On a busy December afternoon, Adam Betuel was trying to calculate whether he had time to see about a bird. Sure, he had work and kids, and sure, he’d have to drive at least two hours from Atlanta to Augusta. But a Georgia birder group chat had just alerted him to something unusual: A groove-billed ani had been spotted in the eastern part of the state—far outside Central America, where it’s usually found. It was tempting to see a member of the cuckoo family in his own state, but Betuel decided not to make the drive.
It wouldn’t be the last time he would weigh daily responsibilities against the urge to chase a bird. The executive director of Birds Georgia, Betuel has more than 2,600 species on his “life list,” a birder term for the record of all the species one has observed over a lifetime.
The thrill of the treasure hunt is part of what draws people to Birds Georgia, which has 2,500 members and turns 100 years old this spring. Since its founding as the Atlanta Bird Club in 1926, its members have not only honed field skills and added new species to their life lists, but they’ve also advocated on behalf of bird conservation and educated the public about why birds matter…