I was first introduced to Ryan 4 or 5 years ago when Beth brought him down to the Nature Center where I and a small group of volunteers have been working on a long term project studying birds, looking at possible trends in their diversity and abundance.

We have had a number of people come out and help over the years.  Usually they are adults with an interest in birds or nature or the environment in general.  There would even be an occasional younger person come out, help for a season or so, mostly though they did not have much experience in bird watching.

But, here was a kid that was obviously enthralled with birds and very much into birding.  

And as with most people, he had never seen a live wild bird as close as he was seeing them that day, let-alone allowed to release them back in to wild. This was a big deal.

Well, I will never forget the first time he saw one of the birds up close and then be able to release it.

I really thought he was going to hyperventilate and pass out.  And every time a new species that he had not encountered before showed up, he would have practically the same reaction.   

After that day, Ryan is telling me he will definitely be back.  Well, I am thinking this may be very interesting as I am expecting that our project will have close to a hundred different species before the end of the season.

As I mentioned, usually the people that come out and help are adults.  However, at about this time, 4 or 5 years ago, our project became inundated with kids within a very short period of time.  And most of these kids were very savvy about birds and how to id them.  Andrew Rominger, Hannah Porter, Raymond VanBuskirk, Micheal Hilchey. All pre-teenage kids, showing up to help. Sometimes loud and/or chaotic, especially if they were all there at the same time. But all willing to help and learn.

Well he did start to calm down a bit, just a bit, as that season and others that followed.  

However, even this year while helping me on another project out at Sandia National Labs.  When we caught, banded, and released a new species.  There was still that excitement from him, something like, Aha! Sweeet! This bird is AAAhsome.  And then give a high five after the bird was released.

No question, Ryan had a lot of energy, all the time.  Well maybe with the exception of really early in the morning.

Ryan and the other kids came out when they could.  They all wanted to learn how to handle the birds properly, ID the birds correctly and take the appropriate measurements.  Before sending the birds off back to the wild. 

When anyone first comes out to help, we usually start them off with writing or recording data that is being collected by an experienced Bander. The Bander will then let the beginner release the bird.  We collect quite a bit of information on each bird.  We try and tell what the age and sex is of the bird, we check its feather condition we weigh the bird and we look for external parasites.  

Now I mention this because Ryan soon started to give each bird he released a soft kiss on its head before releasing it.  When we realized that he was giving these birds goodbye kisses we had to ask him when he was in process of kissing one.  “Hey Ryan did you check for or asked if that particular bird had any parasites?”  Well of course he hadn’t and stopped like half into that little peck and asked with a little concern “does it?”  Well, it didn’t stop him from kissing all the birds. 

 He would still give a few chosen birds a little peck on the head before letting them go.

Well Ryan didn’t spend all his time helping us, He was out birding when he could, often meeting other people.  Which he often approaches and say Hi, I’m Ryan, and shake their hand then start talking about birds.

When he discovered the three species of Rosy Finches up on the Crest. Well that started another chapter in his life.

He and Raymond got together and started to plan out some way to study these birds.  Basic questions of how many are there of each species at the Crest.  Are these birds the same individuals that come back each winter?

They approached me with an idea to band these birds in order to help answer some of these questions.  Well, I told them they would have to write up a comprehensive proposal that would be submitted to the US Forest Service asking for permission to conduct this research, and they would need to get permission from the Crest House owner and operator.  They will have to enter all the data, analyze this data and submit the project to the science fair as well as to the NMOS.

They were going to have to design and build new capture devises.  Well they did all that.  And started the Rosy Finch project in the winter of 2004.

It seems to me that by this point I didn’t see one with the other.  It got to be for me and for other too.  That I would look at one of them and call him by the others name.  And many I would just run their names together and call Ryamond.

Well I will always be proud of what these boys have started.  There is no doubt that I have gotten a lot out of their project.  

If nothing else just absorbing their enthusasium and sometimes feeling their disappointments.  After just two seasons seeing that they are answering some of their questions and, as the way it always is, asking new questions.  What great fun! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Ryan’s enthusiasm was never more evident than when we were at the Crest House working on the Rosy Finch project.  He always tried to make sure that all the people that came up to the Crest House to view the finches got a look at them, helping those that wanted help in separating out the different species.  It seems to me that everyone was very grateful for his help and knowledge of these birds.

With Ryan it wasn’t all about birds.  He was interested in all living things.  This summer he was an Intern out at SNL.  Interning for the Ecology Group within the Environmental Management Dept.  A Group I am lucky to be a part of.  He preferred to go out in the field with one of us.  But was more than willing to do data enty.  He was always willing and able to go out and help Jennifer Payne with reptile surveys or veg surveys, After Steph set up some remote cameras he always volunteered to help Annemarie in picking up the film from our remote wildlife camera stations.  He couldn’t wait to tell people about some encounter with a snake or show off the latest pictures of a bear, fox, coyote from the cameras. 

There was no question in my mind that birding, studying birds, watching birds was in every fiber of Ryan’s being. Which leaves me thinking that those that were lucky enough to know Ryan, just might one day look at a pretty bird in a tree or soaring in sky and unknowingly give out an audible “Aha! Sweet! Aahsome!”.  Or maybe have an urge to kiss a bird on the head.