David is a great birder. He loves birds and being out in the field more than anyone I know. You can see the excitement on his face when he is out on a bird walk and he spots a Great Egret or a Red-winged Blackbird. You can look into his eyes and see the passion and the special connection he has with birds. You can tell that it lifts his soul. David is one of those special birders.

David is a little different though. He is only 11 years old. While many other kids his age are glued to their computers and video games, David much prefers being outside doing what he loves best, watching birds. David also happens to be autistic.

I first met David and his mom, Theresa, on one of our nature walks in the Meadowlands. At first, David got some funny looks from some folks on our walk that day, but it didn’t take long to see how much he loved the birds. Pretty soon, we all loved David.

“I can’t tell you how much he really knows about birds since he can’t express himself very well,” David’s mom, Theresa, told me. “He gets flustered when you ask him questions. But if you only knew how many types of birds and bird sounds he really knows. We have tons of bird books and read every single morning before school or camp. He even takes them on the bus. It is real love.”