Judy Coates

Bird watching; knitting; crocheting; Diverse? Yes, Connected? Certainly.

I am always curious about and interested in an eclectic array of subjects. At first glance my education (Early Childhood Education in college and later, Non Profit Management, in university) may not appear to be connected to the topics I write about (bird watching, knitting and crochet). But I believe all things in life are inter-connected no matter how remote. The skills learned in one area of life, serve us well in the pursuit of others.

It is through my life experience that I acquired the knowledge and practice of birding; and the art of knitting and crochet. Growing up I had the benefit of experiencing the outdoors through camping and canoeing at our family cottage. These experiences spawned a life long appreciation and love for nature.

Like many young girls (and some young boys), I began to knit and crochet at an early age. My mother was a stellar knitter and a patient teacher. I still do not consider myself nearly as masterful as she was, but I aspire.

My interest in backyard birding led me to open a wild bird store, an excellent experience. But after several years our love for travel took over and I closed the store. Then I discovered that I could share my knowledge and enthusiasm about backyard birding by writing a website www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com and co-developed another site with my husband www.enjoy-englewood-florida.com (one of our favorite travel destinations).

If there was a venue to combine backyard birding with knitting and crochet, I would be the first to travel that path, but little birdies wearing littler sweaters just doesn’t fly. (Perhaps hats and scarves might do though!)