, sibling(s), mentor, or someone you just met, enjoy this world\u2019s beauty together.<\/p>\n

Then, learn all about the living creatures around you. When we started, we knew nothing. We read a lot and got involved with Mass Audubon. Jonathan and I conducted breeding surveys for Oak Knoll and Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuaries and became Mass Audubon interns. We now regularly attend the Birders Meeting and look forward to connecting with fellow birders and hearing the great speakers.<\/p>\n

We especially enjoy entering the annual Picture This Mass Audubon Photo Contest. When our family purchased a point-and-shoot Canon SX50 HS PowerShot camera with a 600mm zoom lens in 2013, our birding entered a new phase, now with the \u201cpower\u201d of a camera added to our arsenal of optics. We have all entered the contest over the years, and Joel and I have been fortunate enough to have several winning photographs.<\/p>\n

Getting the four of us out together is a little harder now that Jonathan and I are attending college. But when we can, we make a group trip to the southern part of Bristol County to do some birding\u2014just like old times.<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Andy Eckerson on behalf of the Eckerson family, members since 1990.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore\u00a0member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. If you have a story to share about your connection to Mass Audubon, email explore@massaudubon.org to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[174],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-your-words"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/DSCF1015_fi.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2LR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8258,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-jenny-villone\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":0},"title":"In Your Words: Jenny Villone","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon's\u00a0Explore member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. I\u2019ve been a lover of nature my entire life. Growing up,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jenny Villone at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary's Innermost House","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/10\/JVillone_Innermost_web.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/10\/JVillone_Innermost_web.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/10\/JVillone_Innermost_web.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11617,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-libby-herland\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":1},"title":"In Your Words: Libby Herland","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore\u00a0member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. If you have a story to share about your connection to Mass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Libby","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/Herland-Canoe-Meadows-Photo-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/Herland-Canoe-Meadows-Photo-1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/Herland-Canoe-Meadows-Photo-1-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11315,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-melanie-garate\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":2},"title":"In Your Words: Melanie G\u00e1rate","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore\u00a0member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. If you have a story to share about your connection to Mass\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Melanie G\u00e1rate | Coastal Waterbird Education Specialist","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/IMG_20170712_095614979_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/IMG_20170712_095614979_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/06\/IMG_20170712_095614979_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16567,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-nia-keith\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":3},"title":"In Your Words: Nia Keith","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Mass Audubon's Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Nia Keith, Mass Audubon VP for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln. My journey with Mass Audubon has traveled a spiral path. My life and career have taken me to lots of new and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A portrait photo of Nia Keith leaning on a fence in front of a green field with bird boxes in the background. Location: Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/Staff-Headshot-Portraits-Nia-Keith-August-3-2021-Selects-6_750x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/Staff-Headshot-Portraits-Nia-Keith-August-3-2021-Selects-6_750x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/Staff-Headshot-Portraits-Nia-Keith-August-3-2021-Selects-6_750x500.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/12\/Staff-Headshot-Portraits-Nia-Keith-August-3-2021-Selects-6_750x500.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14637,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-scott-v-edwards\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":4},"title":"In Your Words: Scott V. Edwards","author":"Hillary T.","date":"September 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Scott V. Edwards \u00a9 James Deshler Scott Edwards is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, Curator of Ornithology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and Mass Audubon Council Member. On June 6, 2020, Scott left his home in Concord, Massachusetts, to set off on a cross-country\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Scott Edwards by James Deshler","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/0621200834_HDRcreditJames-Deshler.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/0621200834_HDRcreditJames-Deshler.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/0621200834_HDRcreditJames-Deshler.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/0621200834_HDRcreditJames-Deshler.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16401,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-jan-spence\/","url_meta":{"origin":10655,"position":5},"title":"In Your Words: Jan Spence","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Volunteers Jan Spence (right) and Lisa Meeks plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project. Volunteering is second nature to me. Growing up in Rehoboth, MA, during the 1940s and 1950s, we always chipped in to help friends and neighbors. What\u2019s more, my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Your Words"","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Volunteers Jan Spence (right) and Lisa Meeks plant the final shrub\u2014a winterberry\u2014at a ceremony celebrating the completion of the Tidmarsh restoration project.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/09\/Tidmarsh-28.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10655"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10708,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10655\/revisions\/10708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}